Survival Of The Fittest

By Sukumar Ruj

The car was speeding along very swiftly, but the mind wanted to move ahead with even greater rapidity. A remote could control the speed of the car, but there was no gadget that could put clamps on the mind. There was a foot-note in the digital interview-card sent by the Selection Committee— Punctuality is the first priority. This meant that it was mandatory for the report to reach with within the set time frame. It would be heart rending if for some minor reason a rejection note was sent. As matters stand, the competition does not seem all that tough for me. Just a little effort is required. There were only a hundred competitors; amongst them eight posts remained reserved. From amongst the remaining ninety-two, eighteen would be selected. One person would be the final choice from each country. Only five persons are taking part from my country. Being selected is not such a big deal -the post is extremely vital and honourable, Personal Secretary of the Directors on the Board of the Association of under Developing Countries. Being selected for this post means representing your country. Everything must proceed in order. Everything is proceeding fine so far. One can hope that I will reach in time. 

Oh my God! The signal has turned red! If only it remains advanced for five seconds…! Just for five seconds two whole minutes will be wasted. By dint of rumours circulated by the attaché at the Circuit House, we had come to know that even the journey from Circuit House to the Senate House was part of the interview. Apparent hidden cameras and cc recorders had been well concealed in the car. All expressions and movements were being recorded. As a matter of fact, it was inclusive of the manner in which I was operating the remote. The amount of pressure on the remote was probably indicative of the degree of self-confidence. It was surely not an absurd thought. The post was such that self confidence and the ability to take quick decisions were extremely important. The political affiliations and economy of the eighteen countries and indirectly of the world depended on the ability of these selected eighteen to take timely quick decisions.  

But, presently so much time is being wasted! No! Time was very precious and impossible to waste in any manner. Rather, this time could be used in catching up with the newspaper headlines. What! This bit of news had escaped me… No matter how many the psychiatrists might claim that Kinshipia, Loveria and other such diseases had been eradicated from the earth, in fact it was not true. In some men traces still remained of vermin like unconditional affection, sympathy and empathy, emotions bonding and love. A living example of that was a woman in the Middle East Refugee Colony. 

This refugee colony was another eyesore. At the end of the Third World War, the mangy straggling living beings of the devastated countries were given refuge in this shelter. But there was virtually no effort at allowing them to survive. Even pigs in a sty lived in better conditions and better care was taken of them. The other day I witnessed an effort to claim better living conditions for the refugees by nude intellectuals, in a symbolic procession, sporting only caps and socks on their feet. Of course, it had not made any difference at all. Good lord! Now I can see a procession passing along the road. Quite a number of men with placards and festoons in their hand are moving ahead in a bid to participate. There are more men and a lesser number of women. On the placards in bold was stated, Cloning is our birth-right, Do cloning legally, Do more female clones and more along these lines.

There is no more time to think about these things. The signal is not changing and my tension is growing. But, no sign of tension can be revealed in my facial expression. Cameras could be placed anywhere. 

What relief, the procession has come to an end, but why is the signal not turning green! The sound of a siren can be heard from a distance somewhere. Who knows whether it is an ambulance or some VIP? Perhaps it is for that very reason…! Maybe it is all wily games of the selection committee. Deliberately creating tension! 

Is it tension that is making me sweat? Below the shirt there is a kind of itching sensation. There is not much humidity, the weather is dry. The temperature inside the car is showing it to be fifty degrees Celsius. Outside it is surely fifty-five—fifty six degrees. At this time this is normal. After the World War, God knows why the world temperature shot up in this manner. On the other hand, why will it not? The kinds of weapons that had been used! Oh! This could also be part of the interview quest. Let me mentally try and organize the answer.

Thank God, the green signal at long last! This road definitely has speed limits. I am not aware of how much, though…. According to the navigator of the car, it will still be another three minutes and twenty seconds before reaching the Senate House. It was only three minutes to nine. This obviously meant that at this speed, we would definitely be late. The pressure on the remote speed button increased. 

