An "Alien" Tale

1511:

Edited by CJ Tointon

From the Flight Deck:

"Don't look down now Buddy.  That's Earth.  They're in rehab at the moment.  We know of the problems they're having - even if they don't.  They're going through a bad patch, all sorts of relationship problems - with everything.  They're a very quarrelsome and violent people.  Mark my words - if you value your life, don't even think about going there!" 

Home Planet:

One of my kids said something strange to me the other day - about how 'Earthers' are famous thieves.  I was discussing Earth with her (she's studying it in geography at school) and it just came up in conversation.  "They steal everything", I told her.  "It's how they survive".  And she said something I didn't expect, describing them as just being the way they are.  That got me worried.  She mustn't know all about them yet.  I said to her, "They don't think about how they are. They say they cherish their beloved 'Earth', but you should see the way they treat it!  They're very primitive".  Anyway, my daughter asked me, "Dad, why don't you just go there?  It can't hurt - can it?"

It's funny how innocent kids can be.  I did my best to explain, but I don't think she understood.  How could she?  She can't possibly imagine what these 'Earthers' are like.  To anyone who is sane, the idea of 'going there' would be like jumping into a pit of pythons.

I heard on the news the other day that Earth is struggling in the early stages of rehab.  It's at the 'kicking and screaming' stage.  And I thought to myself, "Yes. They're going through denial but don't know it".  We've all been there, we know what it's like. I wanted to sound a warning for my daughter without frightening her, yet still concealing nothing about the danger of the place.  I explained to her thus:  "They're volatile.  It's like they're living on the edge of a volcano.  They can't see anything through the smoke.  Everything is blurred.  They hope they're safe but can't see if they're not.  They're basically intelligent, but frustrated and angry.  That's what the rehab is for, to help them, to convince them to not always fall back on violence to solve their problems.  But at this stage in their development, they're just plain dangerous!  There's nothing they don't know about killing and being aggressive towards strangers.  So for us to 'go there' would be stupid in the extreme.  They're so jumpy.  They'd buzz bomb any ship without a moment's thought, no question about it."

More importantly I explained to my daughter that we'd 'spook' them too much if we showed up.  Psychologically, it would stir things up to fever pitch.  When you're in such heavy denial, you're not very receptive to new ideas.  Not very receptive to the existence of (let alone the presence of) other 'beings' - especially if they seem brighter than you are.  Just by showing up, we'd knock them off balance.  I can see what would happen.  All seven billion of them would be worrying themselves literally to death, talking of nothing else.  Psychologically, they're at a very vulnerable stage.  They just couldn't handle visitors from 'outside'.  They're sure there's no one 'out there'.  They prefer to think of themselves as alone-in-the-universe  Any other possibility would scare them completely.  "Going there would be like flying into a firestorm.  A very frightening thought".  

I don't think they teach kids anything important at school these days.  Surely everyone knows about Earth?  It's hard to explain to kids when they restrict extraterrestrial news items to the late night shows, mainly the 'Geography' channels.  Too late for my daughter to watch.  But we grown-ups all know about it.  We see pictures of their various scandals.  I told her, "Earth's a place to NOT go anywhere near".  I thought that was obvious.  But it seems it isn't to my daughter and many others. 

The other day I overheard one of my young assistants bragging to his friend about one day 'going to Earth'.  I thought:  "Is he crazy?  Has the boy been raised in a monastery?"  He evidently had no concept.  "Forget that idea", I interrupted.  And then he wants to know,  "What happens there that is so bad?"  

I was tempted to tell him everything.  At this point I could have reeled off a whole list of horrors I knew about, but I feared losing his attention.   I decided to hit him with something really 'heavy'. "THEY IMPRISON, KILL AND THEN EAT ANIMALS". 

He was rendered speechless!!!