David Calder Hardy's Cosmology
What on Earth Are They Doing?
What on Earth Are They Doing?
A Sci Fi short story.
"I spend every day of my life travelling around this galaxy and honestly, there's one planet out there that absolutely gets my goat. I just feel so depressed when I leave there and move on to Alfa".
"I know, Ven", said Peth, "all other instances of industrial evolution throughout the galaxy, without exception, have put morality and care of their environment ahead of technical advancement. It's very sad". "I remember you saying one hundred and fifty three years ago that you thought that lot would have to change, but the Victorian era was just as bad, and this last century, well, it's almost unbelievable. I know how you feel. But hey, you're retiring soon and Jos will be taking over. You've taught him well and I think you are going to be a valuable member of our team back here with us. Let the boy have a go at sorting them out. You know, perhaps we might have to visit more often and be firmer in our actions".
"You're right" said Ven, "this last visit has convinced me that if they don't get real soon, Earth is doomed, and we just can't let that happen. It's going to be at least a billion years before Venus is ready for any attempt at serious organic colonising. I flew by there on my way to Alfa and dropped off some algae spores that might survive, but, we've done this before on other virgin planets at that stage of progression and it's failed. Perhaps Jos will be the lucky one and get something organic established there".
"Never mind Ven , you've done your best. It's our fault as the governing body that we didn't give you more powers to knock the agressors back when you warned us last time. I'm afraid that all agressive and 'unhealthy' governing bodies will just have to be wiped out, but that does not mean doing that nine-eleven thing again in a big way around the planet".
Both men fell silent contemplating such a horrific action. On all the eight thousand million or so habitable planets throughout the milkyway galaxy this action had never been suggested before, excepting on Mars some three billion years before, and that intervention was too late to save it from organic obliteration. "Yeah," said Ven sadly, "same system, same problem".
On Colob, they had a detailed database spanning fifty billion years of planetary evolution in the Milkyway. Billions of planets were recorded in minute detail and from the beginning of the industrial development stage and the invention of steam-engine power, developments common to all, a closer scrutiny was called for on all planets, since it was from that time forward that humanities often made huge mistakes that would later impact heavily on the eccological ballance of their planetary environment. And somehow Mars and Earth had both, well, overstepped the mark.
The governing body of Colob, of whom Ven was the chairperson, were well aware of the corruption caused by money, greed, and the lust for power, and many planets had usary as their banking systems, where financiers created and controlled the issue of money for industry and charged rates of interest for the use of that money to make their fortunes. Many civilisations had rebelled against this system and had devised fair and equitable ways of financing where, although money had to be repayed back to the system, it was collected as a very small tax on the profits of that industry. It meant that everyone purchasing the goods and services of that industry payed back something into the community that actually topped up the monetary base making more money available to purchase those goods and services that now were offered. However, this method was strictly controlled so that inflation did not occur. Others had gone even further, whereby the created money for new industry was given gratis to the developing body of that new industry as needed. It cost nobody anything, but the industry when selling its goods, had a larger pool of public affluence that could afford those goods and services. These societies became technically advanced more quickly and agression between groups on these planets simply didn't occur.
Because planet governing bodies could concentrate on development, hand in hand with safe eccological practice, they took pride in their achievements and managed to extend the organic life of their planets billions of years beyond the norm. Sadly, in the solar system, there is a gap in the planetary progressive cycle where a planet did not form. Between Mars and Jupiter, is instead, a ring of rocks, they call the Asteroid Belt, and that gap in the normal organic progression had an adverse effect on the mammalian family of species developed on Mars and later on earth.
As Ven said, "the development of their morality was hindered by their greed and it could take hundreds of generations to rectify".Beside the possible misuse of nuclear energy there was another threat to be considered, something safe to handle in a responsible way but terrifying if not, and earth had not invented it yet. It will start with Gravity Transportation Technology. The discovery may be quite by accident or perhaps design, but it will entail the invention of anti-gravity, and it will be so simple that anyone over the age of ten will be able to set it up and use it without threat to life or limb. All forms of transport will be driven by controlled gravity.
So firstly, anti-gravity technology and then hard on its heals, gravity modulation through a focused beam, like a laser, would be invented. Communication between Earth and other planets in the Milkyway will be possible, since the speed of gravity is not restricted. Then earth will have unlimited and unrestricted access to a galactic database of knowledge. And the problem then will be that man has not reached the moral and ethical state of mind capable of utilising that information for the common good.
Peth called the congress members to discuss the problems with earth and through a very advanced form of video conferencing Peth and Ven outlined what was observed and a discussion proceeded among the members. After several hours of examination of the report tabled by Ven, it was decided that all members, over the next week, fill out a Report of Action. The report outlined key issues that needed to be rectified and each of those could be dealt with in a number of different ways where each member would choose their preferences in each case. When all contributions were in, a computer spat out the Remedy of Action. In spite of the abhorance felt about using force, over fifty percent of members voted for a rather crushing attack on those nations that maintained military weaponry and were ready to use it against others beyond their own territorial boundaries. They recognised that all companies and personel employed to manufacture and the users of that weaponry, were not directly responsible for its use, so therefore their lives in most cases should be spared. However, the heads of those governments and the power behind them should be identified, down to the last individual and then killed. The arms should be dismantled and melted down for the manufacture of peaceful goods, machinery, tools etc., to serve the common good.
The methods of excecution to be used were not stated but would be highly selective, but could involve whole families.
Well. folks, as you know, the rest is history.
David
30th February 2666
Genesis Continuous - Complete