Chapter 266: The Crisis of Humanity’s Civil War

Crisis Era, year 262.

In both the evolution of life and the development of societies, there is a peculiar phenomenon in this world.

As life evolves, creatures become increasingly complex and sophisticated, yet also more fragile. Primitive bacteria, after emerging 3.8 billion years ago, remain the overlords of the Earth biosphere, while species far more advanced than bacteria have come and gone through countless generations.

In social development, a similar pattern seems to apply, with the most advanced, precise instruments requiring the strictest environments and most meticulous maintenance, while stone tools from two million years ago still retain their original appearance and even function.

We always think that higher forms should be more stable, but this often turns out to be wishful thinking.

Starting from primitive humans, we used fire to drive away darkness and cold, and tools to break the shackles of nature. We seemed to be advancing, from the initial hunting and gathering, to agriculture and animal husbandry, and then to the Industrial Revolution; the power of technology has led us to one new height after another.

However, a high-level form of society is also dangerous; it requires more careful nurturing.

Humanity entered the Era of Longevity less than 30 years ago, and this supposedly more advanced form of society could hardly be maintained.

The Era of Longevity, an age that seemed full of hope and dreams, shook the foundation of human society with its underlying logic.

Longevity meant that those who had already gained power and wealth could maintain their advantageous position for a long time, making it difficult for new social forces to break through these deeply rooted class barriers. The result was a stagnation of social dynamics, with innovation and change being seriously impeded.

At the same time, the exclusionary despotism exhibited by human society further exacerbated social inequality and divergence. Those marginalized by power, facing the imbalance of power, might accumulate resentment and frustration, which could ultimately lead to social turmoil and conflict.

All the above are actually the necessary paths for human society to move towards a true Long-Liver society. Compared to these problems, what humanity should pay more attention to are some social psychological phenomena that have arisen.

The biggest problem with a thousand-year lifespan for humanity is the sense of emptiness; living in space for a long time can lead to a dematerialization effect, and Long-Livers can also experience a detemporalization effect over extended periods of time.

As matter and time gradually leave our conscious mind, the vast expanse of interstellar space can also bring about claustrophobia, and I seem to have entered a new state of consciousness, the consciousness state of pure energy life.

An example of pure energy life is seen in the life forms of Lin Yun and Tyler, of course, this form of life is still a long way from humanity.

In the current Elixir Nation of humanity, the detemporalization effect is a common social psychological phenomenon. The passage of time seems blurred, and even loses its meaning.

This feeling is like being trapped in an endless present, with the boundaries of the past and future becoming increasingly vague.

Moreover, coupled with the "dematerialization effect," people gradually lose their perception of the material world, and their need for material goods decreases.

The direct result is that they begin to doubt the reality of the material world.

To sum up, the social problems of the Long-Livers mainly include several aspects:

First, the power structure is becoming increasingly rigid, leading to weakened social mobility, and it is difficult for the lower classes to have opportunities for advancement.

Second, because Long-Livers have extended lifespans, they often become lethargic, lacking the motivation for continuous struggle, while they also have a pathological possessiveness of resources.

Third, the tendencies towards despotism and exclusivity prevalent in Long-Liver society can easily lead to opposition and social conflict.

Fourth, the psychological effects of "dematerialization" and "detemporalization" intertwine, causing Long-Livers to doubt the reality and significance of the material world.

…

Despite the numerous problems within the longevity society, we must recognize that this is the inevitable trend of biological and social development, a natural result of the evolution of advanced social forms, and not something that can be easily reversed by human effort alone.

What humanity should do is to adapt quickly to the changes brought about by longevity, rather than avoiding or resisting them.

In such a society, the larger the vested interests, the more pronounced their "dematerialization effect" and "detemporalization effect" and other psychological issues. They are the rulers of society, wielding the most powerful forces, but their "laziness" also exceeds our imagination, to the extent that even the ancient dynasties' oppression of the lower strata seems perfunctory compared to their "lazy" oppression.

The lower classes of humanity, although striving for living space, find that working for a "slave master" for 30 or 40 years is the maximum limit that one can psychologically accept. If this work period extended to a thousand years, it could only be "I am tired, let's destroy it all!"

Most sociologists have already foreseen that the contradictions inherent in a Long-Liver society are likely to erupt completely in the coming years; the profound impact and extensive reach of such an upheaval would shake the very foundations of human society.

This transformation is not limited to the Long-Liver community itself; its influence will ripple out, touching every corner of society.

Even the Natural Human Nation, dominated by natural people, cannot remain untouched in the impending major transformation. The interactions, exchanges, and even conflicts between Long-Livers and natural people will become a significant force driving this social change.

Over the years, despite the scarcity of resources, the Natural Human Nation has also experienced a technological surge, their technological development has far surpassed that of the Elixir Nation.

In their hearts, Long-Livers are seen as a cancer of humanity, an obstacle to social progress and development.

The key issue is that Long-Livers have monopolized too many resources, and natural people have reached the limits of what the Inner Solar System can accommodate. If natural people want to further develop, they must expand their territories to the Outer Solar System.

Long-Livers occupy so many resources, yet the whole society lacks vibrancy, with nearly insurmountable internal contradictions, which undoubtedly gives natural people a pretext for war.

Even Long-Livers, unable to resolve internal issues, also wish to divert conflicts through external warfare.

...

A great conflict within humanity is on the brink of erupting, and the only ones likely unaffected are those under the dome of humanity.

After Lin Sen's conversation with Ye Chen and Feng Zi, as the highest echelon of humanity, they have already decided to make the space under the dome humanity's last hope.

Over the years, both the Natural Human Nation and the Elixir Nation have been secretly conducting talent selection in the fields of science, technology, and military industry, transporting these talents into the dome.

These selected elites are outstanding in their respective fields; they must excel not only in professional skills but also pass a series of meticulously designed psychological assessments. This series of psychological assessments are the results of discussions by numerous psychologists and sociologists.

These individuals possess a high degree of psychological adaptability and openness; they do not cling too much to the concepts of longevity or non-longevity, focusing only on what is beneficial for the original goal. They will be sent under the dome, becoming the core force that guards the last hope of humanity.

In fact, human psychological mechanisms are not so different; the biggest influence is the societal environment. The key is to provide such an environment.

This approach of humanity is similar to that of the Trisolaran's civilization social evolution, where those more likely to use the Era of Longevity are selected and placed in an independent social system.

Under the dome, due to the need for secrecy against the Trisolarans, it has been militarily sealed off. Inside the dome, it has almost become an independent society. Even though this society is still not robust, mainly composed of scientific and military personnel and their families, they are all keenly aware of the responsibilities they shoulder.

The people under the dome, although most of them have probably taken the Elixir of Life, do not have the many problems of the Long-Liver society.

The "detemporalization effect" is almost non-existent among them; they witness new technological breakthroughs daily, see new warships or military weapons being constructed every day and feel the gap between humanity and the Trisolarans narrowing.

Social issues can perhaps only be seen clearly from outside of society; the dome is like a wall, with those inside looking at the outside world.