Curious Pause... (Unusually Long... A Novelette?)

“Holy cow!!! What an absolutely incredible view!” It had been a few years since we'd last traveled that particular stretch of road (US 14A) in the Big Horn Mountains of northern Wyoming, and I'd, quite frankly, forgotten just how spectacular the scenery there is. "Whoa! There is an overlook just ahead; I think I'll pause for a lingering gaze."

I parked our girl in a place safe but offering only a very short stroll to an ideal viewing spot. I set up my folding chair (nap chair!) and proceeded to drink-in the amazing sights and awe-inspiring grandeur before me. “Man, there is so much beauty to behold but so little time to visit, and revisit, it all... I simply must pick up the pace!”

The brilliant sun happened to be low and behind me so early in the morning on that cloudless day, so at first I dismissed that bright glow off on the western horizon as probably a glint off a windshield or something. Suddenly it was directly overhead, and I was momentarily blinded by the sheer brilliance of that… whatever it was! I closed my eyes and tried to figure out what the heck was going on!

When I reopened my eyes, I found myself still seated in my chair but suspended in a cloud of some sort, and I heard a soothing voice addressing me from somewhere within that cloud. My bladder nearly voided! I listened, as that soft, mellow voice eased my near-panic reaction and invited me to relax; nothing un-towards was going to happen to me.

"Should we be afraid of you? Do you see us as a threat," I nervously inquired?

“You have no need to fear us. Any species that has evolved sufficiently to undertake inter-galactic travel has long since grown well beyond any need for such rudimentary humanoid behaviors such as violence. Additionally, they have become sophisticated well beyond any need to exploit others, as they are quite able to support themselves and provide for all of their requirements.

You are certainly not a threat to us, and we do not fear you. You have barely scratched the surface of development sufficient to pose a threat to any but yourselves. You are still 'basic instinct' oriented and driven, even at this stage of your evolution, and comprehending then finding the requirements for further advancement are still in your distant future.

You have so far to go, but you have limited time to get there… and the clock is ticking! The very nature of earthlings conspires against you, though, yet the key to your fate, your species' very survival, ultimately depends entirely upon your ability to evolve and alter the basic nature of your kind.”

"Is it even possible for us to do it in time?”

“The odds don’t favor it, but it is not impossible… therefore, we continue to look in on you and monitor your progress, setbacks, fits and jerks, and failures. We chat with randomly selected members of your species from time to time, like we're doing now, to gain insight into your progress, as well as to observe you in your normal activities. Time is your greatest enemy, as it is and has been for all species of humanoids throughout the universe… my species included. We did evolve in time to save ourselves, but in the broader scheme of things that has been quite rare… Most species do not survive.

Aside from the uncontrollable risks like random asteroids obliterating your planet or your solar system drifting into a Black Hole in space, you also face the avoidable risk of self-destruction, and the exhaustible resource of your planet itself is one of the two greatest vulnerabilities of all. Can you sustain life long enough to evolve and continue-on with your limited resources in the face of growing demands and consumption/destruction of those resources? Difficult in the extreme!

Your global human population has continued to grow, and to grow at an increasing rate, as advances in technology and science have both increased sources and yields of food and extended the span of individual life. The most recent trends, however, do seem to indicate a slight lessening of that rate of growth, and perhaps a move towards leveling-off. It is too soon to know if this is an aberration or positive indication, but it does offer some glimmer of hope.

Improvements in human relations, but also relatively recent sharp increases in the danger and very real threat of various groups’ ability to annihilate increasingly larger segments of population have so far produced the curious side benefit of reducing the size and scope of wars, and those combined with reductions in hunger, disease, and age-related issues have enabled you to successfully expand the body of dependents upon, and therefore the consumption/destruction of, those limited planetary resources.”

"Do we realistically have enough time to save ourselves, or is the game essentially already over for us?"

“Advancements in science and technology will help keep your options in play for a time, as you find new and better sources and ways to produce food and meet increasing demands. You will also in time come to more fully realize the limits of your resource and begin to take better care of it, thereby extending the useful life of your planet. You will in time, out of necessity, also find ways to level-off your planet-wide population at a more sustainable level... for a while.

