The (tri)cycle of life

A White Paper on the evolution of mankind across three very important eras


There have been various theories floated on man’s evolution, but now, a detailed study has helped classify and document the progression into three eras — mythological, illogical and technological.

The mythological era lasted from 10,000 BC to the time television was invented. Next came the illogical era, the age of cynicism that coincided with the invasion of TV. Notably, glimpses of the first era were depicted through long-drawn, but popular, serials with disastrous production values, causing people to scoff at arrows flying in slow motion and laugh at the funny wigs that everyone wore. The technological era began with the advent of social networking.

Now for some pertinent details on each of them.

The Mythological Era

It was an era when nothing defied belief, not even gravity. Man could fly, levitate, change his form at will and take on a new identity. He could make himself invisible. He could enter any place and slip away unnoticed. He had the powers to see things that occurred thousands of miles away. He could beam himself across the seven seas or interact with anyone from halfway across the world. He had devised magical mantras that could open locked doors. Only he could utter them — if someone else tried, it wouldn’t have the same effect. From cities beneath the sea to herbs growing on a faraway mountain, he could locate anything in a second.

The Illogical Era

This was an era when nothing defied gravity, not even belief. Man picked up his remote and sank into his couch, only to vegetate happily ever after. The past was a myth; everything about it was illogical. If he was really meant to fly, he would have sprouted wings. Sure, planes had been invented by then, but the joy of opening the window to throw out peanut shells or stepping out every hour to stretch one’s legs just wasn’t there. If he was meant to go invisible at will, he wouldn’t have been given a beer belly that had nowhere to hide. And those mantras couldn’t help him unlock a piggy bank, let alone open the vault at Fort Knox.

So man convinced himself that everything that had to be invented had already been invented and that stories from the past about teleportation, telekinesis and telepathy were not as real as teleshopping for weight-loss products.

The Technological Era

This is the current era, where nothing defies belief, not even Gangnam Style (one does talk about horses for courses, but horsing around in the middle of a dance does call for suspension of disbelief). Social networking allowed man to change his form at will and take on a new identity (on last count, Facebook had 83 million fake profiles). He could make himself invisible during chat sessions. Hacking enabled him to enter any place and slip away unnoticed. Webcasts and podcasts gave him the powers to see things that take place thousands of miles away. Skype allowed him to interact with anyone from halfway across the world. Voice-enabled passwords became his magic mantra that could open locks — and biometric technology made sure that only he could use them. If someone else tried, it wouldn’t have the same effect. Google allowed him to search and locate anything in a jiffy, from cities beneath the sea to herbs growing on a faraway mountain.

As for levitation, he’s still cracking it. Once Spielberg and Apple join hands to mass-produce the hoverboard that was featured in Back To The Future 2, it’ll be a reality.