To Sail Forbidden Seas
We spawned from the tree of life as simple beings, flesh and blood composites of the cruel world that shaped us. Sheltered beneath the cover of the grasslands, we grew bold and began to ponder; our first steps evolving into a towering posture over our protector. The scarcity of life grew us close, and through a mixture of fate and blessing, nature rewarded our innate curiosity with consciousness. Steps turned into strides as we explored our terrestrial world, but a piece of ourselves always desired more. Encoded within us was a seemingly divine force, one entangled with our core being. Etched into our DNA was a longing for discovery, a journey into the unknown.
Mountains crossed; oceans sailed. We conquered new lands, leaving civilizations in our wake; the measuring stick of our species. We bested the material world and crafted myths of conquest over that which remained yet out of reach. Gilgamesh, Heracles, Stories of Creation, and the Harbingers of the End Times. We personified our curiosities, of monsters and men, and foretold of a coming age in which our knowledge would drive us from our shadowed cave.
Borders were drawn, institutions founded, convictions set, but a brave few remained steadfast. Different than most. Explorers. Inventors. Thinkers. Those plagued by the everlasting itch. Through unimaginable horror, new ideas were crafted and the crucible of society pushed forward; the providence of our brutish ancestors.
Today, we stand on the shoulders of giants. In our world of ceaseless optimization, our value is measured by the vocation we dedicate our lives to. A celebration of our greatest feat; the degradation of the human spirit. Do androids dream of electric sheep? Perhaps we already know. From our perch on the shoulders of giants, we’ve yet to peer over the grassland.
“Capacity for the nobler feelings is in most natures a very tender plant, easily killed, not only by hostile influences, but by mere want of sustenance; and in the majority of young persons it speedily dies away if the occupations to which their position in life has devoted them, and the society into which it has thrown them, are not favourable to keeping that higher capacity in exercise.” — John Stuart Mill
Within us all is potential for greatness. You’ve felt it. It stirs. Grown restless by the dogmas of our time. An evolutionary force resonated through the narratives of our past. Four hundred generations have led to you, the holder of a piece of a puzzle of which none know the complete picture. The spark of humanity has dimmed — spare scattered pockets of innovation of which the growth of knowledge rests upon; the cornerstone of our civilization.
Our world seeks new giants. Men and women who serve to lift us higher, breeding new ideas and daring for something greater. Ones who might reach out and touch the stars, conquering the god of war and bringing prosperity to its desolation. And that we might take our seat among the pantheon of the heavens and become the gods of old.
Weigh anchor and take to the forbidden seas. Abandon the safety of the cave. Strive to rise up and gaze upon the grassland. For the risk lies not in failure, but rather in never once truly accepting the gift nature bestowed upon you. Our inquisitiveness defines us. Whether primal temptation, a divine theft, or bio-chemical puppetry. The stories we tell ourselves of the origin do not matter. The journey into the unknown stands ever ready for those who dare.
Take that first step. Eyes full of wonder. Stand tall, set your stride and run. Don’t look back. Discovery and untold opportunity await.