A Psalm for the Wild-Built (Monk & Robot, #1)

by Becky Chambers

“How will you know when you’re satisfied?” The robot cocked its rectangular head at Dex. “How do you know when you’re satisfied?”

“I thought you said robots hadn’t had any contact with us.” “Not alive, no.”

“We don’t have to fall into the same category to be of equal value.”

Mosscap crossed its arms. “If you had a friend who was taller than you, and you couldn’t reach something, would you let that friend help?” “Yes, but—” “But? How is this any different?”

“So, we’re smarter than our remnants, is what you’re saying.” Mosscap gave a slow nod. “If we choose to be.”

“I think there’s something beautiful about being lucky enough to witness a thing on its way out.”

Fermented things. Woolwing birds will fight over fermented fruit if they can find it, even if there’s fresh fruit around. They are tremendously ridiculous afterward.” Something occurred to Mosscap, and it leaned toward Dex, eyes shining bright. “Will you do the same? Stumbling in circles, falling down?” The robot’s tone suggested that it sincerely hoped this to be the case.

“Putting that inside me would harm me. Or attract animals.” Mosscap considered the latter point. “That could be interesting, actually.” Dex narrowed their eyes. “You can’t bait yourself.”

The human body can adapt to almost anything, but it is deceptively selective about the way it does so.

I’m good at what I do. I make people happy. I make people feel better. And yet I still wake up tired, like … like something’s missing.

What is wrong with me that I can have everything I could ever want and have ever asked for and still wake up in the morning feeling like every day is a slog?”

“I wish I could understand experiences I’m incapable of having.”

“I don’t know. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. Why isn’t it enough?” Dex looked at the robot. “What am I supposed to do, if not this? What am I, if not this?”

So, why, then, do you insist on having a purpose for yourself, one which you are desperate to find and miserable without?

because it is enough to exist in the world and marvel at it. You don’t need to justify that, or earn it. You are allowed to just live. That is all most animals do.”

“Do you not find consciousness alone to be the most exhilarating thing? Here we are, in this incomprehensibly large universe, on this one tiny moon around this one incidental planet, and in all the time this entire scenario has existed, every component has been recycled over and over and over again into infinitely incredible configurations, and sometimes, those configurations are special enough to be able to see the world around them. You and I—we’re just atoms that arranged themselves the right way, and we can understand that about ourselves. Is that not amazing?”