Mission Statement
by Anders K.

In ancient times, natures' forces were in our hands
Magic was ubiquitous in the tribal lands
The primacy of man fully undisputed
A vibrant sense of purpose thus deeply rooted
Mission=Kin survival

Organized religion then swept the human lots
We ceded control of nature to mighty gods
Nonetheless, we preserved our exclusive station
As servants of gods and their highest creation
Mission = Serving gods

The Enlightenment kindled our prodigious rise
We mounted the gutter and transcended the skies
With newfound faculty to explain and transform
This was when human potential was truly born
Mission^∞

This wonder was imbued with existential dread
Faiths deemed implausible so we pronounced God dead
We were no longer his pinnacle creation
But sprung from apes through incidental mutation
Mission = ?

This led clever people to conclude something dumb
“The human race is nothing but chemical scum
On an ordinary planet and galaxy"
Nothing matters: "It’s all meaningless mockery"
Mission = N/A

The lure of this idea is tragically strong
Yet, its principal thesis is exactly wrong
And worse, it may ravage any sense of mission
Serving no use but ruining our volition
Mission = (Nihilism, Pessimism)^-1

For many, our significance hides in plain sight
Without us there would only be eternal night
No one to experience nor to understand
Just the cosmos playing a bleak, preordained hand
Mission (1/4) = We alone...

In our universe so gigantic, cold, and dark
our windswept candle offers the sole feeble spark
The lone custodians of consciousness and life
In a challenging environment full of strife
Mission (2/4) = can nurture life/consciousness...

Luckily, we possess the most powerful force
Feasibly more potent than the physical laws:
An unbounded power to fathom and explain
and use this knowledge for transformational gain
Mission (3/4): through our agency and capacity for knowledge

Our quest to solve problems is not close to an end
Too many fatal blows we can't yet prevent
This should be the foundation for our vital breath:
The only possible problem-free state is death
Mission (4/4): We have an ethical imperative to move forward

Inspiration:
Beginning of Infinity by David Deutsch
The Golden Bough by James George Frazer
The Ascent of Man by Jacob Bronowski
The Nexus, Brett Hall
Space X Mission Statement