Further than Before- Pathway to the Stars

by Matthew Opdyke

  “To a certain degree, don’t you believe we could all benefit from a little counseling, coaching, and mentorship?” The talk show host saw an opportune moment and asked.

  “Absolutely,” replied Eliza.

  “What do you think about what your other opponent has said or his comment where he called you a rambling rose?”

  “I don’t mind. As a matter of a fact, you know Nat King Cole’s song, “Ramblin’ Rose?"

  “Oh, yes. That is a beautiful song!” The broadcaster had a small segment of the chorus play for the audience.

  “That’s our campaign song for our first term. By “our” I’m referring to our party, the Universal Party, or the UP, pronounced like “up” in the word “cup.”

  “So, go ahead and tell us a few things. The floor and topic are up to you.” Eliza nodded as the host spoke, got up and stood behind the podium they had put there for just the occasion.

  Without the need for a teleprompter, Eliza looked right into the camera lens and by doing so, she looked at anyone listening to her in the broadcast straight in the eyes and began, and because of her electromagnetic and particle connection, her link through her neurological nanos and her neuro-identification transceiver capabilities, Eliza could actually see every member of her audience as they sat in their living rooms, lay in their hospital beds, or were in any other manner watching and she reached out and connected to every single one.

  “When I think of those who are struggling, I tend to think about the medieval times, the days when the rich and privileged owned all of the lands without thought of the welfare or quality of life of those under their care. They owned the land, everything in it, and even the peasants and their welfare. We know that in far too many cases, people in general and these people, in particular, were thought of or deemed as “lesser,” because they were peasants and thus were not always treated fairly or right. In many cases, if a child were pushed to do something dangerous, they were also required to do so with the instilling of fear of brutal punishment. There were countless occasions when children of peasants died altogether too soon. They died before learning about life or learning about the sciences that would pull their potential into clarity before them, so they could help in the advancement of civilization. In many cases, we also know that far too often these deaths were dismissed and only past on, if lucky, through folklore and stories past on through the many generations, and through the many centuries.

  “If the reality of what was going on became too much or when an uproar or crying out would occur, these peasants’ grievances would be dismissed with a statement from the superior and ruling classes, often times among themselves and sometimes through public decree, ‘Well, these are the social norms and brutality is the way of life. Besides, they were just peasants, they were born, they worked, they served the greater good, and they died. That’s life, so deal with it.’

  “Now, consider what life would be like today if it were not for those of noble and valiant spirit who after seeing needless torture, inhumanity, and calloused murder by those wishing to assert their authority, daringly declared, “This isn’t right! Something must be done! Something ought to be done! Something has to be done!” These heroes followed those declarations with action, and in many cases, those who dared speak up were murdered in order to prove a chaotically vicious point, but when enough heroic individuals finally fought past their fears to bring about the changes that occurred many generations later, we were gifted to suffer less today.

  “Today, in our country, if it is functioning as it ought to, no matter where we are born, no matter our income, if we see something that isn’t right, or if we have an idea that will improve the quality of life, if we have an idea as to how to make life more enjoyable and more kind, we can produce whatever it is that might solve a particular issue or a set of issues, and we will be honorably rewarded and duly compensated for our ideas and efforts. This at least is capitalism, opportunism, and commerce in its most ideal, compassionate, and purest form.

  “Today we are facing a crisis. We are facing a crisis of culture, of ideology, of social norms, a crisis of strength that comes from personal ethics, and a crisis that can be dealt with in one of several ways. One way would be as my colleague proposed, ‘to live life, work hard, propagate, suffer, and die because that is just life, we aren’t special, and we need to learn to accept it.’ We could perhaps do something much worse and even downright malevolent. Or, we can demonstrate the greatest form of healthy cognitive frame-working that will indeed squelch these issues altogether through compassion, and by doing so preserve as well as compound upon our potential for wisdom, experience, and productivity in this state of being, aye, in this state of our nation. How? You might ask. We can do this as we increase longevity by innovating and applying gene therapies tailored specifically to each individual to nurture their health, strength, physical capacity, and mental capacity and clarity. Through this we can allow freedom of choice when it comes to determining a static age between 18 and up, adjusted as needed or as we each see fit in our own lives, so we can contribute our wisdom and experience to a larger or smaller workforce, to our philanthropic pursuits, and our enjoyment of our vast Universe.

  “Many in their aging lives today are those who have raised the bar for humanity in so many ways, who have lost family and friends along the way, and they raised the quality of life many years ago. Perhaps they would continue to do so if their aging bodies and minds allowed them to. To allow people, aye, anyone living, to suffer when there are ways to not only reduce their suffering but to remove it completely, is the most appalling form of negligence and even malevolence almost to the level of murder itself, the which is rampant within too many and far too often throughout society today. Negligence of this sort, in a manner that is lightly viewed, is equal to gross mediocrity and the source of the kind of undue duress that can destroy nations, and in accepting this mediocrity we might as well declare that ‘this is just the way life is, accept it.’ Now, the older generation may feel that way and for that, I give them a pass because in a state of suffering not too many would want to continue in that state for very long. The thought of death in a natural way is perhaps a vision of sweet release from all the brutal triviality it seems life has to offer. But, it does not need to be that way.

