Chapter 341: Chapter 341

341: Chapter 121 The Past Sea [Middle] 341: Chapter 121 The Past Sea [Middle] This is a cruel reality.

Life-extending technology could not possibly benefit everyone.

“Old people” are incapable of surviving the “species renewal” process.

To ensure the smooth implementation of technological applications, the first group of recipients of the Benchmark Man’s gene modification surgery would only be vigorous young adults.

Those who are nearly at the “ineligible for surgery” age are also essentially abandoned.

For some middle-aged people on the cusp, “a few years” is terrifying.

Perhaps because of an illness or something else, they would become “old people.”

Superman Enterprise developed gene medical technology that can eliminate diseases and fend off aging.

But it cannot benefit everyone.

There will always be those who are left out of this historic moment.

And these people might have dedicated their lives to the functioning of human society as elderly individuals.

It is conservatively estimated that the Benchmark Man’s gene modification surgery could raise the upper limit of a Natural Person’s lifespan to four hundred years.

Within these four hundred years, the mechanisms of “aging” could potentially be clarified at the genetic level. ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ nοvelfire.net

Perhaps humanity could grasp the gene therapy to completely reverse aging.

The results of Yawgmoth’s “Clarification Enzyme System” hold such potential.

In other words, a group of people might miss out on “immortality” simply because they were born a few years too early.

Xiang Shan felt, this was too cruel.

Jing Hongtu put his cane aside and sat down next to Xiang Shan, watching him wipe his tears.

The old man shook his head, “You are not normal.”

Xiang Shan didn’t understand.

“It’s because of your weakness and entanglement that all the intellectuals in the company have followed you into a meaningless sense of guilt, right?

Going to volunteer at nursing homes…

This moral concept is a bit too Christian.” Jing Hongtu looked at Xiang Shan, “You’re not normal.”

Xiang Shan lowered his head.

“I’ll ask you another question,” Jing Hongtu changed his approach, “Are you the emperor of today?”

Xiang Shan didn’t understand.

“Do you want to be the President of the Earth?

Or the Secretary-General of the United Nations?

The kind with highly concentrated power.”

Xiang Shan shook his head, “Are you joking…”

“If you don’t want this power, why take on the responsibility that doesn’t belong to you?

Or ‘old people can’t undergo the surgery,’ did you deliberately impose this limitation?

If that’s the case, it’s rather malicious.”

Xiang Shan laughed, “That…

“You are a person pushing the world forward, a pioneer.

You’re not a savior, an emperor, or an immortal.

It’s the family’s responsibility to comfort the elderly and let them happily complete the final stage of life, it’s the community’s responsibility, society’s responsibility, but it cannot be your sole responsibility—unless you want to be a savior, an emperor, or an immortal.

Humanity is not your subject.”

Jing Hongtu took a deep breath and then sighed in a resigned fashion, “Although I also really don’t want to die.

But the laws of biology and technological conditions are too objective, right?

There’s nothing I can do.”

Xiang Shan sat on the floor too, looking up at the ceiling, “But, will our company make it hard for those elderly in their final stage?

‘Being the last generation to die of aging’…”

“Have you investigated?” Jing Hongtu asked.

Xiang Shan shook his head with a bitter smile, “Every day, there are elderly who come to kowtow at the company’s entrance.

Some even bring their whole families.

There are also curses online…”

“That doesn’t count as an investigation, at most it’s an observation.

If you’re always observing society from a hospital, you might conclude, ‘A huge proportion of people in society suffer from illnesses.’ If you take ‘the crowd at a temple on New Year’s Day’ as your sample, you’ll conclude, ‘Every single person in society is a Buddhist.'” Jing Hongtu spread his hands, “You obviously understand this principle of statistics, don’t you?”

Xiang Shan sighed and didn’t speak.

Jing Hongtu, mimicking his posture, stared at the ceiling, “Actually, your mentality of ‘I’m ashamed that I’m not the saint I envisioned’ is not too bad.

With every technological wave, some old people are left behind.

Back in the teens, I was part of the first batch of the Republic who used smartphones.

I was grateful to have caught this wave.

Then, in the twenties, during a family reunion meal, I watched a high-ranking uncle of mine, his hands trembling so much he couldn’t unlock a smartphone being taught by his own granddaughter.

I never liked the relatives on that side of my family, so I thought to myself at the time—ha, even he has his day.”

But Jing Hongtu didn’t laugh either.

“Then, my uncle got really angry and said, ‘This thing is so useless, how can the elderly take the bus—’ He had never used public transport, and his secretaries and assistants took care of everything for him.

He had heard that ordinary people use smartphones to take the bus.

If no one reminded him, he wouldn’t even remember that ‘the elderly would have special bus cards.’ He definitely wouldn’t feel inconvenienced for ‘not knowing how to use a smartphone.'”

“But what about other old people who can’t learn?

The whole society is moving towards an ‘era of intelligence.’ But there will always be people who are left behind.”

“When I was young, there was a joke too.

‘Someone is truly great, just never played with a brick phone’…

You probably don’t even know what a ‘brick phone’ is.

It’s a technological product of the past.

This kind of thing has become common in the last hundred years.

The cycle of technological development has become shorter than a human lifespan.

For thousands of years, human beings didn’t encounter the issue of ‘being unable to adapt to technology.’ Only in the last few decades has this phenomenon occurred.

Traditional morals don’t fit this situation anymore.”

The elderly man patted Xiang Shan’s shoulder again, “But you’re kinder than most people in technology companies.

