The Light

The first night after we jumped here we were surprised to find only one star in the sky; declination of minus 16 degrees, 40 minutes, right ascension of 6 hours, 45 minutes, and an apparent magnitude of minus 1.5.  It was almost exactly where we should see Sirius in our heavens.  But it was alone.

We asked our host about the star and he explained the star known as the Light was noted throughout the year and its position matched the months of the year.  Long ago it was believed that the Light was God shining down on them through the night, then when it was understood that the Light was a sun like their Sun, it was believed that it was the home of God and He still watched them from that vantage point.  Now, he explained, most people do not actually believe that God lives there on or near the Light.

Their astronomers have determined that the Light is a star like their own but bigger and it is about 9 light years away.  They have trained telescopes to observe the Light in every part of the electromagnetic spectrum.  They believe it is about the same age as their sun, and will die a few million years before their sun.

We asked him how big the universe was.  He answered that no one knows for sure.  There is an apparent radiant glow left over from the creation of the universe, but without other objects as references, the universe, as space and time may extend out away from the Sun and the Light forever, but for all practicality it is viewed as a sphere containing the two stars and their one planet.

One of us asked something about the Antropic Principle, and he answered that the universe contained but one world, and it was inhabited by life and intelligence, so that was considered very strong evidence for it's creation for them.  Humans were very important in this universe.

Pressed with more questions, he continued and told us that most of them felt either very special, as children of God or the Universe or they felt very lonely.  They also understood that the Light and the Sun would die and the universe would fall dark and that there would be no where else for them to go.  But everyone and everything dies, so it is left in the hands of God.  Perhaps they would all live in another world with another light.

We admired the beauty of his city shining bright in the dark, and asked how they were governed, and how they had achieved such a great civilization.  He seemed pleased that we recognized their advanced state.  And he told us us that as the only living intelligence on the only world in the universe they had to learn to live in peace; this was their only home, the only home they could ever have.  They could not afford to wage wars or to fight over or waste resources.  They had to share this, their home.

We asked him how this was achieved.  He told us they killed everyone who would fight, or create conflict, or refuse to share resources fairly.  They then eliminated everything and everyone that was not useful to humanity.  Then they had peace and prosperity under the Light.

E Pluribus Unum (in 3 Stages)

"I would like show you how we unify ourselves." said my time traveling guide, and we jumped into a classroom of what appeared to be high school students.

The teacher asked a question and two different answers were given starting a debate.  The teacher seemed pleased with the lively discussion.  Then a kid raised his hand and holding a cell phone presented documented evidence in favor of one of the positions.  The discussion was effectively over.  There was a few questions about the validity of the information, but little else.  The internet shut down the debate.  Information won.

"You are just beginning to experience the effects of universal information and knowledge," stated my guide, "Let's look at the next step."

We jumped onto a wide corridor full of pedestrians.  We listened to a couple talking to each other.

"So, what do you think?" asked the man to his partner.

She nodded, and answered, "I think it looks good."

"So, you're OK with it?"

"Sure, why wouldn't I be?"

We let them walk on out of range.  My guide stopped to explain what we just overheard.

"That couple were making a decision.  The system provided all the information they needed to optimally make that decision.  There really couldn't be any debate over the information, it is accurate and complete.  The only thing left was to check each other's emotional response to the information and the obvious choice to be made."

"So, with accurate and complete information, there is no debate, and very little discussion."

"Right.  And now the next phase.  We will stay here and connect you to everyone else.  This will feel disorienting at first, but the system will moderate the input for you."

And suddenly I felt as though my mind just opened up and I was in touch with everyone around me.  I saw a a young woman look at me and smile; and I thought what she thought, felt what she felt, and could sense what she saw and heard.

"You are now connected directly with everyone around you."

And now looking around I noticed how quiet it was in the walkway.  There were very few conversations, no arguments, no one trying to convince others he was right, because everyone already knew everything the system knew and everything everyone else thought too.

My guide summarized what I was glimpsing, "Information ends opinions and differences, and knowledge unifies people to the point that there is nothing more to say."

