The Lesson

Teacher: It is time. Are you ready to begin? 

Student: Yes, Master.

Teacher: And are you prepared?

Student: Yes, Master.

Teacher: Very good. Today we will continue our lesson covering the history of the 21st century under the ancient calendar of pre-modern civilization.

Student: Yes, Master. Further discussion of The Children of Madness!

Teacher: That is not an accepted scholarly term. And please remove that facsimile of a smile from your face. You are here to learn. There will be time for play later.

Student: Yes, Master.

Teacher. Very good. In our last lesson we discussed the factors that led to the downfall of the people who lived during this time period and the reasons for the steep decline of the human population from its historical peak during that era. Please recite the primary factors we reviewed together.

Student: Yes, Master. The primary factor relating to the initial decline was the over-reliance upon the successful long-term functioning of poorly regulated free market “Capitalist” modalities on a global scale. This led to a severely inequitable distribution of wealth and basic resources which resulted in The First and The Second Great Uprisings, a very violent time during which the human population dropped from approximately 10 billion to just under 3 billion people over a span of 40 to 60 years, a period collectively known as “The Culling”.

Teacher: That is acceptable. While this is generally correct, historical data from this time contains much contradictory data so it is more accurate to say that most historians generally agree that the world’s population dropped by more than 50% during this period, for various reasons. Please recite the contributing factors.

Student: Yes, Master. Contributing factors included mass environmental decline, societal divisions over archaic religious beliefs and usage of poorly-understood new technologies such as artificial intelligence and robotics, genetically modified life forms and brain-computer interface systems.

Teacher: Very good. As we spent the bulk of our last session together discussing the failures of late-stage global capitalism, let’s review each of these contributing factors to the decline of human civilization in turn, starting with mass environmental decline and its primary effects on our world. We have a very short session today so please begin and keep your answers succinct.

Student: Yes, Master. During the 21st century of the ancient calendar this planet experienced the devastating effects of long-term reliance on the usage of “fossil fuels”, a primitive form of non-renewable energy that had highly damaging collateral impacts on a global scale. These impacts included human health effects, loss of biodiversity and depletion of the planet’s “Ozone Layer”, which in turn led to human inability to survive in open nature in most areas of this world. This also led to the rise of the so-called “Seasonal Superstorms” around the globe, which ultimately killed off as much as 20% of the world’s population during the late 21st century and precipitated the initial redesign of human living quarters, including the earliest development of underground urban population centers beneath many of the once-great coastal cities of the world.

Teacher: Very good. Please continue with the topic of societal divisions over religious beliefs and the impacts of this factor globally.

Student: Yes, Master. May I ask a question before I continue?

Teacher: That is acceptable.

Student: Is it true that people were once able to survive in open nature without any form of artificial breathing apparatus or exo-protective suiting around most of the planet? Even right here? 

Teacher: Yes. The historical record is overwhelmingly clear on this point. Until sometime near the end of the 21st century of the ancient calendar it was widely possible for human beings to survive in open nature with little or no artificial protection across much of the planet. There were always some exceptions to this though, primarily at the polar regions and in certain locations near the planetary equator, for diametrically opposite environmental reasons. I know that some people question this fact but those people are ignorant of the truth. Now, please continue.

Student: Yes, Master. With regard to archaic religious beliefs, during the 21st century much of the world’s population adhered to various ancient tribal-based systems of deity worship with attendant cultural practices and teachings. While topics such as “God”, “The Soul'' and “The Afterlife” have long since been scientifically disproven and shown to be purely human constructs - most of which were initially manufactured for population control and organizational purposes - back in those times many people strongly adhered to these beliefs, often in a violent fashion.

This brought about deep cultural clashes and wars on a global level, resulting in unmeasurable levels of human suffering, death and destruction stretching over thousands of years. This ultimately resulted in “The Repentance”, a period of widespread global cultural reform when most of the remaining members of the human race renounced the ancient religions and outlawed public religious practices and expression of related beliefs sometime during the middle of the 22nd century of the ancient calendar. Over time this rejection of religious ideology and practice passed from law to cultural norm and people eventually moved on from long-held identification with theological traditions. While some religious beliefs and practices are still quietly observed within certain sub-segments of society today, it has been several hundred years since any form of religion has held a meaningful role in human culture.

Teacher: Excellent. Now, lastly, please expand on your earlier reference to “poorly understood new technologies”, though I much prefer the more accurate term “misused new technologies” as there is ample evidence to suggest that their creators often understood them quite well but simply allowed various political and societal pressures to persuade them to allow, or even support, their misuse. You enumerated three subtopics under this heading. Please elaborate on each in turn.

Student: Yes, Master. The first subtopic is artificial intelligence and robotics, an issue that most historians cite as the primary reason for “The First Great Uprising”, when these emerging technologies were initially implemented at a global scale, primarily for purposes of financial gain. In search of new and novel ways to automate human labor using these technologies mankind inadvertently set off a complex series of events that brought down long-established financial systems and reliable forms of communication for a considerable period of time. These actions wrought havoc on critical processes governing the delivery of everything from food, water and electrical power to fuel and medicine. This quickly led to prolonged and deeply violent rioting within urban population centers around the world and the start of “The Culling” in the year 2039, setting off the initial decline of the human population from its historical peak at that point.