Normally, everyone should see that you have provided a long life, a healthy body, and a bright future for the other seventy percent of humanity.

That’s an immeasurable merit.”

Xiang Shan didn’t speak.

“Do you still remember what I told you in…ah, just before you took over as the head of Rama’s research and development department?” Jing Hongtu suddenly said.

“You certainly didn’t remember it well.

I said back then, ‘In reforming and renewing, how can there be anything completely clean without a spot of ink?’ If you really want to be overly critical of yourself, think about that sentence carefully.

Besides, you shouldn’t be trapped by this—how can morals, which have domesticated you into tame livestock, let you shed the old ways?”

Xiang Shan’s glasses quickly provided a hint, “Ah, Nietzsche, eh…”

“Right, he said something similar.

Your company’s name is slightly connected to him too.”

My approach is purely on the technical level of Transhumanism…after all, he’s associated with Nazi ideology.” Xiang Shan shook his head, “I don’t have a good impression.”

“Yes, you’re a technocrat, a rationalist.

I’ve seen your public lectures at the university too.

You very much admire rationality.” Jing Hongtu nodded, “But this can act like a strong spiritual medicine for you.

Some of Nietzsche’s views are wrong, and his philosophy is indeed the most susceptible to misuse.

But aren’t vaccines also harmful antigens?

Jing Hongtu tried to get up from the ground but struggled.

Xiang Shan quickly helped the old man to his feet.

“All right, come with me.

I have something I want to give you.” Jing Hongtu walked towards the study, chattering, “Nietzsche is the most easily misused.

He strongly advocates positive self-transformation, ‘revaluation of all values.’ In fact, he was exploring the path to ‘living a happy life’—in science, isn’t a false exploration also valuable?

Our ultimate ideal is ‘the free association of humans,’ ‘the freedom of each and the freedom of all’—it’s not the same as his.

But it can act as a stepping stone from another hill, a complement.

If you indulge in ancient morals and want to be a perfect person, you should take a dose of this strong medicine.”

“You are already standing at the forefront of history, and in the future, you’ll face many issues for which history can’t provide you with a ‘known answer.’ You must not be defeated by your own weaknesses.”

Jing Hongtu skillfully pulled several books from the shelf.

The old man’s bookshelf was quite extensive.

Xiang Shan hardly read books anymore.

For him, the most advanced knowledge was either in his own projects or in his friends’ minds.

But Jing Hongtu’s books recorded something different.

You can read these not only as philosophy but also as literature,” said Jing Hongtu.

Then, he hesitated for a moment and pulled out another book.

Crime and Punishment by Dostoevsky.

“Let me give you this book as well, lest you misunderstand and take the wrong path,” Jing Hongtu said.

“This novel is the result of Nietzsche’s philosophy being misused and abused.

Moreover, you should also pay attention to another trend that counters the ‘Superman thought.’

The impoverished student Raskolnikov was pushed to the limit by society and life.

He didn’t want to be at the mercy of others; he wanted to be ‘the strong,’ to leap over the morals of the past and become a ‘Superman.’ The path of ‘transformation’ he chose was to murder a ruthless usurer.

But after killing the usurer along with her innocent family, Raskolnikov was tortured by his guilty conscience.

In the end, he was moved by traditional religion, went to the police station to confess, and was reborn.”

Stroking the book cover, Jing Hongtu said, “Countering such extreme ideologies are ‘tradition’ and ‘culture.’ You seem to despise these things, don’t you?

Yes, I despise them too.

But you have to admit that to a certain extent, they can offset the risks of radical ideologies.

I do not dispute your aspiration to reform culture.

I’m not worried you’ll make a mistake in that area—Ms.

Granat is still fighting alongside you, isn’t she?

But consider the issues from different angles.

You were able to do so before, don’t lose that ability now.”

right, there’s this book too.”

Xiang Shan looked at the top book in the pile he was holding: “The Better Angels of Our Nature”?

“Written by a conservative professor from the Federation,” sighed Jing Hongtu.

“True progressives wouldn’t make any moral demands on people, such as you should love one another, you should have a spirit of self-sacrifice—no.

Those are the cries of religious zealots waging holy wars.

Theirs is a world filled with love and sacrifice.

Those who wish to liberate humanity are not doing so for self-sacrifice in Heaven’s rebirth.

We choose self-sacrifice because it’s the most appropriate path under objective conditions, the realization of their self-worth.

They stand with the masses not because the masses are ‘the weak’ or out of moral sympathy but because they believe the masses are a more progressive class, the ‘unawakened strong.’

“Of course, their eagerness to push for progress is also because…

they can see the bottomless abyss in human nature.

To their eyes, a society built on old morals is not endearing but cruel.

Without progress, there is no light.”

“Conservatives think differently.

To them, the world as it is now is good enough.

Perhaps from the perspective of an individual’s lifespan, human civilization has its ups and downs.

But from the overall course of history, humanity is progressing.

There are better angels in human nature, in every era, there is kindness, love, and light.

Hence, they’re not as eager as the progressives to move towards the future.

They have a past filled with warmth and tenderness.”

Xiang Shan was somewhat puzzled: “Are you telling me…

“No,” Jing Hongtu shook his head.

“You’re doing really well, even better than I imagined.

But I also know that you’ll face more challenges in the future.

When confronting choices about human nature and history, consider these viewpoints.

You can see into the abyss within your heart; you can feel the pain of others.

But try to believe that above that abyss, there is a bit of better angels.

Stay optimistic, you must stay optimistic, Xiang.”