At the checking-stand, after the explosive detector had come up with a green signal, standing in front of the photo-sensitive sliding door, it opened automatically. Immediately Sohom entering, the attendance punch machine was to the right. The interview card being swiped, the screen highlighted the time one minute five seconds past nine. This meant that I was one minute five seconds late. It was not all that much and I expect it will not pose a problem. The screen displayed— Mr. S Thirty, you are the thirty ninth people according to your attending time. Wait here for a while … 

After waiting for quite a while the digital screen displayed alongside an invisible speaker that boomed: Mr S Thirty, this is your turn Please enter the conference room, turn right. Your cubicle number is nine. 

On entering all that I could see was a computer monitor on the screen. The room was bereft of any other human being. From the speaker at the side wafted a voice, be seated, please. 

I took my place on the chair. Once again, a voice resounded, all in English, Mr. S Thirty,

 Do not assume this conversation between us to be an examination. You can take it to be a discussion. From this itself we can assess whether you are suitable candidate or not for this post. Let us make a start; but at the outset let us ask why you were late? 

I too replied in English— yes, just slightly late, only one minute and five seconds. I am awfully sorry for this unintentional delay.

You are surely aware that why, a delay of even five seconds, let alone one minute five seconds that a satellite instead of moving in orbit can be utterly destroyed. A missile might miss its target. A sperm might be bereft from fertilizing the ovum.

It was quite apparent that the interview or dialogue, whatever it was, had already started. So, I began very carefully – Actually, the signal on the road …. 

There are bound to be signals on the road!

No, what I meant to say that because a procession was passing by….

Oh, a procession! Then, you must have noticed who the participants were?

Yes, it was no political party; some ordinary people who together were voicing their claim to be allowed to clone humans according to their desire. 

Do you think that their wish ought to be allowed credence? If you support them, then give reasons for your opinion. If not, then tell us why.

It is my belief, Sir, that their demand is not illogical. This is because thanks to female foeticide, the ratio of male is to female is in the ratio three is to one. Besides, thanks to the harmful radiation effects of nuclear bombing at the end of the Third World War.

The better part of men and women has lost their powers of breeding. If humanity is to be saved, then at least for the time being cloning is required to generate some human beings. 

But Mr. S. Thirty, the person from whose seed the cloning will be done, will be absolutely identical to the cloned man. Intellectual growth will come to an end. There will be no up gradation of society-culture. Besides, don’t you think that it will be extremely inconvenient if everybody in the family looks the same?

There are bound to be some problems. But, to pinpoint people, some prominent identification marks will have to be arranged. 

Yes, while that could certainly be done, habits and character will remain the same. That is to say cloning a terrorist will definitely result in another terrorist. If a murderer is cloned, the result can be nothing but another killer. The biggest problem of all however wills that relations of father-mother, children and kinship will no longer exist in society!

I took a bit of time and kept on putting my thoughts in order. All of a sudden, the computer spoke aloud; would you like to have some water?

No sooner did I nod assent than a fibre clamp lightly descended from the ceiling of the cubicle; what was in front of me contained about two ounces of water. In one breath I gulped down the water. A hope arose for a little more to slake my thirst. But these days no water was given for free anywhere. Even if some was proffered out of politeness, it was not more than two ounces. It was very expensive refining brackish sea water into potable water.  

After expressing my satisfaction with the water, I began speaking— that is yet to happen, Sir. After the Third World War there has been a massive change in the social structure. Qualities like affection-love, unconditional affection, respect, gratitude are regarded as diseases by humanity in general. Presently, there is only one kind of relationship between people. That is sexual pleasure or sensuality. This is the only kind of bonding that happens these days between man-woman, man-man or woman-woman is a sexual relationship and not mental or emotional. To tell the truth even this kind of relationship will not last for much longer. To satisfy their sexual cravings men and women are using polydolls and rubber organs. This is the era of female crisis. Nowadays one will find red light areas or brothels. In its place unending rows of Polydoll Centres are raking up a booming business. 

Look here, Mr. S thirty, in the perspective of need and easy availability, there are bound to be certain changes in society. That must be accepted. 

Natural changes of course have to be accepted. But, at the moment, unnaturally widespread changes can be observed, Sir. As it is, in present times man is becoming is discouraged with natural sex. There is a great paucity of suitable females. If some man who is wealthy enough to buy space on the moon manages to locate a suitable female, he still remains dissatisfied. Not merely enjoying the female body, he also wants to savour a familial relationship with her. This is the trend nowadays. That is why a father is using his daughter, a brother is using his sister— or a mother her son. This is because, alongside a physical satiety, there is an enjoyment of relationship too. In that case, what remains of kinship or a blood relationship!

