Life Lessons and Wisdom Found in Sci-Fi and Fantasy

Life Lessons and Wisdom Found in Sci-Fi and Fantasy

by David Burt

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You can learn life lessons and gain wisdom, not only from religion and spiritual teachings, but also other sources such as literature, mythology, philosophy, folktales, fantasy, comic books, anime, and science fiction.

Science fiction is very helpful in a lot of ways. It introduces people to possibilities of what can happen in the futures and also the ethical repercussions of scientific advancements.

In the near future issues such as A.I. (artificial intelligence) becoming sentient will be paramount. This topic was tackled early on in science fiction TV series and movies such as Star Trek: The Next Generation, Terminator, The Matrix, and I, Robot just to name a few.

The topic of A.I. is deep, because the question should be asked, “Would a self-aware machine have a soul?” The same question can be applied to the topic of cloning. If scientists can create an identical clone copy of yourself inside a test tube in a laboratory would that clone be considered a person with liberty and rights? These type of questions are presented in science fiction.

Personally, I can understand machines being self-aware, but I don’t see self-aware machines having emotions. I say this, because emotions are caused by chemicals and hormones in the brain and other parts of the human body. Moods are caused by chemicals such as serotonin, dopamine, endorphins, and oxytocin. A machine would not have those chemicals inside it’s system. Also, a machine would not have a gender, because it won’t be able to replicate itself biologically. A machine would not have XX or XY chromosomes. But, it’s not impossible if somehow machines fuse with biology such as cyborgs which are half man and half machine. This is displayed in the artwork of H. R. Giger (1940 – 2014).

The design for the xenomorphs in the Alien movie franchise came from the artwork of H. R. Giger.

The topic of alien contact is also an issue that science fiction has been bringing up for decades. It’s the idea that humans are not the only intelligent beings in the universe and that there are beings on other planets who are in many cases superior to ourselves. Some aliens are benevolent while others are malevolent. In most sci-fi stories set in the future mankind has solved most of the problems that have plagued society for centuries such as poverty, war, and racism, but a new threat in the form of villainous extraterrestrials looms out there in the black void of space.

One of the very first early science fiction stories that talk about aliens invading Earth is the classic War of the Worlds written by H. G. Wells, originally published 1898. It was made into a movie in 1953 and a remake in 2005. It is about aliens from Mars invading Earth. The scenario of aliens invading Earth has been done over and over again for decades, particularly with the movie Independence Day (1996). There are a few movies which depict humans as the aggressors such as Avatar (2009). The overall rationalization of alien invasion is juxtaposed with the European invading, colonizing, and enslaving other indigenous lands and people. The framework is what if a more advanced intelligence threated modern civilization and the military was powerless to stop it.

WHY DO MANY PEOPLE HAVE A DISDAIN FOR IMAGINATIVE STORYTELLING?

There is a word for a person who has no interest in culture and the arts, the word is “philistine”.

It is defined as:

“a person who is guided by materialism and is usually disdainful of intellectual or artistic values.”

Most average adults lack creativity and imagination. One of the reasons is that they are stuck in survival mode and focus on mundane tasks such as working a 9 to 5 and paying bills they don’t see the need for an interest in creativity and the arts. This is especially true for people who are very conservative, traditional, and Christian. In many cases, the traditional conservative types (Tradcons) will say anything dealing with fantasy is “satanic”. This is why every so often you will see church ministers appearing on television telling their congregation to tell their children not to read Harry Potter books or play Dungeon and Dragons. Tradcons attack fantasy because they will say anything dealing with supernatural powers should only be attributed to God or Jesus Christ and that anything talking about magic outside of that is automatically “of the devil”.

Truth be told, there are stories in the Bible that are very similar to fairy tales (examples: Noah and The Flood, David and Goliath, Jonah and the Whale, etc.) and these stories have moral lessons no different from Grimms’ Fairy Tales or Greek Mythology. Historically, Greek myths predates Christianity and the Bible by 1,000 years. So, Christianity, even though there are positive moral teachings in the Bible, does not have a monopoly on age old wisdom.

