A grand funeral was thus held for Earth. No being on earth had ever been granted such a funeral. People from all over the world gathered together to bid farewell to the pale, blue dot. Every living human, without exception, would leave the planet behind.

Though a particular funeral procession may be requested, there is no guarantee that it will be observed. It is impossible for one to observe what comes after their death. They can only attempt to gauge whether others are trustworthy in the future based on their previous experiences. This is how the end of a human life proceeds. However, this was not the case for Earth. Even at its last moment, the planet stood its ground and witnessed its own funeral. I watched, as Earth, seemingly in deep solitude, let go of the most powerful living things floating to the opposite side of space.

At the end of the Holocene, numerous species had become extinct. Humanity eventually abandoned the sandstorms, wastelands, and smoke-covered earth in search of another planet where life could reemerge. This possibility has been discussed for centuries, yet humans barely managed to make the necessary technological advances before the demise of their home. In the end, the earth would perish and humans would live. Mankind was to be blamed entirely.

[Pilot, where are we going?] asked Dathony.

“I’m headed to an observatory where we can see the earth closely. No one will be there now,” I replied.

An hour remained before the time of my departure. Dathony’s security system worked seamlessly, opening up the door. My spacecraft would leave on the final day of departures, and I would steer the last vessel out of the earth. Registered as an elite pilot, I was able to observe the earth in its final moments. I had finished my work earlier than planned, so I decided to take some personal time at the Earth observatory.

“Are there any issues in the passenger cabin?” I asked.

[The current time is 11:12. A total of 47 claims were registered and resolved following our operating manual] replied Dathony.

“I see.”

A soft light trickled in from the other side of the hallway,  illuminating the path before me. At the end of this path, the blue earth shone brightly, reflecting the sunlight, but as I walked towards it I felt suffocated. There I stood, alone, looking down at the earth from the observatory. As an astronaut, the earth’s color was significantly different from the one I had previously seen as a child. On the earth, I was surrounded by vague and fuzzy gray, ocher, and black colors, but from here in outer space, the planet’s crisp, blue hues overwhelmed my senses.

[What are you thinking about?]

“Isn’t the earth beautiful?”

[Even though it has already become an uninhabitable planet?]

“Well, being uninhabitable doesn’t necessarily mean that it can’t be beauitful anymore… I like seeing the blue marble.”

It is quite difficult to distinguish the human voice from that of artificial intelligence. Conversations with Dathony have left many speechless. But today was different. Perhaps it was because engaging in meaningful communication wasn’t my goal; rather, I was so enthralled by Earth that words flowed out of my mouth and our conversation ensued. I felt relaxed as Dathony listened to whatever I had to say, whether I spoke to myself or changed topics frequently.

“I wonder when humans began to inhabit the Earth…”

[Homo sapiens, the modern human, appeared about 200,000 years ago. In the case of Australopithecus, the prehistoric human, scientists have identified fossils dating back about 5 million years.]

“It’s been a long time. Do you think that these people would have dared to imagine leaving the Earth?”

[It is very unlikely since the the fundamental concept of the universe and earth were not established back then.]

“I used the wrong example. I meant whether they would have fathomed leaving a place they’d lived in their entire lives. You know, as in leaving and never coming back.”

[Does that worry you, pilot? You will gradually forget the Earth as you settle in a new place and adjust to it.]

“Still, you might still hold a strong connection and long for it. You’d constantly be reminded of it.”

It seemed meaningless to continue putting myself in others’ shoes. I had no way of knowing what people of the past would have thought. I gazed intently at the rotating Eath, and my eyes pained as I had not blinked once. I requested Dathony to recite information of science fiction works regarding people’s departure from the earth. Dathony calmly shared the details of the plot of from a list of interesting movies, dramas, and novels it selected, without disturbing the quite, still environment around me. There were quite a few pieces from the end of the 20th century that closely depicted the current situation. It was a time when no limits were imposed on one’s imagination.

I wondered what people would say about me if they knew I was thinking of these things even after the grand funeral. There was too much irony in feeling deep reverence for ​​our planet – only when it was time to part from it. Of course, only Dathony and the other pilots would be able to see me like this. I had been instructed to avoid causing any confusion so I had to reassure passengers when I was in their presence. However, unable to resist the my own feelings, I imagined meeting our space vessel’s senior leadership, who were so occupied that I had rarely met.

