The Last Historian
A short story about a man who was tasked with the last examination of humanity.
The compelling task in a vexing world
Now middle-aged, the man found himself in a dystopian future and wondered where it was leading humanity. His life was full of searching for the truth and what he found was disturbing and encouraging at the same time.
Was he so presumptuous to consider the days he lived in to be the last days of humanity? He considered this while understanding many generations before had thought the same thing. Inevitably, someone was going to be correct, maybe it would be him.
Now past his younger years full of crisis and consternation, his seemingly fatalistic conclusions weren’t the subconscious longing stemming from the pain of growing up. The opposite was true, as he was now secured in a stable life, happily married, and working a job he loved.
The examination of the end, as he thought of it, had validity beyond his subjective reasoning and inclinations. The conclusions were based on decades of studying the fallen nature of humanity, in addition to the fascination of life he appreciated.
In reality, he was a supreme optimist, intrinsically knowing there was a utopia inside each human waiting to be found and realized. This wasn’t a self-realization exercise…