Summary

The short story “Time capsule found on the dead planet” by Margaret Atwood is about a relic that summarizes a planet’s evolution. The relic reveals that, in the first age, humanity created gods and religion. Although the gods were sometimes cruel, they also brought prosperity and gave people the impression that they were not alone. The gods had many similarities to animals and the people respected them and lived in harmony with nature.

Then, the relic reveals that in the second age, humanity created money which partly reminded people of their former gods. Humanity was fascinated by the magic of money, which could help them exchange coins for comfort. People carried money everywhere.

The relic then shows that in the third age, money became an unstoppable, cruel god, which destroyed the world through greed and hunger. In the fourth age, humanity created deserts out of the need for getting more money and was confronted with the destruction of the natural world. However, some wise men believed deserts were portals to a deeper level of understanding. Finally, the relic contains a message for any future finders. The message asks the finders to pray for humanity and its former vanity.