Going Green

Dr. Bentley asked me how I felt.

"I feel fine.  Should I feel any different?  My skin doesn't look much different.  Did it work?"

He smiled.

"Oh, it worked just fine.  You are now an autotroph," he said, "You can access the post-op info, but be assured the chloroplasts in your epidermis will darken in the light; you will turn a nice deep green in a few days.  The symbiotic nitrogen fixers in your alveoli, and modifications to your protein syntheses will complete the whole autotrophic metabolism.  You now longer need to eat anything!

"You will need to drink water as usual, and include some mineral supplements.  Also, be cautioned.  Do not spend too much time in the sun.  You can become overweight with too much sunlight."

"Great!"  I rose and shook his hand, "Thank you!"

"I hope you enjoy being green," he replied, and added, "Are you headed to one of the green colonies?"

"Yes, Belize."

"Good.  You should fit in very well there."

Grinning, I thanked him again and headed to what I think would be the best vacation ever.

A Healing

As we create a technological heaven on earth, we will run into objections to the powers we acquire.

The Bakers reluctantly invited the Governor into the room.  Though the system, of course, already knew the situation, the holo-person dressed in a suit, looked authoritatively around the room.  The Bakers, Mary and Edward, sat next to the crib holding their infant daughter, Hope.  Hope was seriously ill and was estimated to die in about 72 hours.

“Mr. and Mrs. Baker,” the Governor respectfully addressed them, “Thank you for letting me visit you and your little daughter, Hope.”

The Bakers looked suspiciously at the Governor, “Thank you for coming and showing interest in our little daughter; but as we already told everyone else, we are not asking for intervention to heal our Hope.  We have faith that God will heal her.”

“I understand,” the system’s holo-presence responded.

“I have to make one last appeal.”

Mr. Baker shook his head, “We won’t change our minds.”

The Governor took a step closer to the crib.

“The system can fix Hope immediately.  Her physical condition can be corrected and she will be in perfect health.  We can heal her now.”

“We have faith in God’s merciful will,” answered Mary.

Her husband added, “It is our right as Hope’s parents to raise her in our faith.”
The Governor nodded.

“This is a difficult position for us.  We protect everyone from harm, and try to protect each person’s personal liberties as long as no one, including that person is harmed in any physical way.

“You have the right to raise your daughter according to your faith, but can you see that at this moment you are hurting her?  How can the system allow Hope to suffer like this?”

“We have faith that God can heal her,” Mary reaffirmed.

 The Governor held out his hands, “We have the power to take Hope from you and see to it that she lives a healthy life with loving parents.”

Edward’s eyes flashed with ignited anger and he rose to his feet.

“You would take away our daughter and our rights?  You would violate our faith in God?”

The Governor raised his hands higher and in a calmer voice asked, “How do you know that God isn’t healing your daughter through the system?”

“The system has been created by men, not by God,” Edward argued, “We have faith in God, not the works of men.”

The Governor lowered his hands and asked one last time, “Is there any way I can persuade you to allow the system heal Hope?”

The Bakers both shook their heads and Mary answered, “No.  We have faith in God.  He will heal our little girl.  And if not we accept His infinite, merciful will.  We will be in His hands.”

The Governor nodded and looked down at the tiny suffering body in the crib.

“I understand.  May God answer your prayers.”

He turned and left the room.

Over the next two weeks the infant gradually improved and miraculously gained strength and full health.  The serious birth defect was gone!  Her parents and their whole community praised God for the healing.  Hope grew up and, and to this date, has lived hundreds of healthy years with faith in God, under the protection of the System.

The Perfect Leaf

Four seekers of truth and wisdom approached the One they honored as the wisest of all and asked for their greatest desires to be granted.  The One nodded and lead them to a great tree in the courtyard.

He pointed to the tree and said, "Choose the perfect leaf from this tree and you will realize your greatest desire.

They each approached the tree.  The first climbed up and down ladders and searched every leaf on every branch and twig, comparing leaf against leaf until he pick one with great joy.  He carried it to the One and showed him his leaf.  The master nodded and told the seeker that his greatest desire would now be realized and he could go.

