JUNE 2, 2022 – (Cont.) “But many other phenomena weren’t so obvious. Why, for example, was bad stuff—storms, earthquakes, pestilence, attacks by wild animals—continually happening? Without clearly observable causes, the human psyche had to create them. What moved this process along were dreams. Yes, dreams in which all sorts of weird stuff occurred—including the appearance of deceased loved ones. Mix human psychology and brain chemistry and presto, you get “God” or “gods” or some version of higher forces interfering with the human condition. Once you’ve got “God” or “gods,” religion and high priesthood aren’t far behind.
“With the advent of science and the scientific method, however, we humans got a lot smarter, moving further into regions of reason and enlightenment. We discovered that the sun didn’t, in fact, revolve around the sun. Just the opposite. Moreover, we learned that night and day were caused by the earth’s rotation, not solar revolutions—a revelation, if you will, closely tied to an understanding that the earth wasn’t flat at all but spherical. These discoveries had a profound impact on how we viewed our place in the scheme of creation.”
“As I mentioned,” said the thing, “I’ve got a good handle on science.”
“Yeah, I know, but until you understand millennia of human history, you’ll never have a good handle on religion. Besides, even in the realm of science, you need to understand not only what we know but how humans react to what we know, as well as to what we don’t know.”
“Go on.”
“The rise of knowledge followed the rise of religion, and this created multi-faceted friction—not only between reason and emotion but within the realm of reason. Moreover, the evolution of religion led to conflicts among faith-based stakeholders.”
“If I could interrupt . . .” said the alien.
“Sure.” I braced myself. The thing’s filaments flashed as if in irritation.
“Vikings vs. Packers; reason vs. emotion; religion vs. religion . . . why do you humans fight so much among yourselves? I mean, given all the dangers you face, why are your greatest enemies other humans?”
“I’ll offer you this,” I said. “We’ve largely managed to convert destructive conflict into constructive competition. Even our entertainment has become more enlightened.”
“How so?”
“In Roman times, gladiators fought each other (or wild beasts) to the death in an arena full of cheering and jeering spectators. Contrast that bloody method of entertainment with Vikings vs. Packers football of modern times, as we discussed earlier—granted, players get hurt, but they never die by the sword (or jaws) while playing the game.
“Now, in the spirit of realism, okay, we do have Russia’s special military operation, so-called, in Ukraine, started by Putin, Russia’s president.”
“Is that operation being fought with marshmallows?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Because, well . . . good question. At least . . .” I hesitated. I was going to say, “. . . they haven’t yet unleashed nuclear weapons,” but I abruptly realized that (a) use of nuclear weapons remains an all too possible likelihood, and (b) I worried about the fate of hostage-humanity, as the alien dug deeper into the nature of homo horribilis.
I punted. “Look, I must acknowledge that humans have yet to evolve out of their penchant for violence, but you’ve got to cut us some slack.” (Cont.)
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© 2022 by Eric Nilsson