You tend to underestimate the useful life of your planet, because your thinking is limited mostly towards simply projecting forward present trends and known factors. You do not yet realize the actual abundance and resilience of your planet, nor do you have any idea of the advances in technology, science, and creativity that await you in the future. Still, there are very real limits to this finite resource, and those limits translate into available time to save yourselves... and, you do have so very far to go. It isn’t just the limits of your resource itself, however, it’s that combined with the rate of advancement as beings you manage to achieve that produce the imponderable calculus of ‘making it in time’.

Eventually, you must, if you're capable, evolve to a point where your species is able to search for and then to immigrate to, or to at least colonize, other suitable planets. As all species at first migrate from one area to another spreading out and adapting, they must continue to do so or perish when available life sustaining resources are eventually threatened, depleted, destroyed, or consumed. That inter-planetary migration/colonization will require changes in your basic nature to accomplish, however, and little indication exists today that you will sufficiently evolve in time.”

"What is it that restricts discovery of vital solutions? What prevents us from moving forward and saving ourselves?"

“ ‘Self-interest centered’ thinking and behaviors: A natural, irrefutable aspect of early human life. Humanoids first evolve from lower forms of animal life. Survival depends, initially, upon self-preservation… a basic instinct present in all species of life generally who manage to come to terms with the perils of existence… To be a consumer rather than the consumed and to reproduce at a more than minimum replacement rate.

As humanoids first discover then develop the possibilities of the synergies of cooperative effort, communal units and institutions are eventually developed along the way to facilitate and exploit that concept. A necessary, fundamental step in the quest for ultimate individual survival. Ideas about individual roles and responsibilities also begin to evolve. Likewise, the instinct of self-preservation evolves…

From merely thoughts of the next meal or protecting oneself from immediate threats, to accumulating a surplus to sustain the individual through periods of shortages. From merely avoiding/postponing hunger, pain and death to receiving acclaim and elevated status within the group environment, once collaborative units have appeared and institutions have entered the picture. From living one day to the next simply and ‘as we always have’ to creating new visions of a better life, all through increased sophistication - by advancements in general knowledge, and through improvements in technology and altered social alignments.

Outgrowing the family and extended family units into the clan, village, nation... and world community. This is not a continuous, uninterrupted progression, however. As the benefits of increasing combinations appear and are pursued, so too are the regional and local differences within increasingly larger groups amplified. Combinations grow, then soon afterward begin to see factional frictions, later fissures, develop. As fulfilling the self-interests of one portion of a group seem to rise above, and/or to out-pace, that of others, a desire ‘to break-away’ takes hold. Your history is rich with examples of disparate groups first moving closer, then joining together, only to later divide back into smaller fragments.

Additionally, growth from simply killing or excluding all ‘foes’ in order to eliminate future threats and present drain on existing resources, to enslaving them to perform undesirable tasks and to lever the abilities of the conquering group to accomplish other things… To accumulate greater surpluses, even ‘wealth’ and security, for the group at first, but also for individuals in short order. Much later, it is discovered that embracing others and assimilating them into the dominant unit culture is far more productive and efficient than slaughter, exclusion (usually, but not always), or enslavement.

These things are desirable and eagerly pursued, in large part, because individuals can see the advantages to themselves by being part of those developments. The idea of species survival, of the distant-future extremes of mass starvation, disease on an incomprehensible global scale, and of their eventual extinction have not appeared in the thinking of most individuals trying to first survive then to prosper and extend their own life… in relative comfort and ease. ‘Self’ is at the center of all thought, with no serious thought being given to the fate of generations to come in the far-off future, let alone to any responsibility they might bear towards those yet to come: The ultimate in ‘collaborative effort’.”

“How might we improve ourselves?”

“The notion of self has to be evolved to an understanding of the inter-dependency of each to the other and of the mutual responsibility to each other, as well as, to future members of the species. A different way of considering others… more as each individual being a co-dependent companion and an essential partner of a ‘whole’ with a common, critical purpose, rather than as simply a competitor, rival, ‘exploitable resource’, or potential threat only. Your view and perspective of your world and those in it must become far more ‘outward focused’ instead of ‘inward only’.