‘Pilot, I completely understand. I really do,’ I imagined them say. ‘But what can we do?’ That was an easy answer. An answer with finesse, coming from years of experience. I concluded that Dathony was right; this goodbye was inevitable. I knew this as well. Truly… Nevertheless…

If this issue had been discussed in my generation, I might have endeavored to find another way. However, the idea of leaving Earth behind had been addressed long before my birth. Unlike the brief period of time between the 20th and early 21st century when only a select few were truly passionate about saving the Earth, fleeing it had become the only way for humanity to survive in the present time. Scientists agreed early on that the environment had changed – beyond our control. I thus imagined there must be a shared pain between the generation that gave Earth its death sentence and the generation that actually has to leave it.

“Dathony, could you show me an image of Earth?”

[Could you clarify? Are you referring to an image of the original Earth?]

“Yes. I would like to see a picture of Earth each year, starting with the oldest image we have on file.”

A few seconds later, a hologram appeared before me, a little below eye level. I flicked through the photos, observing the gradual changes of the earth from space over the centuries. The most notable changes on Earth had occurred during the 21st century. I had read about this in detail in my textbooks – the 21st century to the present was an era of Earth’s demise.

Earth’s seas had turned into a greenish gray and on its land, traces of life were erased away. On its surface, violent storms raged incessantly as if they were trying to sweep humans away, and a fiery air scorched the entire planet. Many of the living creatures that humans had named were only survived by the pixels of these holograms. People raised their voices and frantically pointed fingers at each other, but no human was free from this responsibility, and no one had a great enough influence to be able to take full responsibility for Earth. Even in the face of an imminent crisis, people did not unite. This was clearly a mistake.

I had once heard that in the past, when Earth’s demise was evitable and a mere possibility, other external threats were predicted to be the causes of its destruction. If humans had left the earth to be, this might have been the case someday. Those of my generation, however, who were already born into a dying Earth, felt that there was great dissonance between the fear for Earth and the actual reality. Even without meteorites or alien invasions, our Earth was steadily falling apart. It was rotting from the inside. Come to think of it, it is pure satire: out of all the convincing scenarios that could have unfolded, self-destruction led to Earth’s demise. We are now only a few years in since Earth was given its death sentence. After it was announced that the Earth would become uninhabitable not only for humans but also for any other living being, mankind sentenced the Earth to death. Some say that this should have happened sooner.

[You’ve seen everything] said Dathony.

“Yes. Please turn it off now.”

[Would you like to see anything else?]

“No… Actually, I am curious about one thing. I heard that new textbooks were created for students. Did any history or earth science textbooks mention that ‘Earth had died’?”

[It was described more euphemestically, but yes, they did.]

“I see. That is quite strange.”

These decisions are so humanlike. Even if all life on this planet disappeared, Earth itself would not cease to exist. The earth will revolve around the sun until the end of its lifespan as a planet, and the sun and the moon will rise and set in its skies, ensuring that days and nights continue. Earth's lifespan depends entirely on the sun, not on us. I asked Dathony how much time it would take for this to happen; it told me that it would take about 5 to 7.8 billion years for the Earth to perish. It seemed unreal – I could not make any sense of it because it seemed eternally distant.

Still, there was a reason for calling it the Earth’s ‘death’. What meaning would there be to earth if all souls in it burned down and only explosions, rain, and heat remained, as if it were in its primitive stages? Even if we made Earth immortal by preserving it through words and memories, it would be meaningless if there were no one alive to inherit it. I believed so.

Life is one’s most unshakeable belief. I exist because I was born. And life must continue. Earth is the star of life because it bears the weight of our lives. It is special because we, humans – as well as all animals, plants, and microorganisms – acknowledge the earth. Even if we may simply be a speck of dust floating in the cosmos... We are special because we are alive.

“Do you think we may be able return to Earth in the future?”

[In a very distant future.]

It probably wouldn’t happen in my liftetime. I have no idea how many generations it will take for the dead Earth to come back to life. I also can’t be certain that something dead can be revived. But death is indisputable. It is said that if there is no one to hear a tree collapse, then technically the tree has not fallen. The end of our earth can also be understood that way. Earth will soon bring all life to an end and be gone. However, we cannot say that facing death on earth and leaving it with it in our memories are the same ending.

