The Kepler Declaration of Mortal Commitments is a set of broad commitments and it is a living document, reflective of the common and universal knowledge of humankind to this date. The following commentary on the Mortal Commitments is a collection of current guidance from the Gandhian Society of Mortal Human Ethics as to the ideal interpretation of the Mortal Commitments. We encourage all Mortal human Keplerians to return to these comments frequently as these comments do change on a frequent basis.
1. To respect life above all.
As Mortals, we understand that life itself is our most precious resource. Therefore, we respect life and commit ourselves to make every effort to preserve the quality of life for all Keplerians. This includes not just Mortal humans, but Immortal humans, the intelligent aboriginal people on this planet, and all flora and fauna, of both native and alien origin.
2. To be stewards of Kepler’s land and resources.
As we are neither natives of this world nor the only intelligent life form occupying this planet, we will endeavor to use the resources of this planet responsibly, ensuring that we do our part to safeguard this world for future generations of life, again including both native and alien Keplerian life.
This includes adherence to strict environmental protection standards, and, in particular to sustainable production of goods and services by small-batch, local production. Mass production and cross-continent shipping of goods may be necessary and efficient for some things, but large factories requiring significant energy use should generally be avoided. Travel by clean-energy powered vehicles, such as bicycles, wagons, coaches, etc., is highly preferred to travel by vehicles requiring engines, such as cars. Trains and boats are preferred to trucks and airplanes. Products made from natural materials such as cotton, wood, glass, stone, and metal are preferred to products made from plastics or other synthetic materials. We also encourage all villages to participate in farming co-ops and animal shares. Reduce, reuse, recycle, compost, and avoid waste. If we humans ever leave Kepler, we should leave it in better shape than we found it.
3. To safeguard the aboriginal Keplerians.
Although we, the Mortal humans, cannot communicate with the aboriginal Keplerian intelligent life form, and although our human eyes are incapable of seeing the aboriginals in their true forms, we respect the prior claim of the native Keplerians to their planet. Therefore, we live only on the Kepler mainland continent, which is far more sparsely populated by native Keplerians than the larger continent on the opposite side of the planet, occupied solely by native Keplerians. The native Keplerians on the mainland continent are free to come and go as they please and live wherever they desire, though, in practicality, we have little power over their mobility.
To the extent that native Keplerians seek to reside on the mainland continent in clusters such as villages or cities, we will respect the autonomy of those people and not claim that land as our own except to protect it as necessary from natural or human-man disasters. The Valley of the Natives on the mainland continent will also be afforded special protection due to the high concentration of native Keplerians occupying that space. No Mortal human is to claim the Valley of the Natives as theirs, nor is any Mortal human to take up residence in the valley or attempt to usurp the resources of the valley. Should the aboriginals ever seek to communicate with us that they wish to be involved in the overall governance of the mainland continent or any other part of Kepler, we will treat those peoples as an independent nation and give them the same diplomatic respect that we give our own independent nations of Mortal humans on Kepler.
With regard to the colonization of Kepler: we are aware that historic human efforts to colonize “new” lands have often been violent and extremely damaging to aboriginal populations. It is not our intention as Mortal humans to colonize any part of Kepler, but instead to occupy and reside in those parts of Kepler that were not previously occupied by any intelligent life form.
Yet, there are challenges to this lofty goal. Since we cannot effectively communicate with the native Keplerians, we do not know how they perceive us, and we are aware that there is thus an inherent risk that we are doing far worse to the aboriginal population than we realize. At the same time, we do not believe that it is inherently wrong for any life form or people to wish to expand into new territory. Indeed, we consider that it is natural for any civilization to seek to grow. As we, the Mortal humans of Kepler, grow as a broad civilization, we will attempt to the best of our ability to adequately balance our needs as Mortal humans with the needs of the aboriginal species on Kepler, as well as endeavor to correct for our actions and make reparations as necessary should we discover that we have caused harm, particularly to the intelligent peoples already living on Kepler.
It is also important for us to remember that we are not here because we chose this destiny for ourselves but because earlier generations of humans chose to send Immortal humans to this planet with the specific purpose of colonization. Later, other generations sent our ancestors as an attempt to correct that misstep. For better or worse, we are the “answer” to Immortal human colonization of the universe. No one can escape the circumstance of their birth. We can, however, put every effort into being the ideal version of ourselves, which we believe is a species that makes every effort to coexist peacefully with others.
With regard to the use of the term “natives” when referring to the aboriginal Keplerians: it is a disgrace that in human history, the term “native” has often been used derogatorily to refer to people whose native lands were colonized much against their will. However, it is not our intention as Mortal humans (born on a planet other than Earth and without the same historic grievances) to retain derogatory uses of words such as “native.” When we use the word “native” with regard to life on Kepler, we do not use it in a derogatory sense, but merely as it was intended. The word “native” to us means “life that was born and originated on Kepler, not on Earth.” Similarly, when we use the word “alien” with regard to life on Kepler, we do not use it in a derogatory sense, but merely to refer to life that was not born or originated on Kepler, i.e. to ourselves, the humans and other Earthian species carried to Kepler from an alien planet.
4. To facilitate conflict peaceably when possible.
We recognize that over the course of human progress on Kepler, conflict may arise from time to time that cannot be resolved peaceably. However, we will attempt to work out our conflicts responsibly whenever possible, including by avoiding any unnecessary violence in favor of diplomacy and negotiation.