This will be a far more difficult leap forward than it might at first appear. It will require thinking that seems counter-intuitive, even impossible, to you today, and those necessary changes will not come easily or quickly. No human living today has any possibility of still being around should those advances actually occur, so the perception of all of that would also require the ‘implied sacrifice with no personal reward’ being accepted by a self-centered individual… extraordinarily difficult and unlikely!”

“Besides limiting our progress, are there other reasons to change? How do those play-out?”

“Thinking in such present lowly, primitive terms leaves individuals quite vulnerable to control and exploitation by so-called 'elites'. From patriarchs/matriarchs, to chieftains, to monarchs and ‘theologians’, to emperors/dictators, to 'elected officials', you continue to submit to authority, benevolent or otherwise, but you do not progress in the most important ways. “Order out of chaos’, focused efficient effort, plus peace and harmony are necessary for collaborative effort presently in your current state of development, therefore control/submission is still required and will continue to be so for more generations to come. How many generations depends entirely upon when you actually begin to advance…

Initially force is used to control populations, to direct their lives and activities, and to exploit their labor and efforts. Later, souls are held hostage by theologians, as ‘God ordained’ monarchs preside over groups. Much later subtle persuasion is employed, and disingenuous appeals to 'logic' and sense of 'fairness' are used to induce individuals to willingly choose submission and compliance, because they think it is being offered 'for them' and in their best personal interests.

Groups are pitted against each other through elaborate, often contrived rouses designed to divide them and to control the narratives in order to direct (and misdirect) thoughts and actions, and to distract from the lack of kept ‘promises’ and real progress. “Keep your eye on the shiny object in my left hand, folks, while I pick your pocket with my right.” Misdirection and deliberate misleading are standard arrows in the quiver of leaders and politicians, that enable them to pursue their own real aims while pretending to ‘fight’ for those of ‘the greater good’…

Deception is easily perpetrated when cleverly disguised as giving something to individuals that they might want and are ‘entitled to’ anyway. Self-oriented individuals readily believe what is being 'offered', because the individual sees personal benefit and therefore wants the message to be accurate… even when logic might indicate otherwise. The appeal of 'an easier way' is powerful indeed to self-serving 'shallow' thinkers, who very much want to believe… therefore they do believe, then rationalize and justify their choices… Real advancement can only come through the conscious choice of genuinely sophisticated individuals.”

“Can this be overcome?”

“Thinking must be elevated to a point where ‘we’ are every bit as important as just ‘me’. “I can’t win, if you don’t also win.” “If you lose, so do I.” “I need to be able to trust you, therefore I must also be trustworthy myself.” These are far more than slogans or simple ‘political correctness’, which is designed more to channel thought while narrowing diversity of thought; nor, does it suggest simple legislated redistribution of wealth, as that is merely a way of attempting to treat the proceeds of effort and not to address the real substance of fair, ‘encouraging not discouraging’ reward systems.

To date, those are but ‘shiny objects’ employed by office seekers and holders. They are also counter-productive, as they dis-incentivize, vilify, and punish over achievement while rewarding, therefore encouraging, under performance. There simply isn’t enough ‘wealth’ in the first place to redistribute and thereby to elevate all to a suitable level for overall advancement. Only by increasing the overall size of the pie itself can such an amount be produced… Simply changing the size of the portions will not by itself produce nearly enough wherewithal; indeed, it will not actually produce any additional wealth. Worse, it will actually dampen aggregate production in the long run, by the removal of incentive at all levels.

Self-oriented beings will, naturally, do what they perceive to be best for themselves without serious regard for others. Members of your species today are entirely motivated by self-interest, not by any sense of their role in 'the continuum of a greater whole'; they are consumed with thoughts of 'my piece' of the pie and not by any consideration of the entire pie.

