The Future Looks Bright Andrew Nelson Essay
This recurring thought came again after the morning coffee. She had been coming to terms with the concept over the last couple months. Having “survived” suicide twice since the incident, it became clear to her that she wasn’t ready to die yet, and the ship would last her several thousand lifetimes over. Having the privilege (or from her perspective the obligation) of being the last human was starting to make certain adjustments to her outlook. Humanity had never been contacted by external life or had the faintest hint of it’s existence. At this point, if the scientists were right Earth would have been barren of life for over 10,000 years. As far as she could tell, she was the lone conscious being in the universe. Her life would be the final word of humanity. She wondered whether it was better to rage against the dying of the night, or to join the rest of humanity as a finished story. Out here, so far away from home, she thought on the stories of the great explorers of humanity. Maybe her purpose was to be the last great explorer, maybe the thought would be enough to keep going for now. She had time to figure it out. A memory of her parents appeared, and with it the weight of the cosmos returned.
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Ascensus
