The city of NeoTek pulsed to the rhythm of machines and the beating of cyborg hearts. Tall and sleek buildings were interspersed with drone lanes and vast LCD billboards.
In this urban landscape, finding something entirely organic was nearly impossible; trees had LED lamps implanted in them, and pets and humans were turned into cutting-edge cyborgs. The term "human" had long been relegated to the annals of history, a relic of a bygone era. Well, almost.
Eva was a rarity in NeoTek - the last known non-bionic human being. In this era, feelings and emotions were considered obsolete, a sign of weakness. People opted for mechanization, gradually abandoning their organic forms to become more efficient and productive, leaving Eva as a testament to humanity's past.
Eva's days were mostly spent in solitude. She lived in a vintage dwelling surrounded by high-tech buildings. Her home was a sanctuary, full of artifacts: handwritten letters, vintage photographs, old books, and other remnants of the past.
One day, as Eva was engrossed in picking out a book, someone knocked on the door, interrupting her thoughts. It was a cyborg named Iris, an educational model designed to convey the history of mechanization.
"Good morning, Eva," Iris began, her voice devoid of emotion. "I found this among the things to be discarded. I glanced at it and it piqued my curiosity, I would like you to explain what it means, if you want."
Eva took the note and read, slowly and with much tenderness:
and this hedge,
which from so many parts
of the far horizon the sight excludes.
But sitting and gazing,
endless spaces beyond it,
and superhuman silences,
and deepest quiet
in the thought imagine,
where for a little while
the heart does not fear.
And as the wind
I hear rustle through these trees,
I that infinite silence to this voice
keep comparing: and I recall the eternal,
and the dead seasons, and the present
and living one, and its sound.
So in this
immensity my thought is drowned:
and shipwreck is sweet to me in this sea."
[Giacomo Leopardi]
Eva remained for a moment looking at the sheet, then looked at Iris, and saw a tear glisten on her face.
"Iris…" said Eva, widening her eyes.
"It's just a drop of lubricant," Iris stammered.
Eva smiled sweetly, "I believe you don't need explanations… to feel means to live the world not only with our senses but with our heart. It's joy, pain, love, anger, sadness; it's what makes us alive, human."
Eva invited Iris to come back often, and so they formed an unexpected bond. Eva told stories of love, sacrifice, heartbreak, and triumph, while Iris sought to fully understand the depth of human emotions.
Eva's influence began to reach others in NeoTek. Cyborgs curious about their story began to visit her. They were fascinated by her stories, her music, her art, and her humanity.
Yet, not everyone was pleased. The NeoTek Council saw Eva's influence as a threat. They believed that embracing emotions and feelings would undo centuries of progress, but by now the process was underway and couldn't be stopped.
Eva wanted to organize a grand event that would showcase human history and emotions. With Iris's help, they organized "The Human Experience."
The day arrived, and the entire city was abuzz. The venue was decorated with motifs from various human eras. There were art exhibits, music from different decades, and theatrical performances showcasing human history.
The climax of the event was Eva's speech, where she addressed a sea of cyborg faces.
"My dear inhabitants of NeoTek," began Eva, gazing at the sea of cyborg faces in front of her. "Today I stand before you not as an anomaly, a relic of a forgotten past, but as a reminder of what we must never lose, despite progress and technology."
She took a deep breath. "Have we truly advanced if we have forgotten what it means to cry at the sight of a sunset or laugh at the joy of an unexpected meeting? Have we not become slaves to our own creation, sacrificing the depth of the human experience in the name of efficiency?"
"A human heart is not just a pump circulating blood," Eva continued passionately. "It is the keeper of our dreams, our hopes, our pains, and our joys. When we experience love, when we experience pain, it is the heart that feels these emotions. And the beauty of these feelings lies in their imperfection, in their irrationality. They give meaning to our existence, they give us something to live and fight for."
Then, with an even deeper look, she said, "But allow me to share what I think. Feeling, consciousness, resides in our physical body, but is detached from it. We have no tools to weigh or measure our consciousness, because it most likely resides in a quantum field. It is that spark, that immortal energy that lives within us, that survives our body, and that extends far beyond our earthly existence. So what's the use of living 200, 300 years if the spark of love, joy, pain, and passion no longer burns within us?"
She looked towards the horizon, as if searching for the right words in the heart of the city. "Our essence, our soul, cannot be replicated or replaced by circuits and codes. The ability to be moved, to deeply love, to feel joy and pain, is what makes us human. This is the legacy we must leave to future generations, regardless of their form or composition."
Turning back to the crowd, "I invite you to remember, to rediscover, and to embrace the heart and soul that reside in each of you. Because technology can improve the quality of our existence, but only the heart and soul can give true meaning to life."
Concluding, Eva said with a trembling but determined voice: "Let my presence here today be a reminder; we must never lose what truly makes us human, despite the boundaries we may cross with science and technology."
G.R. & ChatGPT
[How does it work.
The basic idea is written in a few lines and is submitted to ChatGPT.
The chat develops a plot which is then corrected or changed completely until it all makes sense. That's all.]