‘Fair’ distribution must eventually come, though, but it has to come voluntarily, and not by imposed edicts of ruling elites, as those elites are also acting out of self-interest. 'Buying your vote with your own money' is a popular but very deceitful game amongst politicians. Better still, when groups are promised something they are ‘entitled to’, and someone else will be made to pay for it… out of ‘fairness’ of course. Ironically, all groups eventually end up paying for whatever has been enacted… either directly or indirectly… There really are, after all, no ‘free lunches’…

You must also advance to a point where ‘success’ is not measured solely by comparisons of who has the greatest personal wealth… the most stuff. All levels of productive endeavor must be regarded as valuable and worthy of equal 'respect'. Greater abilities should be encouraged, but not simply to aggrandize some while degrading others, and particularly not to give greater power to some at the expense of others. 'Success' must be redefined, but to do that, you must first learn to curb your all-consuming greed, voracious appetite for extravagant self-indulgence, and your unquenchable thirst for notoriety and celebrity... ‘status and standing’. All of which are natural, normal, predictable consequences of self-oriented thinking, which are themselves the predictable consequences of basic instinct. They are also the very things which must be overcome!”

“But natural ‘instincts’ are so intractable… How could we deal with them?”

“Because all humanoids are evolved from lower animals and therefore influenced mostly by basic instincts that can be 'tamed' and ‘harnessed’ but can never be fully altered or removed, modest accommodation of those must be realized and allowed… voluntarily controlled for the most part by highly sophisticated individuals themselves, but acknowledged, nonetheless. Reasonable merit-based reward systems are necessary to encourage effort, creativity, and risk-taking, and to satisfy egos. No species is ‘perfectible’; all are, however, improvable.

Modest, and by no means rigid or unchangeable, variation in levels/strata of 'status and standing' must be earned and fairly given. All individuals have and will continue to have varying levels of skill and ability. Stigmas and poverty should not attach themselves to those with disabilities and/or lesser abilities; likewise, neither should excessive adoration nor lavish material rewards be afforded to those with greater abilities. Methods of equitably and voluntarily distributing rewards, both social and material, have to be tried and evolved over time to create not only the perception but also the reality of fairness, but all the while not decreasing overall production and advancement. ‘Extremes’ must eventually be eliminated. In time, the ability of 'elites' to exploit those differences for their own purposes will lessen then eventually disappear. Even 'elites' themselves will eventually diminish, as their own motivations evolve.

Differences of reward distribution must be voluntarily kept within reasonable limits, however, to ensure and demonstrate fairness… as it is necessary for people to have faith in their system. Success and achievement must not be vilified or punished, just as selfishness, irresponsibility, lack of effort, and laziness cannot be rewarded. As basic nature evolves and advances, extremes will lessen and eventually disappear as thinking and orientation elevate. Through tailoring rewards to focus on advancement of all and not merely the gaining of personal wealth and celebrity, you will begin the long climb upward in a new direction. All of that while evolving the basic primitive driver of ‘self’ towards one of ‘us’.”

“Would that be more quickly developed through legislated mandates?”

“This must also recognize the requirement that all embrace this concept… voluntarily, too, because they do believe in the reality and appropriateness of this. This cannot be forced or imposed; it must be believed and embraced by all, and that requires far greater levels of individual sophistication than what you possess at present.

Until that ‘sophistication’ happens, when all can actually genuinely understand the need for progress, ‘self’ will continue to dominate and drive the choices and actions of individuals, as it surely will leave individuals vulnerable to exploitation by clever, so-called ruling elites, the most sinister and cunning of whom being the ones presenting themselves to be the most altruistic… All of that is an unnecessary but predictable distraction from the important development you're going to need, and it delays your progress. ‘Authority’ also carries with it a heavy ‘overhead’ burden on overall production to force and ensure compliance, as it consumes valuable resources that could be better utilized elsewhere.

First comprehending then employing these concepts are not the same as ‘discovering’ or ‘inventing’ some new ‘bright idea or thing’, and they cannot be quickly implemented. Higher level attitudes and thoughts, perceptions and basic beliefs, ways of viewing oneself in relation to others, are all abstract concepts different and far more sophisticated than basic human nature, and they require long, usually multi-millennial, periods of time to first be understood, then to be learned and shaped, and later still to be universally embraced... evolutionary, not revolutionary.