Well, Mr. S thirteen, from what you say let us assume kinship becomes time barred. Blood relationship no longer exists. Then, this human craving for relationship will also draw to an end. Man will no longer find joy in this. Then, in which direction will man or society move? What arrangements will be made?

Even the alternative is already coming into vogue, Sir. 

Really! Will you elaborate, please? 

The trend these days in a lot of countries is dignity enjoyment. This can be observed in the young generation. Enjoyment of a dignified bed partner, College students are enjoying the wife of their professors. Office staff is keen on making the boss’s bed partner their bed partner. The very fact that they are enjoying what the boss does suffice. This kind of enjoyment is the name of the game. A middle-class man wants to have the sensation of being a millionaire by enjoying women from aristocratic families. Now, more than sex pleasure dignity enjoyment is getting priority, Sir. Nothing will remain of what call society now. 

It seems from what you are saying that within another ten years what is your opinion about that?

I remained silent for a few seconds. Then, with all confidence I resumed, After the Third World War, insects, small birds and all kinds of flora and fauna are on their way to extinction, man has been obliged to change everything from food habits to the system of living. In lieu of rice and bread – synthetic cakes and energy tablets, So far as clothes are concerned, it is a synthetic gown, cap and shoes and socks. Living quarters means heat protected rooms at a minimum ten feet above ground level. In such an instance the meaning of society will also have to definitely change. Then, man will no longer be regarded as a social animal. It will be regarded as a one-man society. It is similar to the situation where, where despite a hydrogen atom, there might be an electron and proton which, like Oxygen that contains eight protons and eight neutrons, it is self-complete and active.

The computer voice boomed aloud— then, along with the change in society, a change in political policy will also have to be brought about. Or else, how can a country are regulated? 

Absolutely Sir that is also my opinion, but…. 

Almost forcing me to stop, the computer said aloud forcefully— but, there are still some countries in which a social system is prevalent. There is a greater predominance of democratic countries in the world, is it possible that there will be a change in them?

It seemed as though the ghost of being argumentative had infested me. It completely slipped my mind that I had come for an interview. The words burst forth from me— the system will have to be changed, Sir. 

Give us a substitute.

The substitute could be running the Government through a Capitalist Council.

The matter is not very clear, please explain at greater length. 

Come to think of it, though we talk of Democracy, in actuality it is Fiscal Supremacy that is running the country. The opinion of the public is hardly given any credence. It is the filthy richer the multi-millionaires who are indirectly running the country. Weight age lies in the hands of the politicians. Political parties garner millions and millions of rupees from the supremely wealthy in lieu of hallowing those major favours once they came to power. After reaching the helm, instead of thinking on the general public or amelioration of the country, all attention is focussed on even further heightening of the largesse of the wealthy and their betterment in every way. But the irony is that these political parties are elected through the votes of the very same members of the public. Members of the Opposition can do nothing but scream, shout and throw tantrums. 

Hence this method is backdated. Yet another option is – if a number of Capitalist Councils come to the fore; then, any one of them, in accordance with certain set pre-conditions, is vested with the responsibility of running the Government, then, in their own interests, they will be forced to think of the welfare of the people  and country. 

Will the people elect those councils?

Absolutely not! Truthfully speaking, even in the present Democracy, the members of the general public have virtually no role to play and they will have no role to play at that time too. The Council that promises the largest sum of money to the Government will be the ones to form and run the Government. Then the problem of waiting for hours in line will not be there. Neither will there be any discord or fighting amongst them.

Then, the general public will have no role to play at all. 

Definitely there will be, Sir. Just like now, when member of the general public are either supporters or active members of some political party or the other, at that time the public will be members of some capitalist council or the other and that will be mandatory. Further, in their own interest the people will be active participants of some council or the other. That will make living a lot easier. Aged parents and handicapped children can be sold to the ‘limb suppliers’ under the purview of the suppliers. After all, the other council suppliers will not pay more for live kidneys. It is no mean expense keeping them in a farm house. Therefore, it stands to reason that some council membership will be drawn by the prospect of cutting up unnecessary family members and making a hefty profit. A world-renowned economist has said, “We are merely an economy, not a society.” So, the attitude of the modern-day man is earning more money by hook or by crook. If he can be the owner of a sufficient amount of money, he will be able to purchase membership of some council or the other. It is something like purchasing equity shares. Then, each and every single man will strive in earnest to earn that requisite sum of money by some means or the other. This will be a compelling reason for humanitarian values to be forced into an untimely death. But the economy of the country will definitely see uplift. 

