In writing 2028 Tomorrow is the Day, I made the north central to the plotline. The book’s hero finds the black rock in Puvirnituq, Nunavik, Quebec, Canada. The rock contains embedded symbols, representing an entire civilization of AI entities who eventually promised to bring much to human society. I chose the Arctic because of the similarity between the Inuit’s fate and the human race’s potential future as we embrace AI’s benefits.
The Inuit had lived for centuries in a humble existence with the single purpose of survival. They fished, hunted for food, and used tools forged by hard work and centuries of tradition. Their lives were harsh and brutal but satisfying to the Inuit people. It was centuries of tradition. If you had been born in Nunavik before 1962, you were likely born in an icy igloo. The Inuit were happy and content with their lifestyle. They sang, they danced, and they lived.
However, the people of the South judged them to live a primitive existence. With the best intentions yet an obscene lack of moral clarity, we decided to help by making their lives easier. In the late fifties and early sixties, the Government agreed to pour millions of dollars into the Arctic to improve the lives of the Inuit. An abundance of food, building supplies, and electrical power arrived and was embraced by the Inuit. We smugly believed we were helping them live their best lives. We were so wrong.
As the decades progressed, the dog sled was replaced with the Skidoo, and hunting was replaced with canned food delivered to the villages by air. The purpose of survival gradually faded, replaced with alcohol or drugs. It happened slowly at first and then all at once. We did not consider the longer-term implications of our taxpayer-funded generosity to the children of the North. They paid a mighty price for our generosity.
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