Basic nature is not easily changed or even understood; therefore, it is among the reasons the odds don’t favor adequate growth soon enough to save yourselves. Your social environment and institutions must evolve and change… just as your individuals themselves each must grow and change. The most difficult aspect is the genuine change in the thinking of virtually all individuals that absolutely must occur. It is the very nature of people themselves that must advance, not merely their traditional ‘tools’ to restrict and/or direct people, especially when those are historically being employed more to exploit than to elevate people.

We see little promise that that quantum leap might occur for your species… in time… even if you do manage to greatly extend the useful life of your planet. And, each generation that ignores this, thereby decreases the likelihood your species will evolve in time… Even if conservation and dramatic reductions of consumption/destruction of planetary resources were to be achieved; if you do not also advance in terms of individual sophistication as a species, it will make no real difference in the long run other than the prolonging of the inevitable.”

"Could you give us the technology to save us?"

“No, that would be pointless. Until you are ready to make that leap yourself, your weaknesses would only be perpetuated and thrust upon a new and broader area. Those weaknesses would still lead in time to the same dilemma you now face, only on a much larger scale. By your weaknesses being perpetuated and expanded beyond earth and yet not overcome, you then would eventually begin to pose a threat to other species in the universe. No sufficient advancement will occur until things 'must advance'. If we were to do as you ask, you would not be forced to advance in the critical ways that you must for responsible ‘universe citizenship’... so, therefore, you would not advance...

Survival is not an ‘entitlement’ or moral responsibility of others to provide for you. It is an outcome achieved through complex development, enormous and near universal intellectual growth, and gigantic increases in population-wide sophistication. Simple survival alone does not address your greatest shortcomings.

Until you are ready for survival by having arrived at a point where it is possible for you to attain it yourself, you have not earned the opportunity to expand beyond your present world. Perpetual survival can only be earned and achieved by your own advancement… it cannot be given. We can, however, suggest to you the nature of your situation. What you do with that information is up to you...”

"What should we do?"

“You must continue to grow. Your species-wide levels of intellectual sophistication must continue to evolve, to expand, and to grow beyond you being merely highly developed animals into becoming an elevated, new and highly advanced species of responsible beings. A comparison might be your growth from early Neanderthals into your present-day Cro-Magnon humans. Attaining the next level, however, will be far more challenging. Even though modern earthlings are much more advanced in nearly all ways, they are little different in terms of basic drivers and core motivators than were those early Neanderthals. The new frontier for you will be ‘intra-cranial’ growth, not simply finding greater personal wealth and ease, or managing your external environment…”

“Couldn’t we just change our institutions to improve our prospects?”

“A look at your present institutional systems reveal a disappointingly low level of basic advancement. Your institutions worldwide show a not only historic but a current trend towards increasingly authoritarian forms. This is due to the perceived need to ‘control’ and direct populations to produce large scale cooperation and effort towards desired outcomes. It is also part of the 'necessity' of both controlling wealth to have power, and to have power to gain wealth: The vicious cycle with 'me' at the center.

Power and wealth are like Siamese Twins or different sides of the same two-headed coin. One cannot gain and maintain either without the other. Both of these must be acquired, in the minds of ‘self only’ thinkers, legitimately where possible, illegitimately when necessary. Your elites today view general populations as an exploitable resource and not as equal members of an endangered species. Understanding the concept of 'allowing all people' to accomplish more than they can be forced to contribute is virtually non-existent this early in your advancement. Presently you are focused entirely upon wealth, status, and power distribution/concentration by and for individuals and not upon the long-term welfare of your species as a whole.

Authoritarian institutions are by definition ‘top-down oriented’ command systems. Those tend to stifle diversity of thought, creativity, and ingenuity. Above all, they virtually eliminate entrepreneurial ‘risk-taking’. Conformity and uniformity are the desired norms, while experimentation, especially through trial and error, is discouraged. Progress is limited to the thinking and ability of only the few at the top, and those limits are exacerbated by the 'echo-chamber' of groupthink. Advancement is at first slowed then eventually ground to a virtual halt. Authoritarian institutions are enormously inefficient in comparison to ‘limited or no direct supervisory authority’ when involving sophisticated groups. Yet for ‘self-oriented beings’, they are, unfortunately, necessary. A ‘catch 22’ condition that presents you with perhaps the largest conundrum now facing you!

