No one is sure who sent the message. A week ago, it appeared in every email and social media inbox around the world. Every media outlet from the biggest news channels to the smallest blogs went crazy with speculation.
Of course, most people believe it was the greatest achievement in hacking since the invention of the computer. Many decry it as a work of fiction. The conservatives consider it a lame attempt by liberals to push their agenda of global warming fear-mongering. The liberals call it a limp conservative tactic to discredit climate change theories and discussions about improved mental health advocacy.
Of course, there’s the conspiracy theorists chalking it up to aliens, various secret cabals that supposedly rule the world from the shadows, and even a sign the Internet itself has become self-aware.
Then, there are those of us who believe it’s actually what it claims to be: a message of hope from the future.
As usual, the relentless 24/7 news cycle used the event as fodder for the public’s endless demand to be simultaneously disturbed and titillated. After all, the masses must be fed their daily diet of shock and awe. Otherwise, they might do the unimaginable: think and feel for themselves.
But a week is a long time in the half-life of news. Most of the major outlets aren’t even talking about it anymore. The few still covering it are doing so half-heartedly, mostly to state the obvious by telling us no one has been identified as the true source of the message, even though countless people have come forward claiming responsibility.
I, for one, hope there’s never a definitive answer. I’m also trying to think of the best way to preserve this event for future generations, so that if and when our species makes it to 2100, someone can fact-check this whole thing.
For reference, I’ve included the full text below. If anyone has any suggestions for keeping this from disappearing into the Memory Hole of history, I’m all ears.
BEGIN MESSAGE:
I have no way of knowing if this will work. The science is sound, however, so I’ll put my faith in that. In your time, it has been discovered that particles of light can be sent into the past. In the years since this discovery, we have slowly learned to improve upon that discovery. Progress has indeed been slowed, due to events over the course of the century. Circumstances have made the technology and energy required scarce.
There are a only a few of us who are working on this, and we are fairly certain we can replicate it. If so, we will send another message, but only if we see no apparent temporal repercussions after the first message.
As strange as it may sound, we want to avoid the mistakes of cautionary tales familiar from time-travel literature and film. So, we won’t reveal much of the future. In the course of our efforts to make this work, we never really asked if we should send a message at all. Rather, we focused on what we should say. Yes, a few of us raised the question of disruption to history. What if we caused more chaos in our past than already occurred?
We cannot be sure of anything. So, I’ve made the decision to tell you something good about the time in which I live. Yes, I suppose you could call this a message of hope.
As I write this, it is the year 2100. I ask you to suspend your disbelief for this moment in time, and keep an open mind. We as a species weren’t able to stave off all of the effects of climate change. As the weather worsened and the seas rose, we retreated to safer climes. There were, of course, wars and conflict. Many died as we struggled to adapt.
Ah, but I did say this was a message of hope.
I will tell you this: the greatest advancements have been in the realm of the human mind, and perhaps the soul. Yes, once again we short-sighted human beings had to be motivated by necessity and the threat of extinction. But change did come for the survivors. We saw, finally, beyond the short-sightedness of instinct and came together over the need for change.
Those of us who remained by the end of the 21st century have dedicated ourselves to the sacredness of the mind. We have spread respect for our spark of ingenuity, the beautiful fragility of the miracle that is the brain. Peace of mind has become the paramount goal for all. The many support the few who stumble along the path to well-being. None are left behind. We have entered what some call the Last Mental Revolution. I think it sounds a bit too dramatic, but I see why it has appeal.
It is the literal “peace of mind” that has allowed us to resurrect this technology and communicate with you, our ancestors. We know this will be hard to believe. So, take this as you see fit. Just know that our species struggles well in the years to come. Through the horror emerges a small, bright light. An illumination that we have long sought, but is finally within our reach.
We, your descendants, now turn our eyes to the future once more. We see wonders ahead, for us and for you.
END MESSAGE.
RSVP for Mental Wellness Calls
—
Join the Mental Wellness FACEBOOK GROUP here.
—
Talk to you soon.
If you believe in the work we are doing here at The Good Men Project and want to join our calls on a regular basis, please join us as a Premium Member, today.
All Premium Members get to view The Good Men Project with NO ADS.
A $50 annual membership gives you an all-access pass. You can be a part of every call, group, class, and community.
A $25 annual membership gives you access to one class, one Social Interest group, and our online communities.
A $12 annual membership gives you access to our Friday calls with the publisher, our online community.