A SUNSET SIGIL: A Planetary Conversation

SETTING: In a dimly lit seaside café, where the rhythmic hum of espresso machines mixes 
with the murmur of conversations, six friends gather around a small table. The moist air 
carries a blend of salty coastal breezes, freshly roasted coffee beans, and a subtle 
undercurrent of despair. Overhead, on a small digital tablet, an image glows softly as 
Elijah leans against the table, ready to speak.

IMAGE: A setting sun behind thick cumulous clouds surrounded a cyan-object adorned with 
       geometric motifs with ancient symmetries against an abyssal black void.

Elijah: (raising a skeptical eyebrow, his gaze drifting from the cyan object to the sea)
Sometimes I wonder: can billions of humans coexist peacefully on this magnificent, finite sphere? 
Will our differences ignite yet another collective fire, drowning out any wisdom we hold?

Soo: (lifting her gaze from the swirling depths of her cup, eyes wide, a nervous laugh 
escaping) Why ask me, Elijah? I can hardly keep my own life from spiraling into chaos. 
I can't even manage my small 2DK apartment together, let alone offer any useful comments 
on humanity's salvation.

Philyra: (studying the distant skyline with grim certainty) Friends, I regret to say the 
math is merciless: our extinction isn’t a prophecy, but a high probability. We are 
creatures optimized for greed and short-term survival. Unless we fundamentally change our 
consciousness, this civilization will end.

Andrei: (sniffling theatrically, unfurling a silk handkerchief with an exaggerated flair)
Oh, Philyra, dear girl. Haven't people saying this for ages? It seems as if we’ve been 
collapsing since the dawn of history. Yet, here we are, still debating philosophy while 
sipping fair-trade espresso. Our fleeting turmoil is just an insignificant ripple in the cosmos.

Jules: (reclining with languid grace, chewing gum lazily, a crooked grin on his face)
Andrei said it well. We’re cosmic tourists, temporary actors in a divine improv show. 
Since we’ll soon dissolve back into the great void, we might as well enjoy our gig before 
the curtain falls.

Ellesha: (softly, eyes reflecting the cyan glow of the overhead artwork in a gentle 
incantation as her aura shifts) I hear both of you. Perhaps the end and the beginning 
are part of the universe breathing in and out. Reality is bigger than any of our conceptions. 
While we’re still here around this small table, we should make our tiny corner of the 
world's garden as green as we can.  Is there anything more important than that?


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from _Let the waters be my witness: Messages about our watery world_ by T Newfields
SUMMARY: Against the backdrop of a strange object, friends muse on whether humanity's 
         inherent flaws and finite resources guarantee collapse, or view things with mindfulness.
KEYWORDS: existential reflections, environmental consciousness, collective psyche, cosmic irony, mindfulness

Begun: 2011 in Tokyo, Japan / Finished: 2025 in Shizuoka, Japan
Creative Commons License: Attribution. {{CC-BY-4.0}} Granted
by T Newfields [Nitta Hirou / Huáng Yuèwǔ]

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