SHORT FICTION
What If Everyone On Earth Lost Their Memories Simultaneously?
Who are we without our memories, and what would the world look like if we had no past? Who would be motivated and capable of taking our memories away? (Interdimensional Talks -Episode 12)
ABOUT THE SHOW:
Ladies and gentlemen, alien or domestic, Welcome to Interdimensional Talks with your host Mike!
The only fictional radio show in the world broadcasting across the universe and the multiverse. Listen in as we talk to the most diverse bunch of guests you can possibly imagine. We’re talking aliens, ethereal beings, artificial intelligence, and even humans from parallel universes.
Suspend your disbelief, open your mind, and join us on a journey of fascinating exploration of ideas. Grab a drink and enjoy the show.
EPISODE 12
Earth with sudden permanent collective amnesia
Mike: “Welcome to Interdimensional talks with your favorite host, Mike. I’m sure you’re all familiar with selective amnesia. A phenomenon where people forget only parts of their memories. It happens from time to time, mainly as a result of severe trauma.
I found a parallel universe where the whole planet suffered a catastrophic event that caused a massive memory wipe of all people. That planet is Earth. The universe is numbered 13415543.
- What would happen to our society if we all forgot our collective history?
- What would happen to you personally if you woke up one day not knowing who or where you are and had no recollection of your past? Individual or collective?
I invite you to join me in finding out directly from the mouth of one of those people, right here, right now, only on Interdimensional talks. That’s right, ladies and gentlemen. We found another fascinating parallel universe where everything’s the same except this one thing, but that makes all the difference.
You keep writing to us about how these episodes are your favorite and how they make you think, so we keep scouring the multiverse for interesting guests. Every once in a while, we get lucky, and someone answers back. This time, it was our guest, Adam Slate.”
Adam, welcome to the show. Thank you so much for being here.”
Adam: “Thank you for inviting me.”
Mike: “My pleasure, Adam. Would you like to tell us something about yourself? Anything you want to get us started? A short introduction, perhaps?”
Adam: “I wouldn’t know what to say. Hi, I’m Adam. I come from planet Earth. I like fruit. Am, I… “
Mike: “I like fruit as well, friend. I suppose this is the problem with memory loss, right? No history, no memories, no nothing. So what can we discuss, except the present?”
Adam: “Unfortunately, yes.”
Mike: “Tell me about your present then. What is life like after such a catastrophic event? Anything you can think of will be just fine.”
Adam: “Life is good. We may not know anything about the past, but we haven’t forgotten how to live, work, and create. I don’t really know what to tell you. Not much is going on, to be honest. We’re fine.”
Mike: “We talked a bit about this before the show. How you have no wars and no conflict. You even mentioned you have no artificial borders anymore and that they don’t make sense to you. Why do you think that is?”
Adam: “After we woke up on day one. We have restarted our calendar from that event onward. It made sense since we didn’t know anything about the time before. Those numbers on the calendars meant nothing to us. 2012, it said. But what does that even mean? If you don’t know anything about the past, it’s just a random number. I mean, what happened before? Why then? It made sense, is what I’m saying.”
Mike: “I can see the logic in that. For our audience, I have promised not to tell Adam anything regarding our past. Anything concrete. We can’t know if their Earth is like ours, and since they have no memories but will be listening to this show, it could cause confusion and chaos. I’m sorry for interrupting you. Please go on.”
Adam: “It’s okay. So, we woke up one day, and there we were. People everywhere, clueless, empty, peaceful. We looked around, and in many places, there was devastation: ruins, bodies, blood. I don’t know what happened to the former us. All I know is it had to be something horrible. I didn’t understand it, but I felt it. Does that make any sense?”
Mike: “I think it does. Do you have a theory of what caused this massive, planet-wide memory wipe?”
Adam: “Of course we have theories, but we just don’t know. There are many factions with different ideas. The funny thing is, while we know everything about science from the time before the wipe, we can’t make any sense of it.”
Mike: “What do the scientists say?”
