I just watched the first half hour of the Humans, the new series on SyFy. It’s well done. Good acting, good production values. I don’t know how long I’m going to be able to keep watching, though. Events of late already have me feeling down, and I don’t think this series is going to do much to go against that.
The series advertises itself as an “alternate present,” or near future where androids, called “Synths” have become ubiquitous. They appear as anything from domestic servants to chefs to blue collar workers, with the hint that they are rapidly growing in sophistication, that soon they will be able to replace most any specialty. The effect of these changes on humanity is one of the overarching themes of show. The plot device used to bring out the societal conflict seems to be how the family purchasing the Synth, which they name Anita, responds both to her, and to each other because of her. It’s science fiction with a social message. I’m usually leery of such things, but I’ll give it a chance.
While watching the first episode, I was taken aback by one of the conversations the parents had with the oldest daughter. She’s late teens, with an attitude that alternates between “don’t care in the slightest” and “mad at the world.” The conversation that caught my attention was when her parents questioned how her grades had dropped from an A to a D in one semester. The parents had noticed the a drop in effort prior to this, and encouraged her to get back to applying herself. Her response was, in a nutshell, why bother? If it takes her seven years to become a doctor, but by then a Synth can be programmed to be a doctor in seven seconds, then why bother?
That’s where I turned off the show. It was a worthwhile question, and I wanted to give it some thought. Over the course of a few minutes, a few things occurred to me. None of them are particularly encouraging, but they ring true to me.
We all desire to be valued. As people, we are designed (and I use that term quite purposely) that way. We gravitate toward people we admire. We are flattered when people admire us. The approval excites us, buoys us, occasionally inspires us. This is hardly a new concept. I am pretty certain that people have felt this way from the very beginning. What has changed so radically in this generation is our expectations with regards to that value.
Up until a couple of generations ago, admiration was a tedious affair. There were celebrities, to be sure, but a far smaller collection than people can access today given the internet, cable channels, cell phones, etc. People generally met fewer people, went fewer places, had fewer options. Not surprisingly, the opportunities to generate status were harder to come by as well. At the risk of sounding sexist, a lot of men, perhaps the majority, found their value through work and providing for their families. Similarly, women had their sense of place.
This is not a call to return to “traditional” roles (for these surely varied by culture, upbringing, etc.). This is merely pointing out that as mundane as it was, these were methods that men and women could use to show themselves capable and accomplished. This was how they could generate value in the eyes of other and, equally important, in their own eyes as well.
Today, the search for personal value has changed drastically, and often harmfully. For a large segment of the population it rests not on competence or skill, knowledge or utility. Some pursue it through web exposure, some through infamy. Some expect it to be given by virtue of their existence. Essentially, they demand to be valued while doing nothing of value. Sadly, a portion of society has attempted to meet that demand, bolstering “self-esteem,” but that does little to relieve the problem. It’s rather like treating a drug addict with morphine. It mollifies the pain for a time, but does nothing to relieve the underlying problems.
In our modern age, it seems that we have not only abandoned our better natures, but hold them thoroughly in contempt. Integrity, purity, sobriety, patience, perseverance. Challenging and dull to be sure, but each a virtue to which anyone from the poorest to the richest could aspire. These qualities, and others like them, brought forth the looks of admiration, the quiet murmurs or praise. Applied to labor, they filled the stomach. Applied to study, they filled the mind. Applied to worship, they filled the soul.
Virtue. It’s a term seldom used these days, and I think we suffer for that. These qualities, inspired by a loving Creator, fill both us from within and the nation without. They confirm His presence within us. They reveal His mark, a value that can never be taken by another, only degraded by our own choices.
I pray for revival within our nation though, sadly, I hold out little hope. Our God is a God of miracles, but He must still be true to Himself. That truth means that though He can conquer weather, and sickness, and drought, and even death, He will not conquer us. The only victory we can have is surrender. Our greatest value will come when we resolve to serve.
Rev 3:17 - 20 You say, "I am rich. I have become wealthy. I don't need anything." Yet you don't realize that you are miserable, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked. Therefore, I advise you to buy from me gold purified in fire so you may be rich, white clothes to wear so your shameful nakedness won't show, and ointment to put on your eyes so you may see. I correct and discipline those whom I love, so be serious and repent! Look! I am standing at the door and knocking. If anyone listens to my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he will eat with me.