The second seeker stood looking at the tree and turned and met the One empty handed.

"There is no perfection, so there is no perfect leaf." he explained.

The One nodded, "Your greatest desire shall now be fulfilled.  You may go," he said.

The third seeker of truth and wisdom, looked at the tree and then stepped up to the nearest leaf and picked it and took it to the One.

"All is perfect," he explained.

The master nodded and told this one that his desires would also be fulfilled and was allowed to go.

The last seeker sat and looked at the tree.  He saw how the leaves moved in the breeze, and then how a leaf fell from the tree.  He arose and picked up the fallen leaf and took it to the master.

"This leaf is perfect because it was given to me by the tree," he explained.

The One nodded and told this seeker that his desires would be realized and that he could go.

Lost

We each woke up in this boat.  There were six of us.  We didn’t know how we got here, and that terrified us.  Our surrounding only deepened our terror.  Where were we?  Why were we here?

We were afloat in some water.  I tasted it; it was salty, so we were adrift in the ocean somewhere.  But the water was still, waveless, like glass.  And we were enveloped by a thick fog.  We assumed it was day, but could not determine where the sun was in  the sky.

Our boat had a few provisions.  There was about two liters of water and a couple packages of nutrition bars for each of us.  We saw that there was a small gas motor and a 5 gallon can of fuel, and a pair of oars.  Whoever put us in the boat also dressed us in warm coats.

As we talked among ourselves, we found that we were from all parts of the country, so there was no clue from our origins as to whether we were afloat in the Atlantic or the Pacific.

We listened carefully for any sound that could tell us where land might be, but heard nothing.  We were lost, completely lost.

We decided to wait until the fog cleared.  Waiting was pretty hard to do, because we all wanted to get out of this boat and onto land again.  But we waited because we didn’t want to waste our fuel going the wrong direction.

After a few hours we heard a sound, a voice calling out into the fog, “Anyone there?”

We got excited thinking we were rescued and called back that we were here.  But our hopes dropped when another boat just like ours rowed out of the fog toward us.  There were six others in that boat too.  They threw a rope to us and we tied the two boats together.

We exchanged introductions and assessments of our situation.  I think we were all cheered a little now that there were more of us, and we talked for a while.  We wondered if there were more boats out here in the fog and started calling out into the blank grey.

In a few minutes we heard and then saw a third boat appear in the fog.  In this one stood a man that definitely looked like the leader of his boat.  He waved at us and seemed to be ready to take command of all three boats.

“Hey!” he shouted, “Follow us, I know the way into shore!”

We got excited about this and began to ready the oars, when one of us asked, “How do you know which way the shore is?”

“It’s not that far,” the guy in the third boat called back pointing out past his bow, “that way!  Follow us!”

Others in his boat waved to us to follow too.

We looked at each other.  The man who questioned the directions, shook his head.

“How can that guy know the direction?  Look, the fog is only thicker, there is no wind, no birds, no indication of land at all yet.  What if he’s taking us away from land?  We have provisions and fuel for two, maybe three days.  We have to get this right.  I want to know how he knows!”

And he stood up and called back at the third boat’s ‘captain.’

“Hey!  How do you know the way back to land?”

The ‘captain’ raised his hands to his mouth and shouted back, “I’m a sailor.  I know.”

Our skeptic yelled back, “Good, but how do you know?”

“Trust me!”

“OK!  But how do you know?”

The ‘captain’ pointed again over his bow, “This is the way!  Trust me!  I’ll get us all home!”

Our companions in the second boat untied the ropes holding us together saying we could do whatever we wanted, but they were going to follow the captain’s boat.  They pushed away and began rowing after the third boat.

We deliberated and our skeptic said that he didn’t really trust the ‘captain,’ but agreed to go along with the majority who voted to follow and stay with the other boats.  We did not want to be out here in the fog alone.

I could see hope in my companion’s faces as I took the first turn rowing after the other two boats.  It felt good to be doing something.  It felt good to be moving.

