Change Agent

by Daniel Suarez

Synthetic biology was the transistor of the twenty-first century. Yet political realities in America made it increasingly unfeasible for entrepreneurs there to tinker with the building blocks of life.

Balanced ecosystems grow from the bottom up over time, not from the top down all at once. We don’t design complex systems; we evolve them. It’s what Nature does. And Nature is the best teacher.”

Big data had entered the black market, and the drug printers knew more about their customers than social media companies knew about theirs. The printers also knew dead customers weren’t repeat customers.

Singapore was the global capital of same-day drone delivery, and “current location” was always a delivery option.

“I know that commanding the tides to cease does not work.

“Is this deathless?” Desai raised an eyebrow. “You’re a degan? You surprise me, Mr. Durand. But yes, it is cultured lamb.”

Specialized knowledge was the way you became an expat instead of a refugee.

“Myanmar became a democracy decades ago.” “There are a lot of democracies that aren’t.

I’m arguing that what can happen will happen, but that it’s better that the research take place in the light of day rather than in the dark corners of the world.”

Nature did not select for empathy and social bonds because Nature was kind—but because those were survival advantages. Completely selfish, unfeeling people don’t care for the greater good. They don’t appreciate goals beyond themselves. And that limits them.”

“Mark my words: Mother Nature has a hell of a backhand.”

“You know what they say: when privacy is criminalized, only criminals will have privacy.”

“Craving leads to disappointment and sorrow. This we call dukkha. Suffering. It is one of the two characteristics of sankhara—‘conditioned phenomena’ through which we perceive the physical world.”

Nothing is permanent because all things are bound together, recursively, and as one changes, so, too, do the others. It is the longing to stop this change that causes the second characteristic—dukkha. Suffering.”

“Anatta—the third characteristic of life. The not-self. There is no permanent atta—or self. From the moment we begin, all entities—including living beings—are subject to a process of continuous change.”

The soldiers appeared ethnically diverse but had a definite Soviet-era vibe. Staring ahead, unseeing. Automatic rifles slung across their chests.

“I would immediately purchase my own genomic sequence at the very least.” He glanced back again. “Before someone else does. Personally, I’d rather own a slightly inferior genetic sequence than lease a more desirable one.”