HUMAN VS.

Genie




















The classical relationship of the human and genie has been a paradoxical one: a being of enormous, infinite power bows in submission to one of comparatively, finite power. The thread that binds the two together and creates this strange relationship is magic. Magic binds the genie to the lamp and the service of the one who rubs it. The best way to compare humans and genies should be to look at how each entity sees their purpose and place in the world.

Purpose will be divided into two sections: first, what does the entity consider themselves and themselves in relation to their surroundings and second, what do they consider their ultimate goal and why do they want this?

First, we need to clarify what we mean by "genie".

A genie roots itself from the Arabic root "JNN", which means to hide or conceal. The actual root word is djinn. In Islam, djinn were considered one of three types of supernatural beings, besides angels and demons. Only a master magician could control the actions of a djinn (which could be used for good and evil). Of course, a genie means something a bit different today. Today it is an entity trapped inside a magic lamp which is obliged to give three wishes to the lucky one who rubs the lamp thrice. Movies such as Disney's Aladdin change the concept of a genie as an entity longing to be free rather than a spiritual being aiming to serve those who summon it.

This evolution is very important in relation to the first section discussed above as the way a genie considers itself. Djinn, for instance, had free will and could come and go wherever they wanted. The modern genie is trapped in a magic lamp and must bow to the master who rubs the lamp.

Humans have crossed several thresholds as well. The theory of evolution demonstrates that humans slowly developed skills with which to hunt, farm, build homes and (eventually) cities. The modern human is understood as a miraculous achievement and/or creation for their intellect which far surpasses any other animal on the planet. Yet, as much as evolution has seen fit to equip humans to be in the driver's seat, the realization appears ever stronger with each new advancement that they are not in control. In this sense, they harbor a striking resemblance to the imprisonment of the modern genie to the will of its master and the ancient djinn which went to and fro with free will. The ancient humans, although at a lack for certain sorts of technology and luxury, maintained a deep connection to the earth (which was their survival) and appear to have intuited much from daily life and experience.

Ancient humans' expected age of death was much younger, but there was also less disease with which to deal. Ancient humans' consideration of their place in the universe is something that was understood. Modern humans, however, find it to be one of their greatest struggles. As the djinn understood their entity and moved without self-consciousness through the world, ancient humans understood their role in the rhythms and cycles of the earth as they were closer to the animal kingdom. Modern humans are handicapped by their distance from the earth and the loss of certain connections which became severed as humans developed beyond the rest of the animal kingdom.

In modern terms, the genie and the human both consider themselves powerful but limited to their master and their thought.

The second section considered what humans and genies call their goals, their purpose. For the modern genie (which we will deal with because we are dealing with the modern human) the goal is two-fold: the genie wishes to do its master's bidding and be free.

For humans, it's a bit more complex.

There is no one school of thought concerning this. Some humans believe it is the purpose and goal of their lives to help others, others find the conversion of other humans to a certain belief system as a goal, others believe there is no ultimate goal and on and on. The basic duality beneath these beliefs and the countless other which could be listed are as follows: there is a goal and there isn't a goal.

This could be correlated with the genie's goals as humans who believe they do have a purpose give into a master in a certain sense. By this it is meant, humans who believe they have a purpose bow to a power or a guideline by which they must live to accomplish this purpose (i.e. to convert people one must seek the guidance/power to which one is converting people; to be good and help people one must abide by certain moralistic guidelines which would allow one to be and do so). Those humans who do not believe they have a goal or purpose could, in fact, be compared to the djinn, which caused mischief or assistance, could be good or bad or neither and were a very little substance or "a smokeless fire" as the Qu'ran states. Those who believe there are no goals construct their own moral code either or anarchy or antagonism. The Church of Satan is an example. The Punk movement is another.

Ultimately, humans and genies hold quite a few similarities. They have both evolved from more "primitive" beings to become advanced, yet they have lost many of the skills which allowed them to do so. Humans have created inclusively, imprisoning themselves in a magic lamp of their own creation. For them (just as for the modern genie), freedom is an illusion achieved through short term separation from the need for money or technology. Yet, humans' return to these societal devices are no different than the awesome power of the genie displayed to the universe before returning to the interior of a small lamp.