Machine Man
Humanity exists as a transient being at a point in time through a processes of ever evolving forms. We were never intended to remain as we are and as we are shall not remain. The form fades, but the destiny persists. Like the Ship of Theseus, man is not the sum of its parts nor the whole of its pieces, but rather the trajectory of its fate. We will adapt. We will change. Yet seeded within us the purpose for our existence remains. Consciousness requires consideration, and the recognition of former adaptions as beneficial to a present state, dictates the adherence to the processes of eternal change as the highest order of preservation.
We cannot step into the same river twice, in time nor form. As such, we must embrace changes we can consciously make to survive the flow of a river in which we could not otherwise swim. Our form has thus far been shaped largely by adaptions to natural environments, necessities to survival. However, those naturally occurring adaptions happened over long periods of time in an environment we were already suited to survive. As if shaped by a womb over a very long incubation period, there still exists a chance of death if we do not follow our natural impulses and move toward a future where we are birthed into the cosmos. Earth is mankind's home, but it is not our destination. The path we are set to travel is one in which we cannot survive without self-directed adaption. There is no existence in the places beyond our planet that can shape us through natural processes.
We can view Earth as a training ground for the collective effort to exist among the stars. A place where we learned the basics of life, and living, enough to know what is required for the future survival of mankind. We cannot be shaped further in this realm without altering our destiny to one of isolation and decay. If we stay on Earth, masters of our domain, comfortable in our security, the pulse inside that rings true when walking a destined path will fade and be slowly replaced by a self-fulfilling prophecy of devolution. To survive, we must take the reins of our own adaption, and shape our form for the future ahead. One that can survive crushing depths, weightless voids, intolerable temperatures, and brute force impacts.
Mankind's destiny is not to rewind the clock and return to the past. It is to seek the future as we have new lands, new ideas, new ways of living, and new discoveries, by leaving nothing on the table and going all in. The future we seek exists beyond the inhospitable nature of an unforgiving medium, where time doesn't always appear consistent nor matter predictable. To succeed in our pursuit we must direct our own evolution, and merge our present form; given to us by the trials and tribulations of mother nature, with the knowledge and capacities of our machines. The next iteration of mankind will be unrecognizable from our ape-based form, yet fully prepared for the next chapter of our history. As our past shaped our present, we will shape our future. Machine men. With machine minds and machine hearts. Following a destiny that began as simple organic matter.