Controllers

Holy crap, holy crap. Here we go!

The countdown was at 10 seconds. I’d waited most of my, ill admit brief, adult life. Ever since I’d stumbled across the controllers deep in the depths of the dark web as I was searching for some meaning in life besides out competing my neighbors for a bigger share of seemingly dwindling resources. It was 2030 and I’d only recently had my first legal drink, only because I could as that stuff is not very good. I prefer a nice infused drink, or an edible. Plug into my neural net and get some work done.

I’d made some creds, but even more importantly I’d piqued the interest of some powerfully influential people with my self replicating mining bots. Initially it had been a mod for my favorite game. Eventually I’d actually built one, and it had built another! I wasn’t really sure what it was going to be used for but with clean water and actual meat protein becoming more scarce each year since the massive climate shifts of the 20’s, I was in no place to turn down a windfall for myself and by extension my family, and friends.

So here I am, a lot has happend these past few years. I found the controllers, or more likely they had found me. Apparently they liked what I had to offer, really not sure what that is besides a belief that there is enough for everyone and humanities natural inclination to greed and hoarding was killing our planet, and species.

3

2

1

I grabbed the somewhat pear shaped locket around my neck. A symbol of who I was to become, what I was becoming a part of, the controllers. I was about to plug into a group outside of our planets gravity well, unbound by any nations rules.

As the catapult launched me at around 12 times the force of gravity at sea level on earth, I began to black out. Without the water surrounding me, the tight spandex suit, muscle relaxants and whatever cocktail was in the air I was breathing through a tube, I would have blacked out immediately. I was launched up the side of Mount Mckinely and up off earth, most likely never to return.

As far as I could tell, this water was my contribution to the self contained system on the station I was headed toward. This pod, or coffin, would be my quarters. Risks and sacrafice had to be made if humanity was going to get past their adolescences. For too long now the world had been able to see the destruction of our natural habitat, seen the despair entire populations had spent their brief miserable lives.

What was clear is that most people simply thought it was ok not to care because the problem was too big. The controllers decided to take it on them selves to model and implement tweaks on society. The backers were some of the most rich, influential people on earth. There was even the first ever moon oasis under construction near the north pole of the moon, and yes, thats where my little robots were being applied, mostly.

For now, we would be living in the ultimate control tower, orbinting the earth around 36,000 km high. We were no longer willing to allow humanity to disregard the waste our species was ever so great at producing. The human body count alone was unnacceptable.

We lived by a code of ethics, hence the importance of the pear shaped heart pendant each of us wore. And our mantra was one of the greatest lyrics ever written by Rush, The men who hold high places, must be the ones to start, to form a new reality, closer to the heart.

We have assumed control.

I had completely drunk the juice to wash the red pill down.

You ought to be asking yourself what the hell am I doing going to space to save the earth?

We’ll, it’s simple really. We’re also under agreement that while there are numerous other places to explore on earth, Space is the perfect place for humans. Can’t kill anyone but ourselves.

Populations have been rising up for all of human history. To be a part of human society is to be living in a distopia. I’d bet you the number one reason science fiction with friendlier aliens never went mainstream is because of humanities overwhelming inability to comprehend a world in which suffering is at a minimum while still holding onto freedom and competition.

So I have to confess something. I misled you. I’m actually 54 today. Interestingly this can be seen as an important day in my story. It’s 3 x 18. Eighteen is an important number to Jews, and while my father would have loved to still be around to tell me how not Jewish I am, it’s actually a big part of my youth and a foundation of who I am.

We actually only accept enlightened religious outcasts, if you will. Good solid ethical foundation, with common sense and the ability to still think for ourselves.

Sad but true, it’s asking a lot these days.

So this is like my 3rd life. In the beginning there was me. The first 18 years I went from hardcore American Jew, about 5/9 way through I was almost blown up by a suicide bombing. Instead of pushing me to do great things with my life, I struggled with drugs, chicks and grades.

Managed to get a high school diploma, not have any kids, and got into college. This was entitlement. 💯. I didn’t give a shit about a future, but instill got one.

My next chapter was a normal life, almost. Got married after college. Had kids. Underachieved as a teacher, but did it my way. Life really fell apart right at the end of my 2nd life, as it were. Fired. Pandemic. Stale marriage.

My kids were my life. Games, sports, art, school, vacations, and hockey.

Pretty sure hockey is what destroyed my marriage for good. Not the time investment, that was only resentment. But the dangers.

When tragedy struck and took our sons mobility away it ended the marriage and I struggled with not losing my mind.

But like all things, new grows from the devastation. Today I have a grandkid I do see from time to time, though it’s complicated, as all things are, but my daughter is running quite the boutique gaming company. And my son went on to win a silver medal in paraolymoic hockey, with a surprising degree in physics.

So why am I leaving all of this?

For them. It’s always for my kids, their kids, and every kid. They me be the future, but each generation ahead of them only cares about their own wants and needs.

It was time for a change. Something drastic. It took many years to find the answers I was seeking deep in the nether regions of the web, but up here in the infinitely starry, and another magnitude of infinite darkness, I truly believe we can solve the human character flaw: stop being such assholes.

All of this in the blink of an eye, my thoughts transcribed. This was the purpose of the pendant. Not to monitor our every thought, but to trust each other to watch out for each other. Its within human nature to have negative thoughts. Extremes are the norm. We’ve agreed to allow each other, as well as our maturing Ai’s, to monitor our input to the system extra closely.

This is my first journal entry at the start of my 3rd life. Only history will be able to judge if our undertaking is for good or evil. But the ethically responsible course is to guide humanity away from acceptance of human life as a waste product, just like all other things within our sphere of influence.