The Humanist 1000 Summers
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| "Well if it isn't the GNR club!" proclaimed Kody, to which Roy Kurtz recited "Genetics, nanotechnology, robotics? - that is indeed all there is."
Filling out McGlade's four seats in the amphibian were Michael Jeaney and Tom Leahy. Kurtz and Jeaney had taken a liking to these overnight respites on McGlade’s semi-secret island, dropping in from Seattle almost on a monthly basis. Tom Leahy, too, took advantage of his frequent business trips to Vancouver to visit McGlade’s home, and this afternoon was meeting these GNR boys for their input on the development of the Archenteron. They stopped for a few minutes at Kody's to warm up, and to pass Cal their bags before their walk up to the Archenteron. Kody took McGlade aside to update him on a new staff member. "Bowels has a mother and Cal has a boyfriend," he confided, generating a double-take from McGlade. "Cal introduced me to his friend Tyler - they're both in their mid-to late 60s - he's a long-time Chemainus resident, and he had his dog with him, which I noticed was almost identical to Cal's dog. It turns out to be Bowels’ mother, and it suddenly dawned on me that Tyler was Cal's ‘partner’. I didn't say anything at the time, but Cal has taken over the big old house on Detwiller Point at my suggestion, and Tyler stayed there a few nights last month. He's probably an ex-biker like Cal, but I thought I'd ask you to allow me to hire him, subject to a criminal record check. Not counting cocaine of course." "The reason we hired you, Kodes, is because you're so goddamn good looking of course, but to take advantage of all your criminal connections as well. Seriously, do let's have some respect for Cal here, we want locals-based security and having an extra mature guy around makes sense in a 24/7 shop. Good hire, please make them feel welcome together, and let me know of any skills that Tyler might have that we could make use of. Plus any interesting connections as well, sans dire." he winked. The five men then took up the peaceful walk through the woods to the Archenteron. It was this fragrant pilgrimage among the towering firs, ending as it did before the imposing repository itself, that presented life and its frailty within a promise that could not be mistaken. Jeaney read the motto over the main entrance “Per aspera ad astra”? “Seneca the Elder? Through aspiration to the stars.” replied Leahy. Cal seated them in the ‘boardroom’, stacked up with boxes of unopened network equipment. He had warmed it up and provisioned a table with their accustomed seafood lunch. McGlade thanked him, and made Cal know that his partner Tyler was welcome to reside there with him, and that he had a job as long as Cal had one. Michael Jeaney asked "Why do you have a boardroom in - what is this? - a genetic repository? Is there a disco downstairs?" McGlade explained that this Archenteron was just one of many such repositories that were planned, the idea being to have such buildings dotted around the globe, with each one bearing the complete genetic complement of all participating HU members. "It's a show room today, Michael, and when the show’s over the backup generator goes in here. By that time you'll probably buy one yourself, a repository I mean." Leahy and Kurtz had talked while awaiting McGlade’s aircraft at Vancouver International, and they seemed to have taken an immediate liking to each other. McGlade pointed out a number of times to Kurtz that his GNR platform was a little bit cold, even for futurism; it might benefit from a humanistic touch and Kurtz had granted that much. Now he was considering the possibilities of going beyond humanism. Leahy was taking the same tack with him. "I did read ‘The Singularity’, Roy, and some other materials around your very public career; and I can see that you've been largely concerned with life extension for some decades - we're all over sixty here today other than Michael - are you thinking it may be time to place your future into the hands of your cohorts?" Kurtz acknowledged that his prolific pill taking was not likely to be his pathway to immortality. The heart ailment he'd had for thirty years was looming larger, and at seventy years of age reality was making itself known. He was ready, yes, for some ‘intermediate considerations’. "I realize that you can't get there from here, it's that simple," he said. "So yes, I have to place my trust in my fellow man, anybody who has read 1000 Summers can see that McGlade has mapped it out pretty well. I can't upload the contents of my brain if it's been sitting in a pickle jar for twenty years, so I'm going to have to let that go unless something transpires soon. It's fair to say that I have more than a straight intellectual interest in this building, this is personal