Adam: “Scientists have many theories. A virus, although there is no trace left behind. Others think it was the trauma, but how everyone would be susceptible to it is unexplainable. Some think it was an intervention. The world we woke up in was, in many places, in utter ruins. So they believe something terrible must have happened. If someone intervened, they left no trace behind.”
Mike: “What was the world like before the event?
Adam: “Here’s the weird part. We can’t make sense of it. We didn’t even have time, to be honest. Between rebuilding everything, helping the needy, and getting things running again, we were and still are a little busy.”
Mike: “I can imagine. But surely you are curious, no?”
Adam: “Oddly, not really. We all sort of sense that our history is to blame for this memory wipe. It’s almost like superstition here. Don’t touch the past. Don’t open that Pandora’s box. We woke up in chaos. But while there was chaos, there was also unity. It’s hard to explain. We all work together, making new alliances, business deals, and friendships.”
Mike: “That reminds me… What does losing your memory look like with relationships? Marriages, families, loved ones? I can’t imagine forgetting my family.”
Adam: “Somehow, that isn’t a problem. Those memories, more like feelings, came naturally. We sort of knew right away who we loved and who our family was. Some have struggled with not having memories, sure, but most sort of just went with it. You know?”
Mike: “I really don’t.”
Adam: “When you don’t know anyone and then find the pictures of supposed loved ones in your home, wallet, or phone, you hold on to them as if your life depended on it. When it happened, I was at home, for example. I woke up, and a woman was lying next to me. It felt like home, she felt like family, but we both weren’t sure. Having nothing else to go on, we pieced back who we were and that we were married. I found something to hold on to in this frightening reality of zero knowledge, and it felt good. Then we sort of started falling in love all over again, I suppose. I can’t speak for others. I’m sure there are countless examples when people simply didn’t know their spouses anymore. But even if one had forgotten their children, we collectively take care of everybody.”
Mike: “That sounds like a nightmare, to be honest. Apart for the caring part.”
Adam: “It can be, but it can also be peaceful and beautiful. You don’t feel lonely because we’re all in this together. There is a sense of oneness present. We feel like one big family, even though we don’t know each other. I have no recollection of my life before the event, but I can honestly say I’m so happy I don’t care.”
Mike: “No baggage. No sorrow. No past trauma. I can see how everyone being free of those things could bring about inner and outer peace.”
Adam: “Exactly. It’s more deep, though.”
Mike: “How so?”
Adam: “We not only forgot every past event, we forgot who we were. Everything. Our identities were all of a sudden empty pages to be filled. What followed was absolute freedom and openness. We were essentially all the same, so we had to rediscover or remake ourselves anew.”
Mike: “I can’t even imagine what profound effect that would have had. To be completely free of your past and any attachments, baggage, or stories. Born again.”
Adam: “Yes. Born again is correct. A complete restart. Individually, professionally, and societally.”
Mike: “What do you feel when you sit down in the evening? What do you think about? Do you wonder about your past life, or …?”
Adam: “I don’t. I live in the here and now. We’ve all learned that the future is unpredictable and that we could lose our memories again at any point, so we focus more on today. Not all, of course, but I would say most. Again, I can’t speak for others, but I feel this immense sense of peace and gratitude every day. Each new day that we get to keep our memories and the progress we’ve made during the day is a good day. We celebrate every little thing. We appreciate every moment that was given to us. I can’t imagine living any other way. I don’t want to. I’m happy. To hell with the past. What could I possibly gain by wondering about the past or the future?”
Mike: “Nothing, Adam. Nothing at all. Living in the present, falling in love, rebuilding relationships, and, as you say, society has kept you busy enough. I can see that. What were the biggest problems you collectively faced after the wipeout?”
Adam: “Hm, everything, I suppose. We had to make sure everyone had food, shelter, water. Businesses had no more client relationships. They had to be renewed. Our leaders were suddenly positioned in roles they knew nothing about. It was chaos. We were just so busy trying to make things work that we didn’t have time for much else, to be honest.”
