JUNE 28, 2022 – “Another crazy . . . strike that,” I said. “Another fascinating aspect of the human condition is how we govern ourselves—or to cover the various means that we’ve thus far devised, how we are governed. “I understand you’re different from ants,” said the alien. “Yes, though there’s a lot to be …

JUNE 27, 2022 – (Cont.) A feeling that was at once alluring and discomfiting rose among my thoughts. Was I, a non-believer—advancing an argument of sorts for some kind of belief? But what was the premise of the argument? The irrepressible power of acculturation? The mere march of time and with it, the closing proximity …

JUNE 26, 2022 – (Cont.) “As I’ve said—I’m here to learn,” said the alien. “Good! I’m not the best instructor you could’ve cornered, but I’m willing to try. However, before I fully wrap my head around the concept of leading you on a distant field trip, I have a bit more to say about the …

JUNE 25, 2022 – (Cont.) “From these principles flow countless acts of mercy and charitable initiatives that genuinely improve the human condition. As critical as I might be of religion for all of the evil done in its name, I’m not prepared to condemn religion wholesale. “Plus some of humankind’s most beautiful art, music, architecture, …

JUNE 24, 2022 – (Cont.) “Want me to continue?” I asked, fearful that I’d exceeded the alien’s intake capacity. “Yes. I’m here to learn.” “Christianity wasn’t—isn’t—alone in experiencing innumerable internal rifts, splits, and schisms. Islam has been fraught with the same, leading to bloody, titanic conflicts between Shiites and Sunnis, and among a host of …

JUNE 22, 2022 – (Cont.) “You’re reading my mind!” I said, revealing my fear and anxiety. Why were we even having a conversation if the alien could read my mind? Some kind of sinister trick was going on. My tongue froze, as my mind spun. I’d stepped into a cosmic trap and dragged all of …

JUNE 21, 2022 – (Cont.) “Yes, what we lack in scientific knowledge—though we’re making big strides in that arena—we compensate with our imaginations and sometimes our hallucinations. To cover all possibilities, religious people tell us that ‘God works in strange ways.’ Indeed he does. Or should I say, indeed he used to. Nowadays, as we …

JUNE 20, 2022 – (Cont.) “Despite the rancor and discord that also defines us, we’ve always figured out ways to organize ourselves for all sorts of needs and whims, from growing food to building cities to warring as one nation against another. Religion’s no exception. Within each version a priestly class arose to organize the …

JUNE 19, 2020 – Cont.) “Your question about human prayer,” I said, “also inquires about religion, a subject I’ve already touched upon, one that largely defines humanity, however many people have opted-out of organized religion.” “Organized?” “Sorry, that’s a technical term describing religion that coalesces around a vast network of priests, pastors, rabbis, imams, or …

JUNE 18, 2022 – The alien’s filaments were no longer flashing red. They were a blindingly bright, steady red, as the alien’s sound mechanism issued an ear-splitting, “Whoop! Whoop! Whoop!” not unlike an earth-based, commercial building fire alarm.  Had I just endangered our whole species? In an ironic twist had I overwhelmed the alien with …

JUNE 17, 2022 – (Cont.) “You’re correct to a degree,” I said. “And many pollution issues have been addressed successfully for the very reason you cited—an immediate problem with a relatively short-term remedy. However,” I said, “all this pollution has a cumulative effect that is much longer term, and that’s where human myopia comes into …

JUNE 16, 2022 – (Cont.) “From there we continually outdid ourselves in the pursuit of technology and production of stuff, fueled by coal and oil—fossil fuels—which heated the foundries that made the steel from which clever humans made heavy railroads, heavy machinery, and tall buildings, all in turn heated propelled and lubricated by the same …

JUNE 15, 2022 – (Cont.) “To be sure,” I continued, “throughout the planet’s epochs, the natural order produced periods of inhospitable climate. Many of these epochs preceded our tree-bound ancestors, but many untoward phases followed our first recognizably deep-throated (and fully attired) appearance—times involving regional droughts, ice ages (big and mini), warming of polar regions, …

JUNE 14, 2022 – (Cont.) The alien’s filaments blinked—at an evenly pace, as if signaling patience while I assembled a response to the “why” of our myopia. Hadn’t I explained myself clearly enough? Dopamine plus a limited life span. Simple enough. But what about the original question of this phase—the notion of our “worst bad …

JUNE 13, 2022 – (Cont.) “Dopamine and myopia are easy to come by,” I said. “You start with fat and sugar to create fast food. Once you have humans hooked on burgers, fries, and chocolate shakes, dopamine flows fast and furiously. Then you step things up. You dream up, design, build, distribute, and sell more …

JUNE 12, 2022 – (Cont.) “You see, because of our biological needs, we’re very short-term creatures. No oxygen, we perish in minutes. No water, a couple of days. No food, a bit longer, but not much longer. And even if we have plenty of food, water, and oxygen, one way or another our bodies give …

JUNE 11, 2022 – Blinking but without humming or saying a word, the alien rose from the table and gracefully exited through the central screen panel of the porch. It then soared to the top of a neighbor’s maple tree and rested there, pulsating, for several minutes before retracing its course back to the tabletop. …

JUNE 10, 2022 – (Cont.) And I hadn’t gotten to Beethoven yet. I found a YouTube recording of his Ninth performed by the Berlin Phil, Herbert Von Karajan conducting. I went straight to the fourth movement featuring Schiller’s Ode to Joy and let it rip. If the alien had the equivalent of socks, surely this musical …

JUNE 9, 2022 – (Cont.) “Bach the church musician, wrote St. John Passion and St. Matthew Passion, ‘John’ and ‘Matthew’ each being a gospel writer, four gospels—plus the Epistles and the Book of Revelation constituting the New Testament . . .” I stopped, realizing I’d slid recklessly back down the rabbit holes of religion, scripture, …

JUNE 8, 2022 – (Cont.) “Bach himself wrote a preface to his collection of Inventions. Let me read it to you,” I said, “which I found on the internet—arguably one of the other great inventions of human civilization”: Forthright instruction, wherewith lovers of the clavier [precursor of the modern piano], especially those desirous of learning, …

JUNE 6, 2022 – (Cont.) “Can I ask,” I said, “if the concept of beauty exists on your Goldilocks planet?” The alien’s luminous filaments expanded, then contracted rhythmically, as if part of a philosophical pulmonary function. My question had registered, but absent a verbal explanation, I couldn’t divine the alien’s bottom-line reaction. “Yes,” said the …

JUNE 5, 2022 – (Cont.) As seconds became minutes, I felt tension within my indecision. The question before me was the most critical the alien could pose. Thus far in our conversation, the information and insights I’d provided were sorely inadequate or worse; at best, a mixed bag. Now I faced a renewed quandary in …

JUNE 4, 2022 – “Tell me,” said the alien. “What’s your best stuff?” I was taken aback. Was the question posed with low expectations or . . . by my having mentioned the human capacity for self-reflection, did the alien think I’d edified the case for humanity? And where to begin with a response?! This …