for me, yes." "As it is for my part," said Jeaney "with all the genetic gerrymandering we Ameliorists must do, we have a need to restore genetic material during the generations that may lie fallow. Remember that we interweave new DNA with member material within some of our programs, we have to have unequivocal security in the interim. But we’re onside from the humanistic point of view as well. It's all good, it all makes sense, but it's up to us to make sure it’s going to work, too." Leahy acknowledged the same thinking. "It's evident that anything like a repository, or a suite of them, like a string of churches - they require the stewardship of an attending institution, not just day-to-day management from a few individuals. So it befits us to formalize a protocol that lays out the process wherein the supplicants - I mean members - are brought into our care at some agreed-upon life points. In Christianity of course we have baptism, confirmation, then weddings, funerals … if the HU neglects those Lagrange points in our lives it would do so at its own peril. It wouldn't be doing its job by my estimation, and soon someone else would be doing that job for us. The hardware lies before us, we’re looking at it - now we need some software. Some epigenetics." McGlade was pleased that Leahy was asserting his presence in the group, and laying bare his ideas toward these ‘protocols’ he cited. For the moment Kurtz was laying aside his considerable ego and paying rapt attention to this ‘Admonitor’ to the Pope. "These are very large philosophical questions to resolve, Roy,” said Leahy. "The Jesuits have always had to serve as interpreters of science for their flocks; that was their teaching function and they still look to us for that in many parts of the world. But I'm not bragging about our installed base here, it's not one that's going to be easily morphed to our purposes – and I’m not about to proselytize. We won't be poaching members from the Roman Catholic Church, nor shall we be directing anybody in that direction. My instructions from the Pope were to rescue the order of Jesuits from dissolution; which decision he was already considering, by the way - did so twenty years ago. So the Society of Jesus is really on tenterhooks these days, pending its rededication - I'm being candid but I think it's realistic as well. We're all in the same boat, the window is closing, and as Martin has proven, these ideas can blossom and fade very quickly given the influence of the Internet. It is my job to try to move camp for the Jesuits and I intend to do that. The Jesuits per se could take over some existing RC buildings to make repositories of them, etc. but the whole thing could end up looking like a dog's breakfast if we disturb those vested interests – we needn't go there, too many ramifications. Humanism is the idea whose time has come, it’s the baby here and the Jesuits can only be the bathwater." Jeaney was fascinated with his new acquaintance. “Are you familiar with the Ameliorists, Tom, what could you do for us?" he said, looking sheepishly at McGlade and smiling. "It would be nice to have some intellectual fabric to conjoin all our little projects around human reproduction." "Hey! Get your own priest!" laughed McGlade. "Can I interest you in some nice Jewish boys from Montréal? Speaking of which, Tom and I were wondering how to schedule ‘services’ as it were at the Church of Man, the working name for our little project over in East Vancouver. Right now we have humanist meetings there on Monday and Thursday nights on the same secular basis as they were being held at Philosopher Café's around town. Anyway, we’re thinking of using that church more intensively than is usual, basically devoting one day per week per variant of humanism. Ergo, we would have the Judeans Saturday, Jesuans Sunday, the Muslans Monday, the Ameliorists Thursday and so on. In my new book I’m compartmentalizing the humanist philosophy to include the Privum, which is a mental purse for our personal beliefs. You wouldn't design a new tractor without a power take-off or a three-point hitch, one size does not fit all – am I sounding like George Carlin? But seriously, we need humanism to be an adaptable body of thought that soaks into and moves along with the interests of our species." Kurtz shook his head and joined the fray. "What about all us geeks and zombies out there hiding out in Petri dishes and pickle jars, clinging to death on the back of a hard drive - who's going to cry over our graves? Don't answer that - I think I'm either looking at them or the answer is a null set. I think this is great stuff guys - as Michael mentioned we could all use some fabric on which to hang our drawings of the future and to oversee immortality. That's what this ark is for, our spaceship to the future. The