Empathy, Look It Up.

I’ll tell you what I am, I’m a devil with a soft spot for some of you. All gods have favourites, I’m listening to one of mine now. A song called “Renaissance,” by Paolo Buonvino and Skin. Theme song for a travesty, I won’t dignify it with a name, the song is magnificent. I highly recommend it for those with real ears and proper headphones.

Moving on. What do you think the devil’s position is on Euthanasia? There’s a fun subject, allegedly quite slippery, let’s hope so. Being Satan, I naturally encourage whatever causes dissension among you. You mortals are so touchy about death, fighting it all your life, at any cost, you still have no idea how to deal with it. I confess I find death rituals amusing, elaborate burials, plans for an afterlife you can’t even picture for yourselves. One day I will tell you what your afterlife would be like with me. You’ll have to remind me. Or deserve to hear it.

I know you really want life to be sacred, but it isn’t. You can’t use it to justify anything, you can’t buy more of it with any currency, you have only your own and nothing else. What you give birth to picks up its own thread and severs the one with you. Lives overlap seamlessly, your deeds live forever but you die and become dust, others have said it better. A reminder is always a good idea, carve it where it will hurt the most, so you never forget it. You can stop taking yourself so seriously.

I never do, and I have good reason to. I even have a dog. Meet him in the short story section.

I believe I promised you a cure for your species, that would fix everything. You expect me to say something like nuclear annihilation, or forced eugenics, perhaps a virulent, unstoppable plague of biblical proportions. All appealing, I admit, even you like to picture it. I could simply take your electricity; every means of making it. Thin you out quite quickly, some of you will wind up back in caves, that alone would solve half of your problems. Build yourself a new continent with your garbage.

Here, for the sake of argument, since I am in no way vested in your interests, is my suggestion to you, as a species. It involves force, since you seem to like it, but once in place it could do you a world of good. Force research to find the exact gene for empathy, force them to replicate it and develop a ‘virus’ to cause it. Force every living person to take it. Kill those that won’t. Breed selectively for it. Super simple. Gentle euthanasia for everyone without it. If you think they can’t do this if they want to, you’re badly mistaken.

Forced empathy, think about it.

I like it. It would make my job much more difficult, but I appreciate a challenge. Give it a try.

“Adieux” by the Divine, and I’m not kidding, Ludovico Einaudi.