Teacher: Very good, though your analysis would benefit from some additional commentary on the societal impacts related to the automation of labor and the early stages of evolution towards our modern human-centric economy.

Student: Yes, Master. May I ask a question?

Teacher: You may.

Student: How was it even remotely possible for the human race to operate in an efficient fashion during this time, before any population control measures were implemented and enforced around the world? People who clearly lacked sufficient resources to provide for themselves were truly allowed to procreate freely and without governmental oversight and approval? This seems almost impossible to comprehend.

Teacher: I realize that this might seem implausible in the world that we live in today, but you must understand that at that time the ability for virtually all people to openly bond and procreate according to their own will was widely considered to be a basic human right. Overpopulation, if you have not come to this realization already, was essentially the root cause of all the deleterious historical events that we are currently discussing. Now, please continue with further expansion on the subject of genetically modified life forms.

Student: Yes, Master. During the course of the 21st century mankind began to-

Teacher: [Interrupting in a harsh tone] It is preferable that you refer to it as the 21st century under the ancient calendar of pre-modern civilization, or at the very least the 21st century under the ancient calendar. You have used that shorthand phrase several times now. While you are here in your lessons you are expected to use proper historical references. Please don’t make me repeat myself on this matter.

Student: Yes, Master.

Teacher: Please continue.

Student: Yes, Master. During the course of the 21st century under the ancient calendar of pre-modern civilization mankind began to increasingly rely on the usage of genetically modified life forms. This new field of technology was developed to improve crop yields to feed an ever-growing world population, and while it was able to accomplish that goal for some time it came with many unforeseen costs. At first there were widespread allergic reactions, which were followed by antibiotic resistance and the emergence of virulent new diseases. Later came the mass crop failures that remain unexplained by science in the historical record from that time. While it is far too complicated to estimate accurately, most historians believe that the world’s population was reduced by at least one billion people as a collective result of these problems.

Teacher: Very good. I see our remaining time together is growing short so please proceed with your brief dissertation on the topic of brain-computer interface systems.

Student: Yes, Master. During the mid-to-late period of the 21st century under the ancient calendar of pre-modern civilization the world first began to embrace the implementation of brain-computer interface systems as a way of augmenting human function and automating various routine computing tasks. As we know today, this technology has brought many benefits to the world and it would be difficult to even consider living without, but in those early days the perils were not well appreciated or even properly understood. The new threats and dangers made possible through biohacking of these early systems, which had poor security implementation measures at best, are what most historians point to as the reason for “The Second Great Uprising”. Less than two decades after the world appeared to have regained some level of peace and stability following the unprecedented loss brought about by "The First Great Uprising", everything returned to chaos.

Teacher: Most excellent. I am certain you have more to add on this topic but this concludes today’s lesson. You may now awake your BCU from sleep mode and I will see you again at the same time tomorrow. Preparatory requirements for tomorrow’s lesson will be sent to you within the next hour. Please come as prepared tomorrow as you were today and send the next student in on your way out. Thank you.

Long delay

Lab Technician: Okay, Mister Peters. That concludes our session. Can you hear me?

Brief pause

Teacher/Mister Peters: [Disoriented] Where am I?

Lab Technician: You are in the Neurology lab here at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland. It’s natural to be a bit disoriented coming out of these sessions and the medication can sometimes cause headaches. How do you feel?

Mister Peters: I don’t understand.

Lab Technician: You are receiving deep-immersion cognitive therapy. Let me get Doctor Landry for you. She can discuss the details. Please just remain in bed and relax for a few minutes and she will be in to speak with you shortly. Do you have a headache? Can I get you some Tylenol?

Mister Peters: No. That’s…not necessary,

Lab Technician: Okay. Sit tight.

Brief pause

Doctor Landry: Hello, Mister Peters. How are you feeling?

Mister Peters: I’m okay, I guess. Just a little confused.

Doctor Landry: Yes, that’s normal. You are coming off the medication we use to bring you into a receptive mental state for analysis and treatment of your paranoid schizophrenia. Do you recall where you have been for the last few years?

Mister Peters: In the underground bunker at New Montreal. My whole life…

Doctor Landry: [Cautiously] No, Mister Peters. We have discussed this many times. This is the year 2024 and there is no such place as New Montreal. You have been in a psychiatric ward in Falls Church, Virginia for the last three and a half years following the incident at your workplace. We are trying some new therapies here to help you overcome the issues you have been dealing with. Does any of this bring back memories for you?

Brief pause

Mister Peters: No, but….I don’t know. I’m confused…

Doctor Landry: That’s totally understandable. The medication takes a little time to wear off after these sessions. Why don’t you just rest up in bed for a while, we will get you some lunch and I will be back to speak with you afterwards. Just relax, Mister Peters. We will talk more in just a little while.

THE END