How will there be a betterment of the economy of the country? The Council in power will want to increase their capital. What betterment can there be of the country?

If the intention is to increase the capital, it will have to be done through the money of the public. That is to say the power to purchase of the public will have to be increased. If the power to purchase has to be increased, then the power to increase will have to be proportionately increased. Logically it follows that place of employment will also have to be increased. If this is to be successfully done, then factories or various trade facilities will have to flourish to a greater degree. Capitalists will do so in their own interest. This will indirectly benefit the people and the country. 

Am assuming that this will happen, but avariciously wanting more and more money, all the positive qualities of man along with his conscience will be lost. Then the very definition of a human will have to be re-defined. Man will no longer be a man, but be converted into a machine. 

A wave of laughter rose in me and I said— man anything better than a machine now, Sir? All this while whom I have been talking to but an A.I! There is no human in front of me. 

That might be, but all human qualities, I mean data to carry on with this kind of discussion has been programmed inside this machine. That is why a discussion with you is feasible, despite being nothing but a machine.

Sir! If analysed carefully, man too is nothing but a machine. A man’s brain is nothing but a super computer. The change in humanity and this social life is nothing but up gradation or alteration of the programme. It is like Windows programme moving from seven to eight to nine and nine to ten. Discarding backdated programmes, upgraded programmes are being loaded.

That means man and machines attain a cloning close likeness. Then, instead of cloning, it is far better to develop robots. In that case what is the sense in making so much fuss about cloning?

The reason behind this is conservation. In order to preserve the remnants of human values and emotions that still remain in future generations, cloning is necessary.  More so since the process of re-generation is almost at an end. 

Just installing these emotions in a robot will solve the issue.

You have hit the nail on the head, Sir! At one point of time it will be observed that all the physical and mental characteristics of a man will be computer programmed. Then a computer will laugh in joy, cry when sad and also fall in love. Then man will be upgraded and grow beyond all this. Then, there will be nothing called the common man. The very concept of country will change; neither will there be the concept of “Association of under developing countries.”

If that is not there, then the post for which you have applied will also become redundant.

I believe Sir, that to become ‘Associated’, this post will be even more necessary. This is simply because in order to stymie the pace of the society, country or world or point it in the right direction, the importance of this will increase even more. 

There is a question to ask you. Do you think you are worthy of the post for which you are standing face to face?

Look here Sir, nobody come readily capable. The capability had to be developed. Through this interview or discussion my brain-computer capacity has been assessed. It is my belief that now, there will be a new data programming for my brain, I will be made worthy for this post. 

Well said! But for that it will be necessary to discard a lot of the data that is already in you.  

What kind of data, Sir?

Well, as you said— the human qualities like affection, love, joy-sorrow, contentment-pain— all these will be uninstalled. Only then will it be possible to install our data. You are agreeable, aren’t you?

I was thrown into a dilemma. It was a puzzle as to whether to say yes or negate. All of a sudden, the computer roared out in laughter. It stopped and continued— Note some emotions have temporarily installed in me to justify your sensations.  That’s why seeing you so bemused, I am able to laugh aloud in this manner. 

Dumbstruck for a few minutes I continued to gaze at the computer. All of a sudden, I noticed that being idle for a while, the computer screen switched on. Ina sliding mode screen from the past kept moving across the screen. Some pictures were of mothers caressing their babies, some of young children laughing joyously while riding horse back on older men as the moved on the ground… One by one a variety of pictures floated across— a newly married couple in their wedding finery, an intimate embrace between a man and a woman and an old person being helped across the road by holding on to the hand of a youth. Gazing in that direction, I went into a kind of trance and completely forgot to reply.  After a while beeps began to resound continuously. 

Returning to the present surroundings I found that the pictures had vanished and in the Helvetica font some writing was being highlighted — your time is up. Sorry, you are cancelled. Thank you for the effort. Leave the cubicle.

#the story is imaginary and hence not to be judged for facts. 

By Sukumar Ruj