Fringe: White Tulip, and how it reverberates with me...
Fringe is a television show about a detective in the FBI who goes around investigating extraordinary events, such as mutating bugs, contagious cancers that spread like tantric sex, any sort of telekinesis and telepathy, all about science gone wild. Of course, it’s a TV show, and hence the creative license to be produce as impossible story-lines as possible.
But what really strikes me about the show, what really stands out for me, is the level of character development. There’s the FBI detective, a mad scientist (who is actually behind all the weird stuff going on due to his work in the past) and his son (who is actually from a different dimension). The mad scientist’s son had died in his childhood, and he had gone into a different dimension to save his son, and to bring him back to this dimension.
Yes, it’s quite convoluted, but so is everyday life, isn’t it?
Anyway, on to the character development. In the most recent episode, the mad scientist father was debating whether or not to tell his son about what he had done, that he wasn’t from this dimension or universe at all. He was afraid of the fall-out between him and his son, and hence had put off telling him for the longest time, and had even started to avoid his son.
Hmm... doesn’t that sound familiar? Struck a little too close to home, and I was riveted to the television for the whole episode. Anyway, the mad scientist had encountered another scientist, who was experimenting with time travel so that he could go back to save his wife who had died in a car crash (turns out that he travelled back in time and had managed to interrupt his wife from starting the car, but another car crashed into the car anyway, killing them both).
Anyway, in their short time together, the two scientists talked about science and faith. Turns out that the mad scientist had felt so guilty about taking his son from another dimension that he seems to think that God is punishing him everyday for doing so. And though he has the company of a full-grown son now, he is burdened by the guilt of having done such a deed. And the mad scientist implores the other scientist to re-consider what he is doing, as man is not meant to tamper with the fabric of the universe, because doing so would anger God, whoever God is.
Anyway, the other scientist retorts “we are men of science, science is our religion.”
Recently, I have not been going to church. One or two people have noticed and have told me that they miss my presence in church. Haven’t been very close to them in the first place, so can’t say that I miss them too. But do I miss God? I feel like the other scientist, actually, because I find it hard to conceptualize a God who I can’t see or feel. And now I find it hard to see or feel the presence and love of my friends from church.
But the mad scientist, having gone through a life-changing event, seems to be looking for some kind of divine inspiration so that he can find the courage to tell his son about what he had done. Perhaps I too need some divine inspiration so that I can have the courage to re-visit old relationships, with my friends and with my own father.
I wonder what that life-changing event would be for me. Illness, or an accident, or a tragic loss, or a traumatic hurt, perhaps. I don’t mean to be morbid, but everyone goes through these stressors, and I’d like to be prepared for mine.
But what really strikes me about the show, what really stands out for me, is the level of character development. There’s the FBI detective, a mad scientist (who is actually behind all the weird stuff going on due to his work in the past) and his son (who is actually from a different dimension). The mad scientist’s son had died in his childhood, and he had gone into a different dimension to save his son, and to bring him back to this dimension.
Yes, it’s quite convoluted, but so is everyday life, isn’t it?
Anyway, on to the character development. In the most recent episode, the mad scientist father was debating whether or not to tell his son about what he had done, that he wasn’t from this dimension or universe at all. He was afraid of the fall-out between him and his son, and hence had put off telling him for the longest time, and had even started to avoid his son.
Hmm... doesn’t that sound familiar? Struck a little too close to home, and I was riveted to the television for the whole episode. Anyway, the mad scientist had encountered another scientist, who was experimenting with time travel so that he could go back to save his wife who had died in a car crash (turns out that he travelled back in time and had managed to interrupt his wife from starting the car, but another car crashed into the car anyway, killing them both).
Anyway, in their short time together, the two scientists talked about science and faith. Turns out that the mad scientist had felt so guilty about taking his son from another dimension that he seems to think that God is punishing him everyday for doing so. And though he has the company of a full-grown son now, he is burdened by the guilt of having done such a deed. And the mad scientist implores the other scientist to re-consider what he is doing, as man is not meant to tamper with the fabric of the universe, because doing so would anger God, whoever God is.
Anyway, the other scientist retorts “we are men of science, science is our religion.”
Recently, I have not been going to church. One or two people have noticed and have told me that they miss my presence in church. Haven’t been very close to them in the first place, so can’t say that I miss them too. But do I miss God? I feel like the other scientist, actually, because I find it hard to conceptualize a God who I can’t see or feel. And now I find it hard to see or feel the presence and love of my friends from church.
But the mad scientist, having gone through a life-changing event, seems to be looking for some kind of divine inspiration so that he can find the courage to tell his son about what he had done. Perhaps I too need some divine inspiration so that I can have the courage to re-visit old relationships, with my friends and with my own father.
I wonder what that life-changing event would be for me. Illness, or an accident, or a tragic loss, or a traumatic hurt, perhaps. I don’t mean to be morbid, but everyone goes through these stressors, and I’d like to be prepared for mine.