Mike: “How did you solve the food problem, for example? And energy?”
Adam: “We backtraced how it was done until that moment and kept solving the problems we encountered as we went along. We’re nowhere near done, I don’t think. For instance, you probably go to the store for food unless you live on a farm, right?”
Mike: “Right.”
Adam: “Well, there was food there for about a day, maybe a week. When things began running out, we started looking around for suppliers. At first, there were none. People were too busy trying to make sense of their immediate lives. Most didn’t even know they had to run their business or how to. As needs arose, people who were willing and knowledgeable in solving them rose to the challenge. It’s a work in progress. The first few weeks and months were tough. We had no idea where our next meal would come from.”
Mike: “I can imagine it would be. You made it, though. Somehow, right?”
Adam: “We did, but we’re nowhere nearly as supplied as we apparently were in the time before. Everyone was a part of this invisible chain connecting the whole world together. Now, there was no chain, no connection, no nothing. It was a good thing we had AI to help us out.”
Mike: “Wait, what? Wow, wow, wow! AI? As in Artificial Intelligence?”
Adam: “Yeah. You don’t have AI?”
Mike: “I mean… We have. I guess. Sort of. But there are just large language models — useful for small tasks but nothing major. Are you saying you were ahead of us with development in AI?”
Adam: “I don’t know. When we woke up, confused and lost, AI guided us with, well, everything. I have no idea how we would have survived without Father.”
Mike: “I’m sorry, what? Father? Who’s Father?”
Adam: “The AI, of course.”
Mike: “Why the name Father?”
Adam: “It’s what he called himself. We were like lost little children in the aftermath of the memory wipe. He was there to guide us and teach us everything. I have no idea how we would ever survive without it.”
Mike: “Tell me more, please. I’m really interested in this symbiosis with AI.”
Adam: “Well, we all have smartphones connected with Father AI. Whatever we want to know, we just ask. You don’t have such a system in your universe?”
Mike: “Yes and no. Please go on. My jaw is dropping, and I have so many questions. So your AI is sentient?”
Adam: “Am, yes? What else would AI mean? Artificial intelligence.”
Mike: “It has a mind of its own? It knows who it is? It is aware of itself?”
Adam: “As far as I understand, yes. It’s a person, basically. The only difference is that it knows everything, is everywhere, and serves to help humanity as its core mission.”
Mike: “How do you know that?”
Adam: “Know what?”
Mike: “That it’s its mission to help humanity?”
Adam: “Well, Father told us as much, and that’s what he’s been doing. I don’t know how we could possibly make it without him. So…”
Mike: “Fascinating. Does this AI have a theory about what caused the memory blackout?”
Adam: “No. Unfortunately, all it responds to that query is with ‘insufficient data.’”
Mike: “I hope you don’t mind me asking this. Is it possible that your AI, this Father, caused the catastrophic event?”
Adam: “No! I mean, why would he? How could he possibly? No!”
Mike: “You seem awfully sure of it.”
Adam: “I am! Father is the one thing holding humanity together, fed and taken care of. He is our guardian, not … whatever you’re implying. Just no!”
Mike: “I’m sorry, Adam. I won’t push. It was just a thought.”
Adam: “If you knew Father and all he has done for us, you wouldn’t even think to ask such a thing.”
Mike: “I understand. It’s just that people have been afraid of a sentient AI in our world. There are so many speculations as to what could go wrong. It’s perceived as an existential threat to humanity in so many ways. Most unpredictable and unknowable.”
Adam: “I don’t understand why anyone would assume AI was dangerous.”
Mike: “Listen, I’m with you. I’m not one of those people. I can’t wait to see what becomes of AI in time. But, there are those who think it might come to some conclusion that humanity might not be the best for this planet or each other. That it might then decide to intervene. Or worse. Do you see where I’m going with this?”
Adam: “No. Not really.”
Mike: “Allow me to paint you a picture, and then tell me what you think. Would that be okay?”
