“So they’ve finally done it have they George?”

“Yes Dave! Now NOBODY will ever have to die again!” Came the excited reply over the video phone.

David Linmer was talking to his cousin on the video phone, who was excited that the government had just approved the immortality virus for general use. This meant that no one would ever have to die from old age again and no one seemed to have a problem with this… except David.

“You know how I feel about that subject.” He said after a long silence.

“Don’t worry Dave. The government knows what it’s doing.” Said George in his most re-assuring tone. “I was excited and I just had to be the first to give you the news. I’m sorry if it bothers you.”

“That’s alright. It’s not like the problems will manifest themselves overnight.”

“Yes, you’re right. Well, I have to get to the office. Are we on for tomorrow night?”

“Yes of course.”

“Delilah will be delighted to see you. Until then?”

“Yes, see you then.”

George smiled, and the screen went blank.

George and his wife Delilah, had invited David over for dinner, to meet their neighbor who had been killed in a traffic accident, and now had been cloned to “replace” him. Suicides and the wealthy or powerful had this done, and David didn’t much like that either. Forcing someone to live out their natural life span as a clone just because they committed suicide was one of those bad ideas that came from the current form of government. Society was taking turns he didn’t want and was powerless to avoid. At least they still honored wills, and his will stipulated “no clone!” As long as his death was from natural causes, he was safe. He was considered a public figure and being such if his will had not made that stipulation, he would probably be cloned “for the greater good of the state”.

He sighed and returned to working on the speech he was to give in a few days at the capitol’s institute of higher learning. Hopefully he could instill some sense of decency and respect for life in the minds of the students. Perhaps a little more.

“Let me see…” he said out loud as he pondered over the document. He wrote: “Today’s society believes that because it has the power, then it is right to do what it will. In Short, the belief is that “Might is right.” I say to you that this is not true, as illustrated by the fact that a fully armed soldier can always defeat a small, helpless child in combat. That does not make the soldier right it merely makes him mighty. I say that the adage should be changed to “Might for right.” However, that requires a moral compass that is in working order… a rare thing in this day and age. It is said that a certain small percentage of the population has a lack of conscience. It follows then that at the other end of the scale, there is a small percentage that has a superior conscience. It is of those that I speak. They alone would not be tempted to abuse either, and for this reason, they are the hope for mankind.”