Harper Atlantic 2117

HARPER ATLANTIC MAGAZINE, FEBRUARY 2117

Requiem of the human soul

Excerpt: Harper Atlantic Magazine

HARPER ATLANTIC MAGAZINE

February 2117

Phoenix Rising

[Speech Fragment]

The following is an excerpt from a speech given last month by Juan José Gonzalez, the newly-appointed Chairman of the United Nations Governing Council. The speech was given to the leaders of the G26 nations, which incorporate over 95% of global economic output, at the beginning of their quarterly meeting. Until last year, Sr. Gonzalez was President of Chile.

So we look around us, ladies and gentlemen, at the devastation wrought by nearly twenty years of war, which led to more deaths than all the previous wars of human history combined. Not to mention the multiple of those deaths from the famine and disease that resulted from the Great Global Wars. It would be easy to fall into despair at the radioactive wastelands that were once thriving cities, at the vast refugee camps, at the millions of Tobo clones now become pariahs throughout Africa.

But out of the ashes, a true phoenix arises. When we consider the future of humanity, there is more to be hopeful about than ever before. After other disasters in history, the words "Never Again" have been uttered sincerely, and yet every one of those same disasters did occur again. And again. And again.

So why is this time different from all other times? With the decision by nations across the world to give up part of their national sovereignty to the renewed United Nations, we now have a global governing authority with teeth. An authority with economic and military power, which can ensure that the breakdown and fragmentation of last century will not happen again.

But even this advance is just a small step compared with the Global Aggression Limitation Treaty, or GALT. The signing of GALT last year by every nation on this earth may be the most important moment in the history of the human race.

I cannot overstate the importance of GALT, the agreement by all of our world's nations to permit only human genetic modification that subordinates the two gene-sets of "aggression" and "doctrinal belief". The Great Global Wars proved something all too clearly: technology had developed far in advance of our spiritual and psychological capabilities to manage it. We were careening out of control, destroying our world and destroying ourselves.

Now, with GALT, we have finally managed to use humanity's awesome technological prowess to bring our cognitive capabilities to a matching level of responsibility. We have evolved, ladies and gentlemen. We have evolved our own species to a new level, one which is capable of handling the powers that our own scientific advances have given us. As a species, we are no longer like children playing with fire. We have evolved to adulthood, and we have ensured that, as we go forward, we won't burn down the house.

That is the great achievement of GALT. But of course, like all treaties, it is only through comprehensive monitoring and enforcement that we can rely on GALT to work. We must ensure that no nation ever fears that another nation is secretly planning to establish dominance through force, by creating a new generation of "genetic warriors". We can't allow the "genetic arms race" that took place in the late twenty-first century to happen again. It will be another fifty years until the new generation of GALT-compliant humans come into positions of power in our world. Until then, it is critical that GALT Enforcement is given the overriding power to ensure that every nation of the world complies with this all-important treaty. It is no exaggeration to say that the future of our world and of humanity is at stake.

For this reason that I have placed the issue of GALT Enforcement at the top of the agenda for this quarterly G26 meeting. The major powers of the world must all yield the key elements of their military strength to the centralized control of the United Nations. I am encouraged by the dialogue that has taken place so far, and with the shadow of the Great Global Wars behind us, I believe we are not far from succeeding in this supremely critical step.

But as we make these advances, let us not forget the less fortunate among us, those that are now increasingly referred to as "Primals". I am, of course, talking about the billions among us who have not yet had the opportunity to take advantage of any genetic optimization whatsoever, who are still subject to the historical diseases and frailties of our unimproved human condition.

As we focus our global energies on ensuring the evolution of our species to a higher level, it remains incumbent on us to care for and manage those who share our world with us, but who have not participated in any genetic improvements.

The Primals are becoming a global underclass, and we must do everything possible to make sure this does not become a permanent condition. Following the implementation of GALT, the next most important step of our global agenda must be to establish an authority, under the control of the United Nations, to ensure that the quality of life of the Primals does not continue to deteriorate. This is fundamental to the humane, caring approach to global governance that forms the foundation for the new United Nations.

We must encourage the Primals, with education and subsidies, to optimize their offspring, so their next generation can take advantage of the benefits our technology has provided to all of us sitting here today. At the same time, we must manage and police their internal strife, because we cannot permit the aggressive tendencies endemic in Primals to undermine our overriding goal for a safe and prosperous future.

To this end, I am proposing the creation of a new United Nations agency with a truly global reach. It will be called the United Nations Authority for the Primal Species, or UNAPS, and given full enforcement powers.

To emphasize the importance of this issue, I am proposing that the new UNAPS agency will report directly to me as the Chairman of the United Nations Governing Council.

Ladies and gentlemen, to be true to ourselves and our values, we need to make sure that the future can be as bright for the Primal species as it is for the rest of us. The phoenix is arising from the ashes. Let us not leave any of our human cousins behind as we progress towards a better, more highly evolved human race.

Requiem of the human soul