In the present:

...Wow; so in your world the movie Mad Max is a historical documentary...bizarre. Our world has some interesting features as well, and you and your companions will need to be informed before your 18th birthdays. There's a reason we could only accept teenage and child refugees.

Now if y'all'll please quiet down let's watch this short film. It's a personal perspective compilation that was auto-generated from my Myspace, Facebook, Reddit and email, beginning a year before my 18th.

Memory:

I was only vaguely aware of my universe's unique rules as I was growing up. People just didn't talk about it...at least not in front of me and my friends. Last fall, when my classes were assigned for my senior year of high school, I noticed a new class that I'd never really heard of: Civics. My parents, when I asked about this previously unknown class, told me Civics is a class that is always taught senior year and that it contains issues and questions that are so 'grown-up' that it is concealed from anyone 16 and under.

On the first day of class we filed in and took our seats. Right as the bell rang a man stepped out of his office into the classroom and abruptly introduced himself.

My name is Smith and I am a government representative whose duty is to teach you all about the laws and duties that will be thrust upon you when you become adult
members of society.

He turned to face the blackboard and stepped aside a minute later. Written in the center was a statement, or rather a rule. The Rule.

You live in a world where by the time you turn 18 you must decide when, where, and how you will someday die.

I felt my heart stop as I comprehended first the letters, then the words, then the sentence, and then the full meaning of The Rule.

Who here saw the recent superhero film "Comic Reboot 7"? If you haven't, know that the initial premise of the movie is the discovery of parallel universes. As it turns out, parallel universes are real and are most similar to the model presented in in the Comic Reboot film series. And each universe is differentiated from the others by unique rules. Sometimes the rules are subtle, like Universe ABC123 where the humans living on Earth never invented Nutella. However, it is often the case that the rules are very significant to life and frequently bizarre. Our universe, known to the multiverse as Universe XYZ789, is subject to The Rule that I have written on the board. For the next year we will be examining the rule and it's many interpretations and intricacies that have been discovered by philosophers, historians and scientists.

I graduated last week. In Civics class Smith taught us that The Rule is a little more complex that you might initially believe. When you decide your fate you have to perform a ritual that conforms to the guidelines published by the government...that way you can project your desire to the universe in a manner that minimizes the potential glitches that can occur. There's an old story about a fisherman who wished for gills before he died... immediately afterwards, on his way to the market, a truck hauling fish overturned and buried the poor soul in striped bass. He died a minute later. You have to specify when, where and how, which is why we need the ritual.

Also, even though The Rule seems weird to the point of looking like magic, it does follow the universe's physical laws. Your desired destiny must be a possible result of quantum mechanics with a nonzero probability. So while you can't magically appear in an orgy with your favorite Hollywood crushes before being crushed by a runaway semi driven by The Incredible Hulk, you can be hit by a bus at age 65 in front of your house, as long as your genetics and lifestyle don't prohibit it.

I thought about asking my parents for advice, but Smith's voice echoed in my mind.

Inviting other people into your decision almost always causes indecision and strained relationships.

I've built a list of possible futures, and laid them out in a chart to compare longevity, fulfillment, and final location. One popular destination is the peak of Mount Everest - the number of frozen bodies that can't be recovered is actually becoming a problem. Mars would be a cool destination, but that only becomes possible after we begin colonization and I'd have to be able to afford the ticket. While the quantum probability is not zero, it is a very very small chance that that will become possible before I get too old to make the trip.

You see, your desired fate has a probability that changes with time. Scientists aren't yet able to do an accurate calculation, but maybe AI will figure it out eventually. For now, there are some formulas that you can use to approximate the likelihood of each possibility. Once you turn 18, your desired fate is transmitted to the universe and can't be changed. If the probability drops too low, the universe will conclude that it can't happen and you are immediately terminated. That probability threshold is thought to be somewhere between 1:1E9 and 1:1E12. Basically, if you want an unlikely life conclusion you are making a gamble. And if you choose a fate that starts out with a probability that is too low, you drop dead on your 18th. When we were younger we were told those kind of deaths were suicides, and in a way they kind of are...choosing a path that leads to either an improbable life or an instant death.

My friend's birthday is today. He turns 18 at 7:00 PM and he's performing his ritual at 5:00 PM. He invited me to come see it, along with his extended family. Some people are private with their ritual, but most people do their ritual publically, or at least with their friends, family and church. Some people don't place much significance in the ritual and do it at the courthouse before posting their decided fate in the local paper. Some people will even combine their ritual with a wedding if they are in a relationship with a high probability of success, although they are rare - 18 is pretty young for any couple to get married. There is some evidence that a ritual-wedding that intertwines the couple's fates leads to a happier more fulfilling life together. My friend was considering getting married to his girlfriend, but in the end he decided not to. I suspect he didn't want to take the compatibility test and follow up courses because the relationship isn't solid enough yet to withstand it.

At the end of the ritual he raised a banner written with swirling calligraphy still not quite dry:

Crushed to death in a submersible at the bottom of the Marianas Trench at age 55.

Present:

My own ritual was a private one. When I told my mom I expected her to be a little disappointed, but she immediately told me that that is a perfectly acceptable decision. After all, the decision is your own and even if you have your friends and family observing you, the ritual itself is a private transaction between you and the universe. As you all start your Civics class tomorrow keep in mind that although The Rule seems intimidating, it is something that every single person goes through. Good Luck and welcome to Universe XYZ789.

Aside:

This next memory is something I'm only sharing with you, the reader. I've never shared it with anyone else...it's a bizarre and terrifying secret. When I went into my tent for my ritual I had not decided on a fate. I was running calculations and analyzing charts and consulting every book I had on The Rule. When my alarm went off, signifying 5 more minutes until I turned 18, I had the strangest thought. What if I didn't decide when, where or how? What if I perform the ritual and formally state that I don't desire any particular fate? I tore through my books looking for any instance where someone submitted a blank fate to the universe, but could find nothing. Should I try it? Is it cowardice to not declare a fate? Would I die?

You can probably guess what happened. My curiosity got the better of me and I gave it a shot. I submitted 'nothing' to the universe. That was 200 years ago today.