The Downside of Eternity

 

Image by Stefan Keller

What follows is an excerpt from a forthcoming science fiction novel of mine which will probably be titled "The Downside of Eternity." Our protagonist, Bobby, is in the middle of an argument with a minister:

“. . . You don’t know what it’s like,” I said.

 “Fair enough, but can no one talk to you unless they have your condition? Even if that’s true, you should know that there are other people around with your condition besides you and your mother.” Huh? I didn’t know that. I had never met anyone else with the condition. The doctors had made it sound so rare that I would never have the chance of actually meeting someone else with it. The preacher guy must have seen the puzzled look on my face because he said, “about half my congregation has RGA.”  Half his congregation? I was stunned. Here I thought Mama and I were the only ones in the city. This was a revelation. Maybe I wasn’t such a complete freak after all. It was nice to know, but still, in the end . . .

 “We are still going to die though,” I said.

 “Everyone is going to die Bobby. Some are just going to take longer doing it.”

 “Yeah," I snapped. "A whole lot longer! Like maybe if they are careful they could live forever.”

 He picked up his coffee and sipped it. It must have been cold because the cup had been sitting there when we came in. If it was, it didn’t seem to bother him. He pondered over his cup for a moment and then he said, “that is the trap isn’t it? Being careful I mean. If you are too careful, you trap yourself into a box. Too careful means you don’t really live no matter how long your life is. Do you know what people were like before the stasis project? People used to climb mountains, race trijets and cars, explore jungles, explore space, deep sea dive, and on and on, thousands of exciting, thrilling, life changing experiences. Almost none of that happens anymore because these things contain an element of danger. The only people who do things like that now are people in your condition. They are people who are going to die, but they have decided that they are going to truly live before they die.”

 “But people still race trijets,” I said. “I see it every year on the holo.”

 “Yes,” a smile beamed across his face. “And don’t those people look alive? Don’t they look like they are enjoying themselves, even when they lose? Can’t you see the elation in their faces?”

 “Of course.” I remembered the last race I had seen. The winner had nearly done backflips. The crowd had gone wild.

 “They all have RGA," the preacher said. "Every one of them.”

 “What?”

 You don’t think anyone who could live forever if they’re careful, would risk dying in a trijet crash do you? How about Oskar Pederson, the famous astronaut. Have you ever noticed how old Oskar is looking?”

 This was getting to be too much new information to process. It seemed like everyone exciting I knew was like me. Why didn’t they tell people these things? Why was it not common knowledge? Then I remembered how people reacted to me: Dad. The football coach. Lisa. Yes, I could see why people didn’t want it talked about. The doctor had told us so.

 The preacher guy continued, “Do you know who I think the saddest person in the Bible is? Methuselah. The Bible tells us that Methuselah lived to be 969 years old. Do you know what else the Bible tells us about Methuselah? Nothing. Here this man lived 969 years and the only noteworthy accomplishment he achieved in all that time . . .  was that he lived 969 years.

 “Life is about more than just existing Bobby. The person who lives the longest isn’t the winner. The stasis project was the death knell for almost all organized religion. People thought that the only reason to have a religion was to give them a hope of continuance after death. Once the project happened, and once governments passed laws that the drugs were to be made available to everyone, people left the churches in droves. Religion had always had a tenuous grasp on the population as it was. People thought there wasn’t any reason for it anymore.” He smiled. “But then there have always been a few people like me and like the other half of my congregation who feel that religion is not only about life after death, but it’s about giving purposes to the life we have.”

 It was a lot to soak in, and I think he could tell I was about soaked enough. We said our goodbyes and he told me I could come and talk to him anytime. On the ride home Mama and I stopped at that coffee shop again to have our tea and scones. This time we had a lot to talk about.

This should give you a feel for what the story is about. Despite the presence of the minister, this is not a religious story, although the main character does wrestle with some philosophical and theological ideas. If all goes well, I hope to have "The Downside of Eternity" out within a year. Although "Renfield's Dream" will probably come first. 

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