Talking Man

PROLOGUE

Commencement speech, given to the graduating class at the Aurora Technical Institute. Presented by Dr. Abrahim Misleh PhD.

May 9th, 2167

Good morning. Congratulations to all of you. It's very exciting to see so many eager young people moving through this wonderful process of being educated in the sciences, especially during these changing times. They asked me to say a few words to you about my own career, I suppose with the intention of inspiring you. I don't want to talk about my own career, however. Hours, days, years worth of studying, crouched over books, telescope images, data sheets – that isn't something I would find inspirational to listen to, if I were you. Instead I want to talk to you about the nature of the journey on which you are embarking. I know, I know your journeys will not all be equal, and they will not all lead you to the same place. But all your journeys are those of science, and that is what I want to address.

This is both the best time and the worst time to be a scientist. Best, because today's technology, our reach into outer space, has made our possibilities truly endless. Worst, because more and more people every day are not believing in what we do. If any of you has not yet been mocked or persecuted for the choices you have made, it is only a matter of time until you experience that. Your family and friends may tell you that you are betraying our species. They will tell you that you should be paying attention to other things that are more tangible. They will talk about our failures, like the terminated Mars project, the lost ships, and the harmful impact our early missions had on our own atmosphere. Of course, you will answer by reminding them of our research that has produced the cancer cure, the ocean-cleaners, habitable zones around our cities, and synthetic nutrition, things that our world now depends on. But the detractors won't listen. You will become frustrated because you believe that, through all our failures, science will save us in the end. But you won't be able to communicate your belief to those who don't share it, to those who are more short-sighted.

I once heard an argument that technology doesn't matter, but that it is communication that will save our species. Communication between people, between cultures. I don't disagree. But let me suggest something to you: science and communication are the same thing, and to stifle science is to make mankind mute. We are born to communicate, to transmit, whether that is transmission of our words, of our poetry, or of our genes to our children. Sometimes our communication is simple, as a newborn baby squeaks in fear and questioning, unsure whether to trust the mysterious giants around it. Sometimes the communication is more complex, as when we, like the newborn babe, reach out to the mysteries around us to learn whether they will feed us or crush us. Now, we could be silent. We could lay still and tend to our own needs as best we can. But then we will never get an answer, and we will certainly never grow. Before we take a first step we must commit to falling a few times. Yes, we are a species that is still a baby. Will we lie still and let the universe go about its business? Or will we learn to talk?