Monday, January 28, 2008

Dear Historical Archivist




Dear Historical Archivist

- A Message To The Future (i.e., 3008 A.D.) From 2008 A.D. -


We do seem rather interesting in a sad sort of way. Our brief lifespans made us rather reckless. We were unable, actually unwilling, to stop our madness long enough to deal with the suffering our animal natures rationalized as justifiable. By your standards we are in fact insane.

I don't attempt to mitigate that judgment for it is understandable for you to judge us this way, and it would be dangerous to your peaceful society to think otherwise.

Yes we are barbarians, hell bent on murder, self destruction, and the razing and raping of the natural bounty of the entire planet.

I can not argue with that.

But remember we lived such short lives, and our institutions were so fragile that there was barely any time for us to gather the wisdom upon which a more rational, and moral approach could have been based. We were ever so busy just making due. We spent most of the little time we had accumulating the crude trinkets which your archaeologists have discovered in our trash heaps.



We had so little time that we never reached a stable place from which to grow. Any little problem, and things began to fall apart, and thus we'd continually embrace what you must see as laughably weak despots, but which we believed were strong men who could save us.

Our people begin to die here almost immediately after they are born, and there's no way out for us. It's like a game of suicide-homicide which we are forced to play. We're worn down, and cut down so soon that our gentler natures barely have time to set in. We spent our time exploiting and killing each other instead of developing a peaceful world, and cures for diseases, and aging.

I know it was insane of us. Who kind of people would fight on a sinking ship while the waters rise about them? Who would wage a battle within a burning building as flames incinerate them?

That would be us, your crazed ancestors.



We believed in the most insane things. We fashioned our fears, and wishes into religions, and used our religions to justify our brutality. It made us feel good about ourselves, and allowed us to believe that dying was no big deal. Our religions helped our rulers, upper classes, stay in power and to die with their accumulated wealth and privileges intact. We didn't see the problem that these very same religions kept us from a rational understanding of ourselves, and the planet we sprang from.

I suspect that you look at what we call wealth and see our trinkets as little more than crude reminders of our self limited abilities, and misplaced sense of values.

Somehow despite our simian nature we managed not to wipe ourselves completely off the face of the planet. It must be true, otherwise you wouldn't be reading this. Somehow we survived, or so I hope.



I wonder about the times that you live in. How is it that your people can survive with the level of technology which would frighten and confuse us.

How different your society must be.

What we consider sacred must seem criminal, and insane to you.

Our flags, and songs of patriotism, all based upon animalistic territoriality, must show us for what we are. And warfare, how we worship it so - for we are in fact murderers at heart.

Religion, the proudest of our creation, is our most dangerous invention - for we deny any responsibility for it. We use it to divide ourselves, and prepare ourselves for war. We use it instead of rationality, and taking responsibility for our own predicament.




And our blood thirsty greed it drove every aspect of our lives, from our governments down to our very personal lives. It is ironic that even though we know we're all dying, and have such incredibly short lifespans that we are driven by our mammal desire to accumulate things. For some it was rocks, for others it was shiny stones and metal. While others starved we ignored their plight in our pursuit of things.



For you I dedicate this post. My wish for you, and your time is that you continue on, and make a better solar system.

1 comment:

Dave said...

I don’t think cockroaches can read.

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  • jeromeprophet@gmail.com

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