The Elixir   August 13, 2011

In the year 2154, Doctor William Joseph of the John Hopkins Institute discovered a genetic cure to cancer. Another discovery the next year at the Mayo Clinic by Dr. Muammar Auodawa solved the problem of immortality by creating a drug that could halt the aging process.

The drugs were fast tracked through FDA approval due primarily to pressure from aging politicians. National health organizations around the world began to provide the elixir to the world’s entire population with much fanfare. It was a great day for humankind.

The world population increased rapidly In the next decade due largely to these two discoveries. There were shortages of basic necessities, and riots broke out as the economies of the nations of the world could not grow fast enough to produce jobs for the expanding population. It became obvious that population would need to be controlled. Not even the moon colony would sustain such population growth for very long.

The UN convened a conference with representatives from every country to find a solution. The representatives debated for months and proposed many solutions.

The suggestion to colonize Mars had some merit but would only serve as a stop gap solution. A Mars colony would not be a quick solution as the colony had been postponed in 2052, 20888, 2119, 2127 and again in 2143 due to budget cuts.

A second proposal was that use of the elixir be stopped. None of the representatives supported this proposal as they all wanted to use it themselves.

Another proposal was that childbearing should be temporarily banned until population was brought to a reasonable level due to unpreventable deaths. Reproduction would be strictly restricted after that in order to maintain a sustainable level.

This proposal seemed promising but failed when some delegates demanded exemptions for themselves and their immediate families.

Finally a proposal was made that the survival of the human race required the supreme sacrifice by some members. Some of the population would have to be euthanized so that the race could survive. There was heated debate but eventually a number was reached. The key decision would be who would be chosen to remain.

Clearly this was going to be a difficult process. Passage would not be possible without inclusion of the delegates, the leaders of each nation and their families. Scientists and medical professionals would need to be maintained in order to administer the elixir and to care for the health of the surviving members. People who had made notable contributions to mankind such as in literature, civil rights, the preservation of the environment and other significant advancements to the human race would also be rewarded with inclusion. Members of the media were included in order to provide positive coverage of the proposal. Some members of the military and police organizations would need to be included in order to control the masses who were not chosen.

The debate for the remaining spots raged for months. Some delegates demanded that the survivors be balanced based on race, religious beliefs and sexual orientation. Others demanded inclusion of people more varied socioeconomic backgrounds. The leader of one country offered to euthanize the majority his population in exchange for gold, a yacht and four race horses. Another leader offered to give gold, a yacht and four race horses in exchange for inclusion of his 38 wives, 115 children, 32 concubines, 165 step children in, 245 cousins, 835 nieces and nephews, 1534 other relatives as well as 523 people to be named later.

Finally a compromise that no one wanted was made between the delegates to achieve the necessary votes for passage. In the final compromise each leader and delegate was given 1000 additional spots that they could assign as they saw fit. Most of these were assigned to the highest bidders.

The list was passed by the UN, the selections were made and the plan was set into motion as the necessary steps were carried out.

Afterwards the delegates and other survivors congratulated for making the difficult choices and carrying out the horrible steps necessary to ensure the survival of the human race. Unfortunately the delegates neglected to include farmers, shop keepers, factory works, tradesmen, business men and other people who were necessary for the production and distribution of essentials such as food, water, and clothing.

Alarmed at the lack of necessities, the survivors called for another council to discuss the situation, but there was not enough food and water to last. The survivors tried their best to fill these positions but they simply did not know how to grow food, manufacture goods or even produce the elixir.

Thus ended of the reign of mankind on earth.