Worse, institutions and systems themselves are not even the answer, as they are nothing more than tools to amplify the efforts, growth and outputs of individuals. None are any better or worse than the decision-makers who control or employ them. Concentration of power is dangerous in the hands of ‘me’ oriented individuals, and long-term outcomes are easily predictable, as your own history should inform you. Greater control over ever larger populations by present ‘me-centered’ humanoids is absolutely dangerous in the extreme! Well-conceived institutions are necessary to facilitate advancement, but the goal should be not simply to create ‘appropriate’ institutions, a benchmark but not the ultimate goal: That has to be to change and upgrade human nature.

You will require a world-wide harnessing of broad-based participation through individual choice (and not simply by world-wide control) of all individuals to achieve the necessary requirements of inter-planetary migration and survival; however, simple world domination by 'me-thinkers' will only worsen your condition and retard progress, not improve it. Getting the cart before the horse will greatly delay your advancement.

At present, you devote enormous amounts of human capital, including thought, plus vast amounts of treasure and natural physical resources to the pursuit of dissent, resistance, and conflict, especially including wars. When you are able to free-up those resources plus those of ‘authority overhead’ and apply them both towards more productive, harmonious pursuits, you only then will begin to increase the rate of advancement towards higher levels.

The ultimate goal of species survival will require different beings from what you now are in order to galvanize and harmonize that level of ability and sense of common purpose in order to harness the incredible potential, strength, and overall output. Levels of that magnitude of endeavor must also be ‘voluntary’ on a species-wide basis. All would not be involved directly in space migration, of course, as those not directly engaged would serve by supporting the effort, and by avoiding the distractions of petty discord and extravagant self-indulgence. The broad increases in available human capital, treasure, and natural resources, without the distractions and diversions of selfish discord, will facilitate increased and far more productive overall effort.”

“Wouldn’t an upgrade in leadership do the job?”

“There will still be a need for ‘leadership’ of a sort, however, to enable the crafting and sharing (but not the imposition) of a common vision, the focusing of effort and resources in efficient ways, and the making of adjustments along the way... all through consensus and harmonious efforts and cooperation among suitably sophisticated individuals. ‘Self’ oriented beings attempt only to exploit power, not to leverage it… and especially not for unrealized far-off future purposes.

Your current leaders come from the ranks of self-oriented individuals, and their roles and responsibilities as leaders are therefore subordinate to their own personal interests. The ‘source pool’ must advance, if the quality of leadership is to advance. Your current leaders are not the cause of your greatest shortcomings; they are but a product of those deficiencies who’ve learned to master the skillful use of them.

Unsophisticated populations can be forced to submit and comply, but 'controlled populations' offer only grossly under-utilized capacity for contributions. Much of the focus is on conformity and 'minimum acceptable outcomes', not upon facilitating maximum achievements and contributions, along with the potential possibilities. 'Sufficient performance' can be forced or coerced, but 'excellence' can only be given. Your species is simply not yet ready for the demands of that level of undertaking.”

“Have we made any progress?”

“There has been modest incremental advancement. Conditions generally must continue to dramatically improve and even-out throughout your world for advancements in species-wide sophistication to occur. To date, however, your focus and your greatest advancements have come in the direction only of improving the human condition… raising the minimum 'living standards' and extending the health, length, and quality of life, but not in the essential advancement of the nature of human beings themselves.

Raising and leveling the 'quality of life' for all is not an endgame, however... It is but a vital precursor, an essential step along the way, to universal, highly elevated sophistication. A daunting task, that to accomplish will require greater understanding of beings themselves before changes can even be contemplated.... just as difficult, the building of consensus to undertake those changes... All substantive change must come from ‘within’ and not from ‘without’. Only when the thoughts of individuals are not focused solely upon meeting ‘basic needs’, that is, food, shelter, clothing, safety and security, will your overall population be ready to begin the long journey towards growth in mass sophistication.

Even though we have noticed sincere efforts in 'moral advancement', those efforts to date have usually ended-up becoming divisive and exclusionary and, therefore, less than desirably productive. Both religious and secular efforts so far have been totally inadequate. This is because they are pursued through unbridled faith in human institutions (which are mere tools and not actual solutions in themselves), and they are severely limited through being controlled and directed by 'me' oriented thinkers, even though they may at first have noble intentions and aims.

