If you have read my last piece, Death Makes Life Beautiful, you will know that the concept of death has been on my mind recently. As my partner can attest, I have been contemplating the frail nature of our existence almost daily. While some may find this unhealthy, it puts things into a vital context. Without knowing how meaningful each day is, it is hard to truly appreciate it for what it is. 

Recently, I have found myself reading Dune Messiah, the sequel to Dune. I read a passage from the book this morning that made me think. For context, this quote comes from the servant of the emperor, who is trying to convince him that he is just a mortal human. “You’ve digested so much time you have delusions of immortality,” the ghola said. “Even your Empire, my lord, must live its time and die.” -Dune Messiah, Frank Herbert.

In the context of the book, the emperor has the magical power to see all possible outcomes of events around him. If we take that quote out of the context of the book, we can see that it takes a new meaning. The internet and computers give us a similar mythical power. We can communicate with each other across the globe in seconds. We can explore neighboring planets without setting foot on them. We can run simulations of cosmic events and predict when our solar system will collapse and humanity will (seemingly) end. We can learn the universe’s history and let our minds wander to the great expanse of space, but we aren’t gods. We’re mortal. We have digested so much information that we have delusions of immortality.

Life is frail and fragile, no matter how much we know. In truth, the more we understand and appreciate our lives, the more painful it is to lose them. Knowledge is a blessing and a curse. How I wish to have the awareness of a cat, happy for the sun, glad to be fed, and happy to be loved. That is all they care about. All other things are out of their control, and they do not care or understand them. Our brains, in contrast, crave to know the framework of the universe. They can contain limitless wells of knowledge, but as soon as our little beating heart decides it can no longer function, all of that knowledge fades with us. It is terrifying to think that the collection of all of this information is meaningless.