Author Archives: rm945

Don’t Look Back

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Black Mirror is one of my favorite shows and this episode in particular is my favorite one for the scenario it describes. The episode is dramatic, suspenseful and ultimately quite depressing given how the story unfolds. The most pressing question this episode asks is whether or not you would want a device that lets you rewatch any past experience. Although privacy and cost are certainly important, my decision is independent of those two factors. Firstly, I feel it is better to stay focused on the present and not look back in the past or look too far ahead into the future. Thus, at first I was inclined to reject such a future with said devices. Moreover, as the story progresses, we find out that Liam’s wife had an affair and he is also most likely not the father. Though the grain helps him find the truth, he drives away his wife and child and is left by himself. At the end, he sees the grain as a tool that has caused more harm than good. Thus, I would most likely reject the grain as well. While the truth is important, having such a device could lead to one overthinking and creating suspicions that may or may not be true. One of Liam’s main gripes is that Fi looks at Jonas in a very affectionate way and she doesn’t look at him the same way. However, we see at the end that she did look at him in a loving way but in his state of anger and determination to find out the truth, he glossed over the fact that their relationship was more concrete than he thought it was.

The episode is extremely well made with many nuances and complexities and is one that will have anyone watching questioning what they would have done in that situation.

Fire and Desire

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Although the movie debuted in 1997, a lot of the issues and topics that the movie explored are extremely prevalent in todays society, namely gender roles and equality. Right from the beginning, we are exposed to the stark differences between men and women in Indian society. Essentially, men are the dominant figures and women must be obedient and do the man’s bidding and finally, provide them with a child. Although there has been a lot of progress in the field of gender equality in India, it is still far from perfect. Women’s opinions are still often disregarded and they are still seen to be slightly inferior to men. Moreover, India is still far behind in establishing fair and equal rights for the LGBTQ community and this film had a very powerful message about two women exploring their sexualities in a far from ideal place. This idea of going against the grain and challenging societal norms reminded me a lot of Dead Poets Society as the protagonists in that story also express themselves in a way that their community didn’t see fit.

A New Way to Start

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Coming from an Indian family, yoga has always been something that has been around me. All my relatives partake in yoga on a fairly consistent basis and recently, many of my friends have as well. However, I was always skeptical of the benefits of yoga and thought it didn’t have any real significant intrinsic benefits. Nevertheless, I decided to come to the event regardless just to try it again and see if there would be any difference. Given that prelims were approaching I was naturally feeling a little stressed but after doing yoga for an hour, I felt more relaxed and rejuvenated. For the rest of the day, I was able to work more efficiently rather than normally getting distracted. Since then, I have made a conscious effort to take a small amount of time in the morning and do a little bit of yoga. Doing so has lowered my stress and I feel refreshed both physically and mentally each day.

Beyond the Classroom

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Right from the beginning of the movie we can see that the school the protagonists attend is an elite yet rigid prep school. Students have very little choice when determining classes and all follow similar career paths whether it be medicine, law, business, etc. There is little room for one to express themselves individually and it is only after taking the poetry class with Mr. Keating do they slowly but surely begin to come out of their shells. By organizing the “Dead Poet’s Society” and meeting in their secret cave at night, the protagonists are able to overcome the rigid shackles placed upon them. Moreover, while they think they are just discussing poetry, Keating’s unconventional lectures show that poetry is actually teaching them about life itself. Rather than learning about topics like meter and evaluating a poem solely based on its perfection and impact, the group learns how poetry can teach someone to fully express themselves.

I find this to be certainly true as after I took a literature course in high school and during my freshman year, I found that I learned a lot of values that could be applied to my life directly. Moreover, I believe that it is important to study poetry and the humanities as a means to provide balance and keep life in perspective. I certainly have grown as an individual as a result of my extra emphasis on the humanities.

Unlocking your genome

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The documentary, “Cracking your Genetic Code”, gave a fairly comprehensive look into the world of DNA sequencing and issues related with this practice. Often times, when we think of genome sequencing, the movie GATTACA comes to mind which has led many to believe that we can tailor individuals to have certain characteristics. Yet, this is far from the truth as our understanding of how genes operate is still not complete and instead we can only give probabilistic estimates. However, the most important question this documentary provoked was one that I struggled with for a couple days, “Do you want you genomes sequenced?” The examples provided in the documentary showed both sides of the dilemma. On one hand, through genome sequencing, doctors and researchers are able to gather even more information. On the other hand, many individuals don’t want their genomes sequenced in the hopes of not finding they have a high risk of a life altering disease. Moreover, many are concerned about the confidentiality of the results of their personal genome and I think this the most pressing dilemma. If employers have access to these results and can make hiring decisions based off them, many will be deterred from getting their genome sequenced. Thus, as startups become more sophisticated and sequencing becomes more common, we have to work together to create safe laws and guidelines to ensure confidentiality.

Personally, I feel that genome sequencing should become common practice in the coming years as the benefits far outweigh the costs. Allowing doctors to gain more data will help further advance medicine and create a healthier future for all.

 

 

Fit to be a King

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The King’s Speech took an otherwise mundane topic and managed to make a film that was gripping and entertaining. After the movie, the GRF asked us to theorize why Bertie’s stammer arose and why it deeply manifested itself. I personally believe it is because he was always his father’s choice to become the next king but had no support system in the form of his mother. Moreover, his father’s will to make him his successor may have come off the wrong way leading him to believe his father didn’t believe in him and rather that he despised him.

However, what ultimately alleviated Bertie’s stammer was the constant support of his wife and his friendship with Lionel. Having a strong support group allowed Bertie to persevere and prevail over his impediment while providing a source of calmness for the British people during such a turbulent time. Having to face his biggest fear under the circumstances Bertie was in, depicted how in the end, he was fit to be a King.

 

 

 

 

 

Should we care about space?

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While watching Ridley Scott’s, The Martian, it is easy to get lost in the stunning scenery, the tense conversations within NASA, or Mark Watney’s struggle to survive by himself. However, what really stood out to me is that in the movie, there was a deeply rooted interest in space and its exploration by all parties that far exceeds what we have in todays world.

When Watney is supposed to be rescued by his crew, enormous viewing events are taking place in some of the most popular destinations on Earth such as Times Square and Trafalgar Square. Continuing on, throughout the movie, NASA directors reference future missions spanning decades of years thereby showing the prominent government backing for space exploration. This, along with the 70’s disco music, harkens back decades when space exploration was one of the trop priorities for governments. However, it would seem almost outlandish to suggest that a similar event would happen today’s world. Society as a whole has lost its passion for space and governments have followed suit by cutting funding for organizations such as NASA in favor of funding other sectors such as the military.

Though space travel can be costly, private companies, such as SpaceX, are making huge breakthroughs in the field. By finding a way to reuse rockets, the cost of space travel can be reduced dramatically. Moreover, I think space exploration is something that should be heavily invested in. By engaging more in space exploration, we can gain a better understanding of the cosmos and the findings could lead to technological breakthroughs. Additionally, finding planets with abundant resources and habitable conditions will allow for society to combat overpopulation and resources in short supply.

This film was one of many to explore the idea of space exploration at the time of its release and I think it did a wonderful job of combining many aspects to create a comprehensive and enjoyable movie.