Three In Utopian Hell

Imagine a future, I have in my story Zenith, where technology protected everyone.  No one could be harmed physically by anyone else.  There could be no murder, war, or threats.  What if everyone had everything he or she could possibly want?  What if all functions of the government were performed by computer.  Heaven on Earth right?

1. The Confession of a Serial Killer

“I am in hell!”

He looked around at the sympathetic eyes that gazed back at him.  No one looked away, no one looked down.

“How so?” one of them asked.

He fidgeted as if to get comfortable.

“I’m not normal,” he began.  “I like to kill.  I like to hunt people, to capture them and torture them and kill them.  I like the chase.  I like seeing the terror in their eyes and then to see all life fade from their eyes.  I like the blood, more is better.  I like, no I love to kill people.

“I look at each of you and think about slitting your throats right here and now.  I would like to hear you beg for your lives, but I would love to hear you each scream in pain and terror.”

He still saw nothing but sympathy in their eyes.  One or two nodded just a bit at what he confessed.

He tried to get comfortable again and cleared his throat.

“I have killed hundreds of people in the virtual but of course the system won’t let me even scratch a single person in the real.  And as real as the virtual seems to be, I know it isn’t.  I haven’t actually killed anyone.  The warm, thick, red blood on my hands isn’t real, even though I can taste it.”

He chuckled and continued, “Some of my victims were willing participants in the virtual…,” he choked a sob with another feeble laugh, “They thanked me for the experience!  The ones I killed thanked me the next day!

“I’m in hell!  What am I supposed to do?”
One sympathetic voice suggested, “You know the system can correct your mental issues completely and permanently.”

He laughed at that.

“Yes, I know.  But if the system fixed me, wouldn’t be me anymore.”

“But you wouldn’t be suffering as you are now.”

“But, I wouldn’t be me.” he growled back at them.

“This perfect system is hell for me!”

2. The Jihadist

He smiled.

“Well, we cannot actually fight and conquer the world in the name of Allah,” he admitted, “the system does not allow for the strategies of the 21st Century.  We can fight battles in the virtual, but at the end of the day they are like a football game.  Who actually wins?  What does it mean? Nothing really.

“The political injustices are done away.  Everyone is equal.  Everyone has a home, food and water, every comfort.  So, our jihad must be different, now.  We cannot enforce Sharia Law within the system.  There can be no real punishments.

“So our jihad must be in our example of who we are.  We are Muslim and we must show the world that Islam is the only true way to live.  The whole world must see the benefits of being Muslim.  Our jihad is our presentation to the world.  It is marketing really.  It is all the system allows us to do; we can do no more until Allah frees us from this machine.”

He continued to smile.

3. The Freedom Fighter

He tugged at his uniform and looked at the interviewer with a fire in his eyes.

“The system violates our God given human rights!” he declared.

“What do you mean?”

“We were given the rights to govern ourselves as human beings, created in the image of God, and they built this computer that makes all the decisions for us!”

“What decisions do you want to make?”

“Where I want to live.”

“Where do you want to live?”

“On the ground that the Good Lord Himself created, and not in this sterile tower!  We should have the right to defend ourselves instead of some machine’s force field.”

“But it protects everyone the same.”

“But no one has a choice.  What if we didn’t want that protection?  What if we wanted to take care of ourselves?  We are man not babies that need protection from everything.”

“But you would be opening yourself to risks.”

“Life is all about risks, or at least it used to be before the system was built.”

“What else would you change?”
“Humans leading humans, not some machine!”

“How would that be better than the Governor Program?”

“It would be flesh and blood, not some computer program!”

“Well, everyone is safe.  There is no death, no illnesses, no physical conflicts, everyone has everything they need or want.  They can do anything they want in the virtual, and anything they want in the real as long as no one is hurt.  They can live anywhere in the virtual.  Every person has a voice in the government’s decisions.  What more do you want?

“We want freedom from the tyranny of the system!  We want to have control of the system in our human, flesh and blood hands again!  Power to the people!  We want to be free!” he shouted with his hand raised in a fist.

“Thank you for sharing your views with us.  They are duly noted.” said the holo-image of the Governor.