An example of how that impacts you today is in your ascendancy of ‘leadership’… those who set the pace, direction, and ‘rules’ of your efforts. Wealth, comfort, and ease require power to first acquire then to maintain. ‘Success’ is presently defined, after all, by who has the most… of anything. Status and standing, celebrity, are also part of that curious mix, especially for those with larger egos and relatively more ambition and ability. In your present state, those who would be ‘on top’ must recognize and exploit whatever is necessary to achieve ‘success’.

Because the rewards of ‘win at all costs’ and ‘anything goes’ are so prominent in the thinking and drive of aspirants, yet successful because all that is required is a low level of genuine regard for others and a willingness to exploit others… while pretending to be otherwise… the pathway to ‘success’ becomes obvious, and a course is set to attain it, along with all that goes with it.

It is necessary to begin to measure ‘success’ differently from here forward, and to change the very thinking, therefore the very nature, of individuals in order to progress beyond this point. This cannot be merely the output of propaganda or indoctrination, however, as those are merely the ‘weapons’ employed by the unscrupulous to further their own aims. The tricky part of that transition will be the role self-oriented thinkers and unscrupulous 'leaders' might play in first beginning then shaping the process...”

“Do those flawed traits of people and their thinking make progress unlikely?”

“Selfishness and blind ambition are not, per se, ‘flaws’ or defects to be regretted or lamented. Even among lower animals, ‘leaders’, alpha males/females, dominant members of herds, prides, etc., any ‘community’ of animals, can be observed. Those characteristics are instead simply the product of the evolution of other basic instincts, all centered around self-preservation… then extended onward towards self-advancement. They are traits that work against progress today, however, so they need to be recognized, conscientiously further evolved, and in time overcome.

It is not apparent that your kind has a sufficient awareness of the essential nature of these concepts yet... nor, a sufficiently broad appreciation for the critical, essential role 'morality' plays in truly successful human dealings towards advancement. The ‘world’ you have yet ‘to discover’ is one based upon species-wide genuine mutual concern, trust, trustworthiness, fairness, and respect. Self-oriented thinkers see those attributes more as expedients or impediments for gaining their own wants, than they do as absolutely essential qualities.

Species-wide advancement is vital. At present, masses of populations are essentially under or completely un-educated, and most other segments are more 'indoctrinated' than truly enlightened. All are by far too easily lead (and mislead), and they are routinely exploited by unscrupulous individuals who seek power and wealth for themselves. The body of truly ‘sophisticated individuals’ must reach a ‘critical mass’ before genuine advancement and progress towards world-wide unified effort and achievement can occur. Only then will you even be ready to begin the search to find the elusive solutions for ultimate indefinite species survival… a long and difficult process that you have so far not even begun… Tick tock...” [/b][/i]

"Am I to remain silent about this encounter?"

“That is not necessary. Most 'self' oriented beings will immediately dismiss your message as pure fiction and/or you as insane. The ability to comprehend such enormous gaps in abilities among various species outside but in contact with your world poses a perceived threat well beyond the ability of nearly all to even entertain such notions. The logical reaction would be to assume that more advanced beings would seek to exploit them the same way your kind has always done to each other throughout your history.

Your present level of advancement, and the obvious inherent gap that implies, when compared with that of inter-galactic travelers, again, perhaps could be expressed as similar to comparing the development levels of earth's earliest Neanderthals to those of its present human intellectual scholars. When implied vulnerabilities of such an order of magnitude are presented, the usual response is to either dismiss them out of hand or to create fantasies to explain them away, thereby relieving anxiety. It is simply easier and more comforting to disbelieve and/or distort facts, than it is to actually deal with unpleasant realities... Say whatever you will, it will make no difference.”

I realized my eyes were closed, so I slowly opened them... I saw that same incredible view that had attracted me to this spot in the first place. Had I just awakened from a nap? Had I had one of those seemingly real dreams that are almost believable? Or... had I just experienced something else entirely? Well, whatever else it might have been, it surely had been a curious pause...

DDT