What is the rarest element in the universe?
The rarest element in the universe is Civitasium. It has Atomic number 61,028,773,793,714. There are no more than nine cubic centimeters in existence. Civitasium is the brainchild of the uniquely genius scientist, entrepreneur and thought leader [name redacted to highlight the accomplishment rather than the individual] who’s feat has never been replicated and likely never will be again because there are no ingredients left to make more. It is almost a trillion times denser than gold.
- Source: Universal Encyclopedia, 275th edition (the most universally accepted edition)
I sent the text of the question and encyclopedia entry to the members of my tour group. Each of them, a cosmic, conscious entity like myself who lived in the amorphous post-humanity of existence and knowledge.
They looked to me for the augmenting interactivity that customarily followed such facts, as I grabbed those nine cubic centimeters and held them out for the group to see, slowly rotating the unnaturally heavy, finely polished, precise cube. “The entirety of this element exists here between my thumb and forefinger. It is hard to believe that an entire species was compressed down into this little form.”
I said this more to the most engaged mind in the front than to any of the others. That one had asked most of the questions so far and was clearly gaining the most from the tour. Sometimes I picked favorites. This time I picked this one.
“Why did they make this?” My favorite asked.
“The reasons are lost to history. What matters is that it was hard to make, and yet it was made.”
“Isn’t it important why they made it, though?” My favorite asked again. They were my favorite because they asked questions like this and thought about my answers.
“It certainly is. To know if an act was right or wrong one often needs to know the motivation. But sometimes all that really matters is the result. In this case, the result is that every single human being alive at the time of its creation is inside this cube.” I rotated it around for effect. “Perfect, isn’t it?”
“But why?” My favorite pushed. I noticed the thought that maybe they wouldn't be my favorite for much longer.
“If you mean to ask why it is perfect, I can only point you to its geometrical precision, total reflectivity and unique story. If you mean to suggest that it is a thoughtless waste, then I can only say that I am not fit to judge. It is here and it is the rarest element known. Isn’t that enough?”
“But wouldn’t it have been just as rare and special to leave all the people in their original form?” Now they were distracting the discussion from the point of the tour. This is a tour about industry, not about morality. I tried to keep the messaging positive, to prevent the rest of the group from getting too off course but I couldn’t help feeling, somewhat unprofessionally, miffed. “That’s a question for a philosophy or morality expert. I’m afraid I am neither. Who would like to hold this?”
A tour member from the middle of the pack raised their hand. “I would.”
“Great! Come forward and you can hold it here.” I placed in their grasp and they displayed great surprise.
“It’s cold!”
“Yes, the atoms are too densely packed to absorb heat.”
“Maybe it's a symbol for the cold hearted act that made it.” My no-longer-favorite stated quietly.
I’d had enough. Maybe letting them speak their mind would show their folly to the rest of the group. I took the Civitasium from the volunteer and offered it to my no-longer-favorite. They hesitated at first, then took it in their grasp.
“Why don’t you tell us why you think they made this?” I asked.
They looked at the cube for a long while. Whether they saw their reflection, the shape, or what they imagined, I could not tell.
“Arrogance? Hubris? Blind industriousness?” They spoke cautiously. “I seriously doubt that the reason they made it was infinite wisdom.” They offered the cube back to me.
“I am also not fit to judge.” They said. “But I do wonder.”
What are your thoughts? How would you respond, in prose of a story?