  “The diseases associated with aging can be mitigated, every disease and every bacteria or virus that does not serve to strengthen or heal humanity and its allies can be overcome despite the complexity of the biological form, and each of these blessed individuals with unique and amazing minds who are filled with so much as yet untold potential can have a new lease on life and a chance to be young again while retaining all they have learned in their journey in this small area of the Cosmos.

  “We can each share in an effort that is noble, we can each and every one of us, share in the advancement of civilization, rather than wither away as it decays. We can do this, we ought to, and we must, because this, my friends, is the right thing to do!

  “Not only is this the right thing to do and not only is this something that can be done, and not only has reality placed obstacles in the way that can and ought to be overcome, but this is what we must do in every way and throughout each living day. Lawyers can be noble, but those who prey upon the poor or legislators who fatten their wallets as the malevolent nary-do-wells who care nothing for or about you but for your vote for every next election and who sell their integrity and moral core for a small chance at wealth and power, have manipulated and then placed the use of the many tools that were once intended for benevolent recourse toward negligence, meant for those who had suffered the most to be duly compensated, into the hands of powerful litigation companies. They play on your fears, they take advantage of the ignorance they’ve cultivated in their populous, and they guide their preachers to fill our minds with thoughts of sin and wrong-doing for daring to improve our lives, for rising up, and calling out that which is not fair, that which is not just, and that which is inhumane. Well, that
does not need to happen anymore, and the inhumanity can stop.

  “If we hold ourselves accountable for accepting mediocrity, if we allow ourselves to let that sting just for one moment, if we then pick ourselves up again and if we go forward and educate ourselves on physics, biology, physiology, neuroscience, and the many other essential sciences, if we engage in meaningful conversation regarding the well-being of those we hold dear, including ourselves, if we make our demands clear through presenting our grievances to our representatives in government complete with better and more viable alternatives, if we vote for those who represent honesty, integrity, compassion, and kindness, if we vote for the advancements in science that are both smart and effective, we will then have leaders who serve with an iron will, who can put into place the mechanisms necessary to ensure not only do each and every one of us have our personal choices protected so we can freely accept or reject the advancements of science in our own personal lives, we will be able to write the rules and protect humanity from malevolent programming and use of such powerful tools.

  “I have every bit of confidence in each person running for office in the UP because our motives are clear, they are pure, and our focus is on resolving the issues that plague humanity and our shared biosphere, as well as overcoming the challenges ahead. Each of us will serve you in an effort to raise the quality of life, protect productive and innovative citizens from the machinations of those who would seek to undermine our freedoms, and we will work to create the environment necessary for a worthy and enduring legacy that each of us can be around to enjoy.

  “As we go into the doctor’s office, for example, we must demand full and proper diagnosis with treatments critical to eliminate that which ails us. If they fail, we must write our legislators and demand laws to be enforced when it comes to the Hippocratic Oath. We must do what we can to see to it that they can and will do their jobs, so we can do ours with due diligence and life can improve overall.

  “So, in an answer to the original question, yes, stem cell research, unique gene therapies, and other longevity-related medical capabilities all with the goal of understanding how our bodies’ networks function, down to the communication that takes place from one cell to another and then the replication and improvement of its function it is an essential part of the pathway toward an advanced civilization with an optimized capacity for innovation that leads to the well-being of humanity and life itself. To reduce our acceptance of science that leads to increased well-being to anything less is to accept mediocrity and board the train of self-condemnation and descend too far and too fast into unnecessary suffering, shame, disgrace, and death.

  “If we can fine-tune our physiology and neurology to mitigate the effects of long-term deep space travel and if we can improve our ability to thrive in harsh environments with our sanity and health intact, we will succeed in space. We need to do this, so we can become a multi-planetary and supportively-connected civilization. To raise the bar for civilization on these new planets we need to set into motion a governance system built with kindness, compassion, well-being, creation of abundance, and preservation of life at its core, as opposed to the chaos, the callous brutality, and desolation of the land we’ve many times borne witness to or have seen evidenced throughout civilization, so we will find ourselves building a legacy worth preserving. How many of you have overtly elected to endure toxicity, endless suffering, and gratuitous misery throughout your lives with no thought of an end game, a valued purpose, or essential meaning? How many feel it is feeble-minded to assign value and meaning to the energy you expend in life? My guess is that suffering, misery, and challenges present themselves quite readily without provoking their presence, and when incited, chaos may ensue, yet in many cases, we have quite surprisingly jumped those hurdles rather well. Keep in mind that there is a huge difference between doing research to overcome a disease and running into walls every now and then, versus grabbing a child and throwing him or her into a cage with a lion stating that we all have challenges to overcome, so best wishes. We no longer, in this day and age, need to accept this type of injustice when ample information in the form of education is out there that we can embrace and apply instead. We can, therefore, strike a new balance of education, effort, diligence, health, and innovation to breed the kind of prosperity we have promised. We can promise shared abundance will make life much more filled with clarity and enjoyable excitement.”

