H. G. Wells' Time Machine was the first novel to talk about a time "machine". Time travel already appeared in various mythologies, stories and fantasies. But a machine that can travel through time first appears in this novel. We have to give H. G. Wells the due credit for his idea and materialistic approach towards an imagination which stayed in the realms of mysticism, fantasy and spirituality. But on a closer look, except for few narratives here and there about the appearance of sky when the time travels faster, evolution of humans in to two different races and fate of solar system in distant future, the novel is almost about the social and moral aspects of human race.
At the first sight of the future world in 802,701 CE, the Time Traveler remarks "Communism". This is because he sees no individual houses but collective shelters that resemble apartments. Second, he observes that there is no competition for food, no health problems, reduced growth of population (almost constant) and so on, which he again relates to product of an ideal Socialist state. On seeing the frailty and meekness of the Eloi (surface living fruit-eating people), he reckons that they are like this because of lack of struggle as there is no necessity to struggle for anything at all. He also assumes that struggle against nature and necessity are the driving forces for development, culture, language, science and so on. He sees the future Eloi species as a dormant socially self-controlled species that has nothing else to do than to eat, live and reproduce.
After the shocking discovery of the subterranean cannibalistic species, he concludes that it is due to the extraordinary class segregation of rich and the working class. He briefly relates the condition of late 19th century workers with the Morlocks (underground living carnivorous species that consumes Eloi for food). How the ever widening gap between classes might drive the evolution of mankind in to a predator prey speciation is beautifully(?) captured in the Eloi - Morlock relationship. Even after becoming the predator, the Morlocks "serve" their Eloi "masters" (read prey) with fine clothing and the likes. Today the capitalistic system may find pleasure in subjugating the working class. Today the roles may be reversed. But in the future, the prey is the one that is fattened for the predator. And we all know who is getting fattened.
Wells, like Orwell and Einstein was a non-Maxist Socialist. It seems almost all remarkable minds of the 20th century were discontent with both the imperialistic capitalism and the totalitarian communism. They wanted people themselves to realize that cut-throat capitalism will not work and embrace a form of democratic socialism. In India too, many leaders like Nehru, Kamraj, Periyar and Annadurai wanted both democracy and socialism to co-exist. They can co-exist given there is no pressure from outside (on either way). But with growing economic pressure, lobby and black-ops by capitalist nations, soon this democratic-socialism fell out of favor. Currently the most happiest and least problematic societies are those that have, in some or other form, democratic-socialist governments.
It is not too late now. If we want our future generation neither to become prey nor to be predators of our own species, we have to act. So instead of traveling faster through time and just observe the future, it is up to us to engineer the future itself! The power is ours!
At the first sight of the future world in 802,701 CE, the Time Traveler remarks "Communism". This is because he sees no individual houses but collective shelters that resemble apartments. Second, he observes that there is no competition for food, no health problems, reduced growth of population (almost constant) and so on, which he again relates to product of an ideal Socialist state. On seeing the frailty and meekness of the Eloi (surface living fruit-eating people), he reckons that they are like this because of lack of struggle as there is no necessity to struggle for anything at all. He also assumes that struggle against nature and necessity are the driving forces for development, culture, language, science and so on. He sees the future Eloi species as a dormant socially self-controlled species that has nothing else to do than to eat, live and reproduce.
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| Image Credit: Wikimedia |
Wells, like Orwell and Einstein was a non-Maxist Socialist. It seems almost all remarkable minds of the 20th century were discontent with both the imperialistic capitalism and the totalitarian communism. They wanted people themselves to realize that cut-throat capitalism will not work and embrace a form of democratic socialism. In India too, many leaders like Nehru, Kamraj, Periyar and Annadurai wanted both democracy and socialism to co-exist. They can co-exist given there is no pressure from outside (on either way). But with growing economic pressure, lobby and black-ops by capitalist nations, soon this democratic-socialism fell out of favor. Currently the most happiest and least problematic societies are those that have, in some or other form, democratic-socialist governments.
It is not too late now. If we want our future generation neither to become prey nor to be predators of our own species, we have to act. So instead of traveling faster through time and just observe the future, it is up to us to engineer the future itself! The power is ours!
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