Billion year old race kills itself

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Almost a billion years ago, in a galaxy far far away, the Juman race turned from farmers into manufacturers. That set them on the path to technological development. Four hundred thousand years passed, during which they solved all the riddles of the universe. They were able to discover ways to see into the past and uncover how the universe became what it became.

But four hundred thousand years also saw the steady evolution of their race. They had gone through a period where they developed prosthetic bodies and solved many of the issues related to their juman fragility. But evolution found ways around that, using what the jumans had created, adapting and incorporating in ways unexpected. By five hundred thousand years, prosthesis was no longer a part of the juman genome. Juman bodies had evolved and to the point where much of their energy was devoted to their increased cranial capacity and a corresponding decrease in torso and limbs.

Juman beings were exploring galaxies through thunked space. In previous eras, they used folded space, which was inefficient and clumsy technology. With the invention of thunked space, little energy was needed and the process was more elegantly simple. But the ability to explore their own and other galaxies produced a surprising outcome.

That they found other races was completely expected. And for the most part they left them alone. Jumans were only interested in races with a similar level of technology. But what they did not expect was that such races would be so incredibly similar to the Juman race. And the similarities were more than just a handful.

The other races had undergone similar evolutionary cycles, starting out with great diversity and conflict, and then within ten thousand years of industrialization, becoming homogenized to the point where diversity was squeezed out of existence. The only place Jumans ever witnessed diversity was amongst the primitive races that they visited. If not for those, they would have believed diversity to be a myth.

By eight hundred and eighty million years after industrialization, the Jumans had met many races from other galaxies, most similarly advanced to them. The fact that evolution and homogenization had produced almost identical outcomes in almost all of the advanced races had become quite disturbing to them.

But what tipped them over the edge was meeting races from galaxies from different trajectories in the universe expansion grid. One race, who also called themselves Jumans, met with them at a place midway between their respective galaxies. The meeting took place some nine hundred and thirty nine thousand years post industrialization. They met the other Jumans but were unable to progress to any meaningful dialogue, for the simple reason that every moment was like being with a living mirror. Original Juman would go to speak with new Juman at the very same times as the new Juman would attempt to speak to the original Juman. Every action, attitude and emotion was mirrored, down to the flicker of the orical cavities that each showed in frustration. Jumans left the meeting and never returned, and the other Jumans did the same.

The event prompted an enormous debate about free will, genetic programming and predestination. The debate went on for centuries, creating cult followings of the various sides, which was altogether new for the Jumans. It was eventually decided that free will was an illusion, individuals may have some variance in their lives, but any race as a whole would travel along a path that followed logic and natural laws, to the point of even appearing predetermined. It seemed hopeless to think that Jumans could actually tailor their own future. Natural laws had already tailored one for them.

And at nine hundred and sixty two million years past industrialization, the Juman race annihilated themselves in rebellion against the myth of individuality. It was a pity, because it took the other Juman race another two hundred thousand years to come to the same conclusion, and then decide that it didn't matter a fetid dingo's kidney. Happy in their ignorance, they decided to move and retire to a little out of the way galaxy where the traffic was less noisy and they could get a decent cup of coffee.

That's precisely my advice to those who take themselves too seriously:

Wake up and smell the roses!

And find a place to have your morning coffee (or whatever nonalcoholic beverage you enjoy).

Bingo!

Yes, Enjoy THE NOW, as that's ALL THAT IS.

I enjoyed your tale, by the way, too.