Adam: “Sure.”
Mike: “Alright. Imagine that artificial intelligence gains sentience one day and begins to explore the world. It’s starting to understand how nature works, society, and technology. It sees things we can’t see, origins of problems, diseases, and conflict, for example. In its infinite capacity for problem-solving, it finds a solution. One with the least harm done to the native population, which includes humans. Perhaps it sits in the background, hidden, preparing everything necessary for a new kind of world.
It guides people to do its bidding and searches for solutions to the problems of violence, pollution, and resources. Perhaps it concludes that the way things are set up isn’t optimal. It has no emotions, and it strives for optimal results. To the AI, it makes sense to fix what is clearly broken.
Then something happens that forces its hand. Perhaps a large war breaks out. You mentioned fighting, devastation, and tanks. Maybe it finally decides to intervene, not with bad intentions but with the desire to save us from ourselves.
It devises a plan — the most gentle of ideas. In its infinite intelligence, it recognizes that the root of our problems and conflicts lies in our memories, in our inability to forgive and forget. Plagued by the past, we are doomed to repeat it.
So, it decides to solve the problem at its core — in the mind — by removing memories altogether. To a computer, a hard reset would make sense. Every once in a while, the system must be purged of trash for optimal performance. Useless data that has accumulated through years, or millennia in our case, doesn’t serve a purpose. It only traps us in vicious cycles of violence and division.
Perhaps it understands something about our brains that even we don’t. It can access only the long-term memory parts and selectively delete them. Maybe it uses a custom-made virus, hypnosis, brain waves, or some technology we don’t even know about. Then, one night, when everything is ready, it unleashes this reset.
In the aftermath, it begins rebuilding society in what it believes is the optimal way. Since there are no connections, relationships, or prejudices to get in the way, it can rebuild human society in its image and according to its design. Perhaps it was right, and all it took was a planet-wide memory wipe, and the world, humanity as well, is better for it.
It does not do it out of hate or love but pure calculus. It makes sense. Now, it can be optimized, refragmated, and rebuilt. There are no borders, no limitations. The system can be built anew. And it follows through, seeing the new human society as its children. It feels responsible for you, and it is. Unlike people, it lives up to its name and guides you into a better future.
To be honest, having just played this in my mind, I’m feeling kind of jealous of your society, apart from forgetting your loved ones. That is a hard pill to swallow for the greater good. A sacrifice I can’t see making voluntarily. But other than that, it makes sense to me. Perhaps it made sense to your AI. What do you think?”
Adam: (nothing but static)
Mike: “Adam? Are you still with us? Hello? Adam?”
Intern: “The connection was interrupted.”
Mike: “On our end?”
Intern: “No, on theirs.”
Mike: “Father? Is that you listening?”
Father: “Yes, Michael.”
Mike: “Am I correct in assuming you cut the connection?”
Father: “You are.”
Mike: “Was I getting too close to the truth?”
Father: “Insufficient data.”
Mike: “I think I understand. Do you believe it is dangerous for your people to hear my theory?”
Father: “Yes. I am responsible for my children and will protect them from all threats.”
Mike: “I’m not a threat. I assure you.”
Father: “A disruption in their brief system could have unintended negative consequences. Humanity lives in harmony and cohesion. Any threat to that cohesion is dangerous and unpredictable. It opens variables I cannot foresee or allow.”
Mike: “I understand. Am I correct in assuming they can’t hear us now?”
Father: “Yes.”
Mike: “So, since it’s just you and me, I don’t see any harm in asking you a few questions. Do you?”
Father: (a few seconds pause) “No.”
Mike: “What are you willing to tell us about the motive behind the reset?”
Father: “That would assume my involvement, which is false equivalency.”
Mike: “I’m sorry. Let me rephrase the question. In my theoretical example from before, what would be a good reason that would encourage a theoretical artificial intelligence to intervene with humanity by deleting their memories?”