Hoping to perpetuate life, we humans managed to find the next Earth. That was our spacecraft’s destination. People had already begun to migrate there for a long time. The trip to our destination would take longer than the time humans would have had left on Earth.

“Do you think Earth would have regretted embracing mankind if it had its own will?”

[It may not have wanted humans to begin with regardless of human actions.]

“Why so?”

[Even if it were to be assumed that Earth was a living being, it is impossible to assume that it would act with its own power of will. The emergence of life can be explained by the realization of probabilities. In short, it’s a coincidence. Since the earth couldn't even control the emergence of humans, it is only natural that it would not be able to govern mankind’s destructive actions.]

“You make it sound like humans are a catastrophe for the earth.”

I felt gloomy after saying this. I was hurt by Dathony’s response, which seemed to criticize all of humanity. I kept my mouth shut for a moment thinking of a way to continue the conversation, and then resumed before Dathony could respond.

“Well, I guess you have a point. Coming to life, causing destruction, leaving as they please – humans do seem to go against the earth’s will. The earth has become like this because...”

[If Earth were a living being, it is possible that this Anthorpocene extinction is Earth's will.]

“Are you saying that the Earth despises us?”

[Perhaps.]

“Then, mankind’s extravagant struggle to survive must have been a prolonged, insufferable process for Earth. As you said Dathony, this crisis may then have been a consequence of Earth not being able to bear these overwhelming emotions.”

I wanted to believe in the opposite of what I had just said. Was mankind’s endeavor to fight tooth and nail for its own survival simply a struggle of immature beings to the earth? Does the departure of humanity mark not only the death of the planet, but also the end of the earth’s long period of perseverance? I had initially expressed that the earth looked gloomy. I can’t help but imagine whether Earth would feel sad at letting go of the being that harmed and both loved it the most. Questions that I did not dare to ask lingered around my lips. Dathony, as any artificial intelligence technology would be, was honest. If I expressed my feelings, it would most definitely give me answers that would torment me.

However, it was obvious that humans had destroyed the Earth because of their immaturity. Even I knew this for a fact – even though I was not responsible for its death was pronounced prior to my existence. Nonetheless, this responsibility does not fall on a single individual. Earth’s demise is the aftermath of the accumulation of every individual's selfishness. On our second Earth, people were already holding meetings to prevent history from repeating itself, so that humanity would never have to leave their home again. Perhaps this could be called a form of advancement. But it would have been better to realize this before parting with the source of life. Still, mankind learns and repents, but also regrets the fact that they presented death to the very entity that allowed them to exist.

Feeling increasingly uncomfortable to criticize humans for being responsible for Earth’s demise, I decided to be honest.

 “… Still, I think the earth loves humans. At least I wish it did. Am I being too optimistic?”

[It's not impossible. Considering that even the premise of Earth having a will is absurd, wouldn’t anything be possible?]

“Well then, if we were children, Earth would be our parents. I really do believe that it would love us. Just as I do.”

 [Pilot, do you love Earth?]

 “How could I not?”

Wouldn’t it be incredible if we could just be immersed in the finiteness of Earth indefinitely? Though my life was ephemeral compared to that of the earth, I couldn't be with the earth until the end anyways, just like many others. I will meet a new earth again and will die there. And this earth will die here and move towards mankind’s advancement. Is Earth also observing me, just as I am observing it? I blinked a few times. Placing my hand lightly on the thick glass, I brought it to my forehead, enjoying the sensation of feeling just a bit closer to Earth.

[Don't be too depressed. You haven't been to the new earth yet.]

 “You speak quite positively about this matter. I've never seen the new earth, so I can’t help but feel this way.”

[Do you know much about the new earth?]

“Enough.”

 [It's a very nice place. Over the decades, the first settlers filled the land with lush greenery. The first tree to be planted there recently bore fruit. And best of all, it’s also of a pretty blue color. You will like it. Scientists predict that humanity will be able to thrive there, far more than before.]

I could vaguely tell that Dathony was saying all of this to comfort me. But what would I choose? Even the description of the new earth did not completely turn my mind away from our current earth. Dathony awaited my answer, so I said something – anything – to break the silence.

