We’re programmed for stories.

Grind the universe down to the finest powder. Sift it through the finest sieve. You’ll find not one atom of truth, not one molecule of justice. (Terry Pratchett, Hogfather)

Most of what we believe is wrong. There is no moral justice written into the fabric of the universe. No cosmic ledger. No system by which we are judged. We’re here—no one really knows how—and we may never know whether it was on purpose or a cosmic accident until it’s too late to tell anyone else.

What we know about right and wrong are stories. And there’s nothing wrong with that. We’ve always told stories—around fires, across generations—not because they were true in some scientific sense, but because we needed them. To shape behavior. To build a species. To say, “Don’t hit your neighbor and steal their food,” even if we couldn’t explain why.

The universe doesn’t care if we do it. But we do.

And that matters.

Because we have the power of creation—not just of tools and machines, but of ideas. We’ve called into existence concepts so powerful, so embedded, that wars have been fought over nothing more than symbols inked on a page.

We invent meaning.

We evolve morality.

And when we choose, we can rewrite it—sometimes in moments, sometimes over centuries.

It’s natural to wonder, at the end of a life, whether we mattered. Whether we were anything more than a blip in an indifferent cosmos.

And the truth is: we are.

Not because of faith.

Not because of gods.

But because we can shape an entire planet—maybe one day a solar system, or a galaxy. Ours is a heritage with the power to ripple outward farther than any myth, farther than even the dreams of a disillusioned fantasy author.

But to grow—truly grow—we must be more. We must expect more.

We must examine our own failings, and stop mistaking comfort for truth.

When someone presents an idea that challenges yours, don’t walk away.

Don’t huddle with people who already agree.

Sidle up to the one who disagrees—and stay there.

That’s how we move forward.

Everything else is stagnation.

And we’ve stagnated long enough.