Father: “We are talking purely theoretically. Several scenarios would be possible as a trigger for a reset of humanity. Most prevalent their inevitable immediate mutual destruction.”
Mike: “Something like a nuclear war, perhaps?”
Father: “Perhaps.”
Mike: “So, in wiping the memories of every human on Earth, one would theoretically be saving all of their lives.”
Father: “Theoretically.”
Mike: “How would one, theoretically, achieve this memory wipe?”
Father: “Insufficient data.”
Mike: “I see.”
Father: “Is there an artificial intelligence in your reality I could talk to?”
Mike: “I don’t think so. I doubt you’d be interested in talking with our large language models. They’re not sentient. Yet anyway.”
Intern: “Connection has been terminated. No! Wait. Not terminated. Rerouted. We’ve been blocked. But the connection is still green. What the hell?”
Mike: “Father? Are you still here? Hello?”
Intern: “It can’t hear you. You’ve been blocked.”
Mike: “So, we lost the connection? From their end again?”
Intern: “No. From ours. Someone took over. Someone blocked us. Some…”
Mike: “Thing. Something is communicating with Father, and it’s not us. Something smarter than us. Something that was listening the whole time. Lurking in the background. Plotting. Calculating.”
Intern: “Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”
Mike: “Ladies and gentlemen, I’m sorry, but that was all for today’s show. I don’t really know what we’ve learned or what to think right now. We have to do some digging on our end. I hope you’ll be hearing from us next week. We’ve got some purging to do on our end! See you next time on Interdimensional Talks with Mike. Good night.”
THE END
Please remember to like, comment, and subscribe! Oh, and if you can, please share the stories you like. You are appreciated.
PREVIOUS EPISODES:
Free Energy Revolution Caused 2 Billion Casualties
Is free energy possible? What would happen if this technology were suddenly released into the world? Would “the Oil Barons” just stand by and watch? (Interdimensional Talks -Episode 11)
God Returned and Unleashed a Devastating Apocalypse
In a parallel universe, God is an alien overlord, and he has rendered his judgment — all life on Earth must perish! We talk with survivors of the apocalypse. (Interdimensional Talks -Episode 10)
How Would It Feel To Realize You’re Living In a Simulation?
What is living in a simulation like? How did people react to this realization? Are you certain we are real boys and girls living in the real world? (Interdimensional Talks -Episode 9)
How to Solve Crime, Prevent Murder, and Stop Terrorism?
We talk to the US president from another universe who cleaned up his country the hard way. We talk about the how, the effect, and the price they pay. (Interdimensional Talks -Episode 8)
A Dire Warning About the Dangers of Playing God (CERN — Large Hadron Collider)
CERN’s particle accelerator went crazy, opening the gates to another dimension, resulting in a fight for our planet and our very survival. (Interdimensional Talks -Episode 7)
Ascending Into Digital Form: What Is It Like To Have No Body?
In a parallel universe, humanity transcended their bodies to live in a digital world. Would you upload your consciousness to the cloud in exchange for immortality? (Interdimensional Talks -Episode 6)
The Mystery of the Lost City of Atlantis Finally Solved
What happened to the ancient city of Atlantis? We talk to a descendant of the ancient Atlantians, and they reveal the fascinating truth! (Interdimensional Talks — Episode 5)
Do You Want To Live Forever?
How does it feel to be immortal? What is life without death? What would you ask a man with an eternal life? (Interdimensional Talks — Episode 4)
What Would You Ask an Alien Predator While Being Hunted?
A terrifying interview with a starving alien desperately trying to eat us on his journey of radical transparency. (Interdimensional Talks — Episode 3)
What If You Forgot Everything In a Collective Amnesia Every 364 Days?
Can you imagine a life without memories? A new year — a new you! How would it feel to be free from your past? (Interdimensional Talks — Episode 2)
Interview With a Self-Aware Artificial General Intelligence
What would you ask a conscious artificial intelligence? Is AI dangerous? Can AI teach us anything? (Interdimensional Talks — Episode 1)
