One-Way Journey

Harel [Character 9.03]

Your story

You're a writer. You were one of the first to join the virtual humans. It just seemed like such a good idea at the time. You wanted to make sure you observed the whole voyage; uploading was one way to avoid mortality. You wanted to live in the worlds you created with your mind, to be able to think about a million things at once, simultaneously. You wanted your life to be writing, building worlds for people and letting them experience it. You didn't want to have to worry about... life. As a virtual human you wouldn't have to stop creating to take time to eat. You wouldn't have to watch your body and mind slowly degrade. You've never faced mortality.

...You've never faced the vastness of space.

Sure, you can simulate it. You have simulated all kinds of things. You build holodeck simulations for meatspace humans beyond their wildest dreams.

But... you haven't felt it for real. You've felt the vastness of virtual space. You've felt the vastness of time basically staying still. But the only way you will feel the vastness of space, how inconsequential humanity seems in the meantime… is through listening to the meatspace humans that come to your worlds for inspiration.

You're glad there's a virtual world. You're glad humanity has the time and space to recognize its full potential, unlimited by time and space. You're pretty sure humanity is better off for the stories you've created in virtual space, that you've kept them going through hard times. You're proud of what you've done as a virtual human.

But you wouldn't recommend this life to anyone, let alone someone so young. Elriot should feel life ‐ human life, for longer, before going virtual.

When Graeyam told you their grandchild Elriot was considering joining the virtual world, you knew you had to be there. You have to try to explain what it was to be virtual.