Introducing children to stories when they are young is very beneficial to their mental development and maturity.

“Fantasy is therefore important to mental well being, particularly for the young adult reader. It provides a momentary escape, a release. It helps increase the potential of ones’ imagination to solve life’s problems. It can help resolve emotional conflicts and alleviate teen anxieties.” ~ The Psychology of Fantasy – DalSpace

“Fantasy is also critical in the development and exercising of a child’s imagination. Imagination has a lot in common with muscle; if it’s not used, it can atrophy and ultimately wither away to nothing. But if taken out and exercised, it grows strong and can do wonderful things.” ~ Why Fantasy Matters by R. L. Lafevers September 7, 2010

I even made a short YouTube video on this topic titled Resources To Learn Life Lessons and Wisdom.

If you are a person reading this and you have very little knowledge on the genres of science fiction or fantasy just start with the basics. I would recommend sci-fi classics such as The Matrix, original Star Wars trilogy from the 1980’s, and Avatar. When it comes to Marvel movies start with Blade, Iron Man, and X-Men. Also, watch Batman movies such as the first Batman film from 1989 directed by Tim Burton, then watch the Dark Knight trilogy from the 2000’s. You also need to watch The Lord of the Rings trilogy from the early 2000’s. Another very good movie to watch is Contact (1997). I would recommend a lot more movies, but I don’t want to get too deep on you.

I would also suggest you read up on mythology. Go on YouTube and watch videos about mythology, folktales, and parables, or you can do further research listed below.

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“G’mork : Foolish boy. Don’t you know anything about Fantasia? It’s the world of human fantasy. Every part, every creature of it, is a piece of the dreams and hopes of mankind. Therefore, it has no boundaries.

Atreyu : But why is Fantasia dying, then?

G’mork : Because people have begun to lose their hopes and forget their dreams. So the Nothing grows stronger.

Atreyu : What is the Nothing?

G’mork : It’s the emptiness that’s left. It’s like a despair, destroying this world. And I have been trying to help it.

Atreyu : But why?

G’mork : Because people who have no hopes are easy to control; and whoever has the control… has the power!”

~ From the movie “The NeverEnding Story” (1984)

REFERENCES AND RESOURCES:

1. Fiction Book Genres – What Is Science Fiction (Video) – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrusqQ5JftA
2. Fiction Book Genres – What Is Fantasy (Video) – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_cqszvdTqk
3. The Most Terrifying Aliens in Sci-Fi History | Quinn’s Ideas (Video) – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3UPrdLE8oaI&t=2s
4. Marvel Comics: The X-Men Explained | Comics Explained (Video) – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ybw_6P1VqyA
5. The HERO’S JOURNEY – Joseph Campbell (Video) – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNPcefZKmZ0
6. The Holy Bible
7. My Book of Bible Stories by The Watch Tower and Tract Society
8. Mythology by Edith Hamilton
9. The Hero With A Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell
10. How To Survive A Robot Uprising: Tips On Defending Yourself Against The Coming Rebellion by Daniel H. Wilson
11. A Life Without Visual Imagination (Video) – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VtcvM6piJfA
12. We Don’t All Have a “Mind’s Eye” | Aphantasia (Video) – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A91tvp0b1fY
13. The NeverEnding Story (a children’s fantasy film released in 1984)
14. Why Fantasy Matters by R. L. Lafevers, September 7, 2010 – https://www.wired.com/2010/09/why-fantasy-matters/
15. The Psychology of Fantasy – DalSpace –https://dalspace.library.dal.ca/bitstream/handle/10222/78589/YAhotline_76_17.pdf?sequence=1#:~:text=Fantasy%20is%20therefore%20important%20to,conflicts%20and%20alleviate%20teen%20anxieties.