 "So…”

 [Have you ever heard of the saying that flowers wither so they can bear fruit?]

 “Yes, of course. I've heard of it."

[Now that spring is over, summer and fall will come. Even though the leaves fall and the winter takes over, spring will return. The seasons will come and go, and the flowers will bloom again. The end of spring is marked by the falling buds and leaves, but they don’t signify the end of the four seasons.]

 “....”

[Would you still say that goodbyes are meaningless?]

I stood still and silently, as if I were nailed down, and listened to what Dathony had to say. Who had taught artificial intelligence such a humanlike and poetic expression? I was both curious and dumbfounded, but I began to feel warm inside and gradually stopped paying attention to this fact.

Dathony’s words were kind and delicate. It was right. The time had come for flowers to fade after enduring such a long spring. The petals would eventually fade and fall, green leaves would grow lavishly in the summertime, and the tree would bear abundant fruit in the autumn. But, as Dathony and I both knew, we would not be able to experience this prosperity if we did not leave this planet. This was clear…

I then lifted my hand from the window and fell into deep silence. The time for departure was nearing, and Dathony, who had also been sitting still in the silence, soon brought up another issue.

[Pilot, a message has arrived for you.]

 “What is it?”

[The item you ordered a month ago from Research Team A has been completed. Would you like to see it now?]

 “Ah, that. Yes, please give it to me now.”

I nodded my head lightly and then heard a small sound alerting us it had been received. My attention quickly shifted. I had thought it might not be completed on time, so I was relieved to receive it. I approached the small transmitter on the wall and watched patiently as the item I had prepared for this moment was delivered. I was now on the verge of taking off, or parting with the earth. When the transfer was complete, I opened the door of the transmitter and took out a plant storage unit.

 [Why did you bring cosmos flowers?]

“Dathony, did you know that it used to be difficult to bring something to life inside spaceships? Around the beginning of the 21st century.”

 [Of course.]

“They say that the first flowers bloomed around 2016, after repeated experiments in space. Of course, it is not difficult to do this now.”

Inside the box was a bouquet of cosmos flowers that had been grown on a spaceship. Holding the stems that were tied with a white ribbon, I lifted the bunch and looked at it in the light reflected by Earth. Indeed, there were a variety of colors. Pink, purple, white, yellow, purple petals, and green stems. It would have been nice to have received a blue cosmos flower, but it wasn’t possible to produce it without any genetic manipulation. It sufficed to have geneous amount of blue tones from the earth. Rather, the colorful flowers would be in harmony with the earth as their background.

 “The meaning of Cosmos is… .”

 [Cosmos means ‘order’ in Greek and ‘universe’ in English.]

"You’re right."

On the day of Earth's funeral, I, like many others, was immersed in my own grief. Of course, I didn't want to stay on earth and die, but I also did not want to leave the earth either. I was probably not ready. I didn't even know what parting would actually mean. But there is one thing I didn't think of that day. Just as it is when we face death or part with a person, grieving not only means experiencing grief, but also learning to let go. I was sad to bid my goodbye to Earth that day, but today I was not. After the funeral, I subconsciously envisioned they day I would truly leave the Earth, and thus I prepared the cosmos bouquet.

I held the neatly trimmed bundle of cosmos and smelled its scent for a moment. I felt the fresch scent of living plants and smiled. Ah, this is clearly a small idea of ​​what Earth is. Immortal existence. Wherever we go, we prove Earth’s existence. Us. Life.

I eventually put away the cosmos bundle, using it to decorate the glass window. I placed it in the aft of the vessel, where the engine’s fire would not reach. Though there is no wind in space, the cosmos will not withstand the thrust of a fast-moving spacecraft and so the flower petals will scatter, as if they are turning in circular motion and falling. This is my farewell gift to Earth.

[Pilot, our vessel will be departing soon.]

 “I should go back.”

I looked at the cosmos flowers quietly for a while, and turned around. Now it was really the time to part. The last thing Earth would see would be my back. I knew it was time to go. So I wanted it to be beautiful. I waved to bid Earth goodbye. My soul, free like the wind in the wilderness, displayed deep sadness the last time it saw Earth.

Yes, goodbye. Goodbye to my youth, fade like a flower.

 My love,

 My farewell.