idea of your army looking after it, Tom, Jesus - that sounds like a good idea to me. Sorry about taking the Lord's name in vain." "Oh, it won't be in vain." Leahy assured him. "Rather, we may have His ear at last." 63. Dispatches Obama was engaged in conversation with China’s ambassador to the UN at a reception hosted by Ban Ki-Moon, to honour the first anniversary of the UN proposal for a global old age pension. Li Yin suggested that this ‘citizen’s account’ could be viewed more pragmatically. “Pension is one thing, absolutely important,” maintained Li, “we in China like to see base expanded so this account portable through life, with company contributions. For motivation, be indexed by government to various projects too, like pollution control, so benefit of different kind provided to generations.” The former US President was pleased to hear such an enterprising comment from Li, however nebulous. This was a man many now identified as the up-and-coming kingmaker of the ‘New China’. Li was a diplomat who could someday hold China’s cards around the Security Council reforms contemplated, and he certainly had important influence in the forthcoming UN ratification process. Obama decided to widen the conversation. “In the United States we once had a religious cult whose members saved every dollar they ever earned, never touched a penny of their capital, for generations, only the interest. I’m not sure what happened to them, but is that similar to the approach you are suggesting?” Li was flattered as he looked around the room to see that some were hanging on his answer to the famous American. “No exact, more general. Example: China sees benefit in space research related to living space, population, to idea we someday find another planet. Japan think this too.” Obama recalled a mention in a recent email from May Biersten regarding this notion, but he had glossed over it. He mused over the unfamiliar concept as Li continued with the obvious limitations in these countries, as indefinite habitat for their elevated population numbers. Obama realized that he had a North American’s disinterest in the subject, and prepared his reply while thinking on his feet. “China is a big country, geographically” said Obama, “places like England, Germany, Holland - many are even more limited for living space. Is there an opportunity for all of these countries to work together, with the UN to colonize space? Should that be a UN project or should we leave it to NGO’s?” “Too often NGO is religious organization, has own interest, all depend how establish agency. Some NGO’s - Sierra, Greenpeace not liked in China. UN Wildlife Act very difficult to enforce already.” Obama knew he was on delicate ground here, facing a cultural divide, but felt he should try to understand the Chinese position. “My understanding is that the UN outlaws the use of animals originating in the wild in manufacturing, and is considering a ban on eating them as well. Is this where your concern is?” “In China food much wider category than in West. Westerners laugh when eat dogs, but eat birds too, reptiles, very hard tell villagers stop. Then, if villagers make shoes from snake skin after eating, more trouble. Much time to change these.” The ex-President was always an attentive listener, and he took a lesson from this diplomat - that China was an enormous country in every respect and had to be dealt with in the full knowledge of that fact. Obama would need to exercise extreme patience to not mistake latency for resistance; here everything would truly be the art of the possible. He was grateful to be in Singapore, with its more realistic perspective on world and Asian affairs than the fevered and simplistic attitudes put forward in Washington and Europe. A British writer for the Economist stepped in and buttonholed Obama for his thoughts on President Kennedy’s recent proposal to allow property in the US to be taken out of the tax base. “Mr. Obama, the Washington Post says it’s brilliant to allow a homeowner to put up perhaps ten percent of the value of their home as a one-time payment to the government – or is it city? – and thereafter enjoy clear title with no taxes. Our Manchester Guardian claims that it will lead to armed revolution by those left with the tax burden. Where do you think this will settle out?” Obama chuckled at the audacity Kennedy continued to demonstrate, as she struggled with a US debt problem that had tied his own hands for his entire presidency. Kennedy needed those funds for food stamps and pensions, and he knew it. But he downplayed it, knowing the US may at last have hit bottom. “It’s true that it might reduce our debt, over time, to manageable proportions. And reduce the number of people needed to collect it, all good – heavy taxes are regressive. But it depends on radically reducing