5. To shun the use of weapons of extreme violence, including firearms.
Although violence may be necessary from time-to-time, as a means of last resort or in case of self-defense, we believe the need for violence can be greatly reduced through the avoidance of weapons of extreme violence. We, the Mortal humans of Kepler, commit to never using weapons of extreme violence against each other or against the native Keplerians. Such weapons include explosive devices of any type, chemical warfare, heavy military equipment, etc. Guns are also considered weapons of extreme violence.
6. To uphold the sovereignty of nations.
We understand that all nations are autonomous, sovereign governments with the right to rule as needed. We respect each others’ boundaries, political systems, laws, and customs. To the extent that the aboriginal Keplerians ever reach out to us to claim or define their own nations, we will also respect those nations as autonomous, sovereign governments.
With regard to immigration: our nations are not the same as the nations of Earth as they were formed not based on any particular ethnicity but on our own self-selection. That is: during the Cardinal Split, people chose to follow one of four Cardinal families into four different territories of the mainland continent. These choices were generally made based on the needs and values of individuals and those individuals’ assessment of which Cardinal Family’s leadership might best match up with the individual’s needs and values. Thus, four nations were created based not on culture or ethnicity but on beliefs and ideology. Continuing in this tradition, we believe that humans should generally have the right to self-select into whatever nation they prefer to be a part of. Thus, to the extent any nation regulates immigration, that regulation should be based solely on matters of national security and public health.
7. To seek the highest standard of living for all humans ON KEPLER.
It is the responsibility of every nation to ensure that every person living in that nation have their basic needs met, including by having access to clean water, adequate nutrition, clothing, shelter, and access to basic education and health care. Homelessness must never be tolerated. The mainland continent is rich in resources, and no human should ever be left behind.
However, it is not enough simply to endeavor to meet basic needs. We must also strive to ensure that all humans on Kepler live up to the highest standard of living possible. Our nations should be safe, comfortable, pleasant places in which to live and work. Human life is not only about surviving but about thriving. We take pride in Mortal human civilization on Kepler and therefore take pride in providing our citizens with the best lives possible. (Incidentally, the average Mortal human lifespan is forty years older than the average Mortal human lifespan as of the time of our last communication with Earth.)
8. To prohibit slavery and trafficking of any human or Aboriginal Keplerian.
The sale of any life is abhorrent. No human should ever be sold into slavery or trafficked to any other entity or being for any reason. This includes Immortal humans and Mortal humans alike. It is also unacceptable to enslave or traffic any native Keplerian. There is no price tag on life.
9. To use and develop technology responsibly and purposefully.
Technology — particularly that which improves medicine, construction, transportation, communication, etc.— is the bedrock of human progress. We shall endeavor to further technology in healthy, sustainable ways that improve the intelligence and well-being of our kind and promote trusting inter-human relations without interfering in our ability to be stewards of the environment.
Accordingly, we choose to responsibly limit our use of technology. Do we have the ability to build major digital networks, launch dozens of satellites, place a television in every home and a mobile com in every hand? Yes. Would it be wise to do so? No. We do not believe that human life improves substantially because of these tools, and we do believe that these tools carry a great risk of harming human societies. We are citizens of a society built on an incredible amount of knowledge. This gives us both the privilege and the hindsight to know that not everything that can be done should be done.
10. To value every human as equal to another.
No human, regardless of his or her skills, station and talent, or lack thereof, shall be regarded as having any more value than another. This is not to say that each individual’s talents may not be valued more than another’s or that an individual may not perform tasks or work that raise that person’s status within our society. A person may do or achieve something that is of great importance to the world. It is also not to say that differences between humans should not be recognized. Indeed, we believe differences should be celebrated. However, there are no inherent criteria that make any person greater than another by birth. Even members of the Cardinal families are merely humans.
With regard to extrasensory abilities: an individual’s ability to perform some extrasensory feat does not make that person more or less valuable than another. “Magic” is simply a talent like any other.
With regard to race and racism: we are extremely and rarely lucky as Mortal humans to have been born into a society with no collective memory of ever believing in the scientific validity of “race” as that concept was often used in early human history on Earth, and we do not believe that Mortal humans on Kepler can be divided into any particular “race.” We were born of a group of genetically diverse persons, chosen specifically for their diversity. We are not a colorless society. We see skin color, but we do not see any particular skin color as a marker of race on Kepler. Skin color, like hair color and texture, eye color, freckles, chin clefts, detached earlobes and any other number of traits that affect our physical appearance are determined by natural variation in human genes. We strive to celebrate these differences while also recognizing that differences in physical appearance do create differences in the human experience.
Importantly, concepts of “race” and “racism” are still of critical relevance to us. We acknowledge that race was woven into nearly every aspect of human history on Earth and that racism on Earth was systemic, pervasive, and extremely damaging. Additionally, some of the oldest Immortal humans on Kepler were born on Earth in the 21st century, when racism was extremely prevalent on Earth, and these persons are still especially prone to racism. Furthermore, we are aware that racism was never an isolated instance of the human tendency to disassociate with and act with bias toward the “other.” Thus, while race itself is not a dividing factor for Mortals on Kepler, we hope we can study and use the lessons of Earth history with regard to race and racism to do better on our planet.
The Kepler Declaration of Mortal Commitments and this commentary are fictional documents from the world of Sandra Vasher’s Mortal Heritance. See also, The Mortal Commitments.