It is the Life in Your Years that Counts

The Black Mirror episode Be Right Back, represents one of the many scary scenarios our society could possibly be a part of in the future…hopefully never. I found many issues with the artificial Ash. It is entirely contradictory to everything that being a human means, and not just because he was essentially a robot. I think one of the things that makes being a human so special, and yet most of the time can be very annoying, is our inventory of countless emotions. It sounds wonderful to be able to take away suffering and loneliness, as Martha would agree, but to a certain extent I think we need to appreciate those states of being for what they are as a part of life. Times of grief, in Martha’s case the loss of a loved one, teach us to appreciate the little things, value the time we have in our lives, and to make the most of every moment. This level of technology is made to try and discount that notion entirely.

After activating the fake Ash, Martha soon realized there was a certain depth to him that was lacking. The software knew most of the real Ash’s behavioral patterns and phrases, but it was missing the out of routine sprits of passion, anger, and all other emotions that give humans soul and vitality.  To try and recreate a person, especially when there is no hope of them being able to adapt to the changes life entails, is completely against nature. This episode also goes to show just how “in-over-our-heads” humans can be, especially when it comes to denial and acceptance.