state and municipal spending, not much of which is optional any more. Corruption and pork-barrelling have to go first. So the feds themselves would have to cut spending drastically, to subsidize the cities for this loss. Or else assign the payments directly to the cities in trust, which I think is best. But politicians aren’t good savers, they like to spend it all and then run through yours too. And who will pay the school taxes?” “If Britain s voucher system is being considered alongside this option, perhaps education could become federally financed? Just as most pensions in the West are?” “Centralization is good; it reduces the opportunities for waste and corruption. A great advantage of the UN, by the way. But you have to be super-responsible with it; there are no safeguards if a central government fails.” “You mean if a central government like the UN fails?” asked the writer. “The UN has never operated yet on the scale it deserves. Worry about its failure then - it’s only been reasonably funded for four or five years. This is a species thing – if we can’t find any character or leadership, it’s going to hurt, might be fatal. And it scares me to think how much is sitting on our plate right now.” 64. Legacies Alexa was glad of the winter months in the Gulf Islands, for the solace they brought after the glorious but hectic summers. Every relative they had, and some they had never heard of would make some excuse to come visit them in high season, and it was all she and McGlade could do to hold the concatenated requests for their time at bay. When the weather turned over in late fall, so too did these visit mentions miraculously fall off to a manageable level, and she was able to sit at home with Martin, their dog and cat, give some attention to their daughter Marki and her schooling. It was after their first daughter Marietta had died seven years before that Martin had sold his software development business, and gone back to writing ‘1000 Summers’. He was bereft at their loss, and unable to deal with the customers anymore. To watch your child die is life's worst torture; when it is your only child the pain can be unbearable. Alexa feared that he would take his own life, and she did everything she could to assure him then that they would start anew, if he would just take some time to heal. McGlade nonetheless had remained disconsolate, spending most of his time in his study upstairs on the Internet. He had trouble writing, had ceased playing golf and squash, was unable to face his friends or business associates. At times he was so morose that he took until noon before he could get out of bed. Marietta had died of muscular dystrophy, growing ever weaker until at six years of age she stopped breathing one night, and her ordeal was over, but the nightmare for her parents continued in earnest. Marietta's toys were scattered through the house, they remained untouched for months, while her puppy Ruby visited her room repeatedly, to never more find her there. Alexa went so far as to turn their cell phones off for a week at a time, and to ask Martin if he would consider taking a tranquilizer as his doctor recommended, and she did already, all to no avail. After some particularly dark weeks of this McGlade sat Alexa down at the kitchen table and looked into her eyes. She was 42 years old, ten years his junior although she could easily pass for a younger, as he assured her. He took her hand and rolled it between his, working up the courage to say something. "I do want to talk something over with you Alexa, please hear me out - it's been two months and I'm not as crazy as people might think I am. I don't want to scare you, dear, but I want to clone Marietta." Alexa knew that he was working on a futuristic novel and that perhaps his imagination was getting the better of him. He had occasionally discussed these technologies around that same kitchen table with his friends, but never with her. All she could muster as a reply was "Is that legal?" McGlade shook his head in resignation. "No, it's the same way they torture us about illegal drugs and what we're allowed to put on our lawns - personally I don't give a shit. Most of the people have the procedure done in Thailand, where they tax it instead.” "Procedure? Does this involve me? I can't see you having a baby Martin, wonderful as you are..." McGlade then explained how he had exhaustively researched cloning on the Internet, to the point where he had reserved time over in Bangkok if she was agreeable. "I forwarded them a genetic sample from Marietta and they have confirmed that it looks viable; most tissue samples are, if they’ve been properly preserved and as you recall we kept the cord blood from her birth. Other than the major fact that it's a pregnancy there would be little impact on you that is out of the ordinary - essentially they just put Marietta's nucleus into our fertilized egg or eggs and it goes from there. You may be infertile as it stands, but this circumvents that." That Christmas the McGlades made the excuse that they could not bear to remain in the house over Christmas without Marietta, and spent the month in Thailand, where McGlade continued to work on his book. In truth it was the change of venue and this prospect that the two bereaved souls had needed. When Alexa returned in January she already was aglow as the expectant mother of a girl to be named Marki. McGlade too had returned to Canada rejuvenated and alive with ideas. The doctors had successfully scanned Mariette’s genome and confirmed that the Duchenne gene was not active in that sample - this baby would be whole. Years later McGlade would point to this juncture as the time he became a humanist; he would try to repay his own kind for proving to be everything that mattered in his life. He never tired of the task of driving to Marki’s school to pick her up; he wondered if he would ever allow her to take a school bus. She was a miracle to him, and someday they would put back the pictures of Marietta in her room, lying sequestered in the attic. Marietta's features had been somewhat distorted by her disease, but not in their hearts, and the comments that Marki looked like her were becoming less frequent. McGlade and Alexa saw that same glint, the bubbly little giggle and demonic energy that told them that, yes - this was Marietta made whole again. At 3:30pm McGlade came through the door with Marki, Ruby and Kody; who was mercifully back on the island for two weeks to spend some time with his new bride before returning to his job on Valdes. They decided to have a hot rum toddy in front of the kitchen fireplace before the opportunity passed. "So Kodes, you’re telling me that my own goddamn son-in-law is recruiting you to work for the federal government. Doesn't he know any other featherheads?" he scolded. "Don't panic, I'm fully prepared to pull down two checks at once, unless you beat me at squash next time, but not much chance of that. You’ve never learned how to serve Indian like me. For sure, it's a contract gig; I'm a First Nations consultant with Evan about the world park implementation on the prairies, west of Ontario. It's just something for me to do when sitting on the Internet over on Valdes.” Kody was buoyant about the upturn in his own fortunes. “I'll be assembling a bunch of maps in Google Earth and overlaying them with locations and populations of the First Nations groups in our sectors. From there I have to recommend on how we break out the administration of what territories, based on their territorial claims with the federal government, and yada, yada. There's no traveling at this point - and you know how I feel about going to the Big Smoke and beyond...” McGlade was delighted that his best friend was content to administer the Archenteron and its island site. People like Kody were completely irreplaceable; McGlade liked to work with people he knew, and had rarely hired anybody who hadn't come through his front door first. And Kody was his squash buddy, that placed him in a category about two tiers above a mistress. And McGlade had no need for the latter - he had a devoted wife, an adored daughter and good friends in this island community. Kody was sharing some scuttlebutt about the staffing arrangements on Valdes, toward providing 24/7 security for the Archenteron. "Cal and Tyler are like two peepees in a pod in that Detwiller house, we done good putting those guys together at last. It’s so touching to see old bikers who love each other, and boy can they cook. Whenever I talk my wife into actually spending a few days with me over there, the four of us tend to sit up past midnight playing that Dutch card game Up the Creek, which is sort of like bridge for dummies, but we don't care. When all we're doing is watching closed-circuit screens all day and night, it passes the time nicely and makes me side money. We had some excitement the other night when four kayakers couldn't find the pass and built a big bonfire on Shah Point before we threw them into one of our cabins - otherwise it's been dead quiet; and it should stay that way until spring except for pit-lampers, and Cal knows who they are. They come in for some homebrew when it's raining." McGlade got up from the table and retrieved a small appliance whose function he asked Kody to guess. "Looks like a cooker for ram’s fries on the prairies, you know - a prairie oyster cooker?” "That's what it's supposed to do - poach eggs. I'm using it to warm-up squash balls. Let's get in a game before we have another toddy. Alexa - hold my balls, I mean calls – we’ll be back by six." 65. 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