  When Eliza finished, the host and everyone in the audience stood up, clapped, and cheered. She saw as the host dried her eyes, the cameraman’s cheeks had reddened, and she picked up on the shared hope present in the air and broadcast worldwide. The host, in a fleeting moment of inspiration, spoke up, “I wish you were running for president and I’m sure I’m not alone. I have no doubt that if you ran and won that our nation and our world would be better off for it. I think you reminded us all, that there is still hope. Thank you, Dr. Eliza Williams.” The camera panned away, and over the next few days, talk of hope and the UP was rampant on the news and talk shows worldwide.

  As time passed a variety of issues surfaced that begged for Eliza’s attention. In many ways, the public was intrigued by her view on things. She knew she could potentially win the popular vote and the electorate in her state, but her party had a way to go before she or the UP would win the federal electorate executive election nationwide, so she focused on building her party and the elections of fellow UP members in other locations throughout the world. She was always busy, but she had impeccable ways to find time to spend with her constituents in Massachusetts. Around the time of the caucus, Eliza had done so well that she was invited to participate in the large event which typically would only invite candidates from the two main parties.

  Needless to say, she excelled in capturing the attention, the hearts, and the minds of each of the voters. When election-day arrived she won and immediately went to work on Capitol Hill to see and understand what needed to be done to help humanity to advance. A lot was done. Still, there was much more growth to be had. Her term would last for only two years, and during that time-frame, she would do as much as she could. She would see to it that research increased nationwide and that the gap between the capabilities of and the ethics prominent in her industries and those that the US public was willing to embrace were bridged or brought much closer together.

  As time went by, books were released regarding humans taking up the task of evolving ourselves, understanding the technologies of tomorrow, how our minds could be conditioned to allow for more complex problem-solving capacities, how life could be lengthened by beginning with telomerase therapies, myostatin inhibitors, gene-based cancer treatments, and a host of other cures for the immeasurable host of diseases throughout the world.

  Early on, during Eliza’s time served in the House of Representatives, Vesha Celeste had passed away, yet not without Pathway knowing about it, and having a plan. Yesha was at the helm of Pathway and she, Erin Carter, and Amber Blythe worked night and day, to perfect the regrowth and revitalization of Vesha’s physiology and neurology. They would essentially return her back to life more powerful and capable than ever, and all the while Eliza’s empire, as the UP Leader throughout the solar system, continuously grew.

  James Cooper, his cadre, and the collaborated efforts of the major delegates, or the 12 scientific team leads, helped Eliza to provide governance for the Pathway Tech Cities throughout the solar system, since the population had grown to one billion, and Eliza agreed with her UP advisors that it would be okay to simultaneously continue as the president of the twenty-thousand cities, while serving in political office on Earth in the United States, but it would take a system of more collaborated efforts. Most of the legalities in the tech cities were based on common sense. There was a myriad of environments, so each location required a unique set of laws, all of which fit into the scope of the laws of Universal Ethics.

  The Intergalactic Mission Contingency or IMC was still in the planning stages but not yet on the drafting table, Naj
em Grace and her team had begun working with James and his team to brainstorm the various aspects of these interstellar traveling bioenvironmental spacecraft behemoths, logging the different necessities and locations, and categorizing each idea to eventually incorporate into the eventual draft or blueprint. They waited for Vesha to make her return from her long nap, visited her in the Virtual Universe often, as her databased mind would play loops of her life, again and again, sometimes they would go through shared experiences as if in autopilot, and in the real world they looked forward to the day that she could be awakened with her optimized physiology and neurology, be trained and read-in, and begin working to draft the blueprint of the IMC. Eliza had made it clear that they were not to actually work on IMC drafting or completion until Vesha had returned and was assigned to take the lead.

  As it was, Luís Rodriguez emerged as a great engineer and physicist designing engines and drives of every sort for the many spacecraft going back and forth between the Sun and the Oort cloud. Mett Dormer and James Wilhelm helped him by designing the complexed navigation systems to weave into the drives and artificial intelligence command-override-capable digital-navigation control interfaces. Scarlett Hart was renowned for designing and experimenting with a wide variety of environmental systems for each spacecraft and operational center outside of the twenty-thousand tech cities. Yon Forall had been lauded for his designs of the various laboratories and Innovation Centers for each operational area throughout the solar system and inside some of the larger spacecraft. Anastasia Renée had been awarded for her work and continued to be busy developing systems for seamless travel from one location to the next using Eliza’s Jump Gate Technology, creating hubs throughout the various planets and moons, improving systems throughout the tech cities, and integrating systems for private use with her growing cadre of scientists. Malinda Jefferson, Melissa Asher, Rebecca Knight, and Matzu Kashi were an amazing team that had their hands full designing defensive shields and systems for spacecraft and living facilities everywhere.