PHOENIX ------- Today happens to be an important day in the history of Earth. Because, today history ends. Jane wishes this was all a dream and she could wake up to a beautiful morning. However she may wish, it isn't going to happen. Neither is there a beautiful day anymore like it used to be in her childhood nor is she going to be able to change the actual from happening. Jane is the only person alive who has seen the 21st century. The century of such drastic changes that it deserves a special mention in the history of the planet. Well, History, if there would arise anyone who could read it. In her 80 years she brought two beautiful children onto this world, lost her husband in the Arctic oil war. She sat down near her daughter's desk, her mind lost in deep thought, while her daughter sat in full concentration, connected to the system controlling a few dozen symbols on the 3D display. "What an irony!" she thought to herself. She has 'died' before in the war and the magic of science, humanity's mastery over nature resulted in her coming back alive. Yet, it is the very war that made her a widow. Her husband, a colonel in the Allied millitary lost his life as the Eastern front (comprising Russia, China, Iran, Pakistan and India) which had already lost domination over the oil reserves used several atomic bombs on the Allied forces. Today, or rather, since the past few decades hardly anything moves on the planet except a lot of dust storms and the remaining few human hovercrafts. The HAVEN, a body of 12 people representing the 1200 remaining human beings, has been struggling since the end of the war to devise recovery plans. As has always happened, not all the 1200 agreed with the Haven. The only solace they found with the HAVEN's solution is that they knew all their suffering will end for once. Today happens to be an important day because today is the day humanity is giving up. If an alien species happened to study the planet's history, they would probably be amused at humanity's stupidity. On one hand, humanity mastered the invisible world - of nanotechnology and genetics. Humanity was close to achieving a conscious Singularity. Yet, humanity was stupid enough to not get off the clutches of their dependence on fossil fuel. Who is to be blamed? Is it the mega corporations, refusing to take a hit on their 'profits' kept digging their nails deeper into fossil fuel based energy sources? Is it the people of the 18th and 19th century that kept multiplying like a virus? Is it the immature perception of the early years when the ecosystem was taken for granted? The Ratchet Effect? Jane realized, either ways, it is too late. She isn't sure what is it that she is going to terribly miss. But she knows she is very sad. She isn't sad merely because she is about to die. It is her wonder and the death of this very wonder that she is worried about. Mindless matter subject to the forces of nature resulted in newer forms of mindless matter that could self organise and self replicate. Life was born. It isn't the loss of life alone that drowns her in her worries. "Mary", Jane interrupted her daughter. "Aren't you worried?" "Oh yes, this better get into orbit right!" said Jane. The HAVEN realized there are only two ways to go with the handful resources available on this dying planet. One, humanity continues to suffer for the next 50 years the same way it has been suffering since the end of the oil war. The other, Lock up its treasures to be found later by any other intelligent life forms that might arise right here on this planet after another few billion years or on potential other planets nearby. "I'm not asking about the 'PHOENIX. I'm deeply moved, humbled and yet pained by the loss of beauty as we know it." "Mindless matter formed the great human mind that studied its own formation. It can wonder about the wonder. Yet, the very process that carved the mind had to equip the mind with cruelty into it. This very cruelty helped the mind rise and fall. Today it falls. With it drowns the notion of beauty, happiness and all things that make us uniquely human. Will it ever rise again?" "Well, *your generation* was stupid enough to not realize the impending dangers of breaking the ecosystem. *You* didn't realize your dependence on fossil fuel. It was all your fault, but well, does anything matter anymore? After I launch this system, we all take the shot and go to sleep. Forever." Mary's brother interrupted "Mom, I can't imagine how your generation was full of idiots! You guys not only fought like animals but also, for some reason I can't understand, kept thinking that basic intelligence like that of humans is unique. Do you really think there is no life out there? There are billions and billions of stars like the sun. Chances are there are atleast thousands of thousands of planets out there which probably have life. and like it has happened on this planet, chances are basic survival intelligence will be favoured... and then... " "A positive feedback loop will set in. The peacock's tail, you know" completed Mary. Jane was way too sad to feel hurt by her children's words. She was particularly amused at how Mary used the 'peacock's tail' example. Mary has never seen any life form, forget a peacock of all things! She hasn't come across anything other than human beings and some micro-organisms from under the microscope. Jane was sure enough to include their now staple food, the yeast, into the list of living things that Mary and her brother have seen. Jane took a deep breath. A famous scientist in the mid 20th century compared memes to genes and how memes are subject to the pressure of Natural selection too. Its the gene that gave rise to the meme making mind. Now, the mind will be gone. What will be left will be a few micro organisms on this planet and a tiny few man made robots flying about in space. 'PHOENIX is the last attempt project by the HAVEN to send a total of 90 space exploration robots. Before the advent of intelligent machines, humanity was ravaged by wars that prevented scientific sustenance, forget alone scientific development. Of the people and resources left, all that the HAVEN could do was to build 90 of these machines. These robots were by no means even as intelligent as some of the robots built during the late 21st century. However, these robots have the needed minimal intelligence to identify extra terrestrial life and look for signs of Intelligence. To start from explaining the basics of mathematics and to proceed to share a piece of the beauty of minds that broke the genetic code. It is certainly a gamble attempt. Yet another desperate measure. A million things could go wrong with PHOENIX. Of those that successfully manage to find intelligent life, chances are they might find a planet ruled by an aggressive species that might ignore the PHOENIX's message. But the HAVEN decided it is of utmost importance to help shape up forming intelligence anywhere else in the Universe. The PHOENIX robots might be considered God-sent if any primitive intelligence intercepts them. However, this time around, its a God that would teach a fundamental truth about the nature of the mind.A God that puts an end to Greed, Aggression and Anger.