A trick of mind
From TKwiki
“Curiosity brought people the advance”
Once upon a time, a spaceship was floating across unexplored space. Crystals of ice on wings were melting as a ship approached the sun and planets. If we could see trough the protective shields, we’d look into the face of young scientist and explorer. We’ll call him Ashley. He’s a part of a S.E.A.R.C.H. project (led by military), which consists in finding colonizable planets, due to overpopulated Earth, which doesn’t offer enough of sources. He’s waiting for his ship to come to a target planet, so he’s got plenty of time (although he spends most of it in hibernation bed). What would you do if you had two years of free time ? Ashley was thinking about purpose of his journey:
“Does a human race have a right to spread out like a cancer, depleting natural sources everywhere ?
Is really a men’s purpose to wipe out all other forms of life, including those we call for ourselves unuseful ?
How long will it take to a mankind to meet another beings, who’ll wipe us out like we did with other weaker species ?”
I can answer only the third question – the answer sounds: “Several hours.”
Several hours later:
Silver arrow-shaped ship is silently descending to an uncharted remote planet. The crew – our scientist – is looking down. Sensors are finding the place habitable, atmosphere is full of oxygen - natural conditions are suitable. The surface is full of forests, with green trees fluttering in the wind.
“Paradise at a first glance,” told Ashley for himself, although he was trembling with nervousness – he expected typical unhabitable planet, not the one he was staring at. Finally – the ship descended and sat onto a grassy surface, which seemed stable and safe. Ashley fetched a sigh of relief and sat tired into comfortable armchair. He was stressed like never before. And the strange, weird feeling in his head... Ashley felt like if somebody’s thin fingers searched through his nerve fibers, revealing every thought, every memory, everything. And suddenly, the shattered sound of thousand voices whispered:
“Who are you ? Your species aren’t known to usss.”
“How did you... How can I hear your voice ? Who’s speaking ?” Startled thoughts echoed in Ashley’s head.
“We are the Mother and the Children. We are the voice of all. We are the Mind of Many, we are the thoughts of Flesh,” sounded the response. Trembling Ashley instinctively gripped a gun controller.
“Why do you bind your existence with the cold steel, that exact machine ?”
“I... it protects me.”
“You don’t remember your origin ? The prehistoric seas and pure organic beings ? How weird is the kind of beauty you find in connection with coldness , so hostile to flesh.” Ashley was ashamed for all people living their lives with machines.
“Let us show you the warmth, the coziness, the love of us.”
Thousands of voices united with his biorhythm and Ashley felt so nice, as a part of something big and wonderful, as a gear in perfectly working clock. It was a sensation he has never experienced before. He was floating, diving into the ideas of the Mind and he felt like a child in mother’s womb.
His thoughts were interrupted by a noise from transmitter:
”Private Ashley,” harsh voice of a man who devoted whole life to commanding other men, “is a planet suitable for our purpose ?”
Ashley imagined thousands of guns, aggressive birds of steel, all the chemicals to ‘adapt’ surface and inhabitants of this planet for mankind...
“No sir, this planet is unhabitable, with sulfuric vapors all around the place .”
“All right. Ashley ?”
“Yes ?”
“Return to base.”
“Ay sir.”
There was a strange change in behavior of the Mind.
“Yesss, take your cold pieces of junk away for we don’t want them here!”
“But...,” whispered Ashley. He felt those thousands of voices like the mob under gallows; the mob waiting for his death.
“Leave, we don’t want our flesh to be overtaken by your blades and guns. Leave, say them not to go here. Leave. Leave.”
“Leave,” shouted the crowds, “don’t dare to infest our planet with individuality of people !”
Last words caused Ashley a headache like never before. He held his head with both hands perspired and somehow managed to get computer start the ship.
As a silver arrow was rising, the headache slowly disappeared and, after a few hours, he managed to stay calm.
“Don’t panic,” he said to himself. “It’s all over. I’ll simply say that there’s nothing and nobody will know that this planet ever existed.”
He ate a dinner, went into hibernation bed and ordered computer to wake him up near home base.
And now, two races are travelling across the space: The representative of mankind, Ashley, hibernated in a ship and the representative of alien race, spores containing consciousness of the Mind, carefully attached on ship’s hull, waiting silently for a place to grow, for millions of brains to enslave... ...and they don’t need a philosophy.
tomáš kafka
scilla space installation
19. 7. 2341