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Eyes on YU55 : A Close Encounter of the Philosophical Kind
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A unique and somewhat remarkable "cosmic" event occurred recently ... but because it had no apparent effect upon our world and its large satellite, the fact was simply noted, reported, and then promptly forgotten. On Tuesday, November 8 (2011), an asteroid named YU55 (who says astronomers have no sense of humor?) "about the size of an aircraft-carrier" just happened to pass between the earth and moon as it continues on its own orbit around the sun. No big deal, right? Well, maybe; but it occurs to me that a clever ET might take the opportunity to hitch a ride for the duration of the fly-by in order to take a close look at planet earth, and the goings-on there, while conveniently disguised as a chunk of rock and ice. Would the technology on earth be able to detect his presence aboard the "aircraft-carrier" at the closest point of approach? Not a fraggin chance!
.
The timing of this casual fly-by couldn't be better, for 2011 has clearly proven to be a banner year so far as global political developments go. For example: the so-called 'Arab Spring' event, wherein popular social movements (aided and abetted by developments in communications technologies) toppled traditional tyrannies and ancient regimes. And there was also the decline and fall of Greece and Italy due to market forces and multi-national unions (ie. the euro-zone). And also the Arab League moving to expel the criminal-nation of Syria from their multi-national grouping, and then imposing economic sanctions to underline the point. This last is, in fact, an amazing and wonderful development, and I applaud the Arab League for its wisdom in this frightfully important matter of international relations and the validity of criminal tyranies. All of these ongoing social-political processes (along with others) are, of course, pregnant with possibilities and implications for the future.
.
There have also been many amazing breakthroughs in scientific investigation: such as the odd fact that 74% of the universe is made-up of "dark-matter", and that synchronicity may well be the best way to approach a proper understanding of 'life, the universe, and everything', and that the universe's expansion is accelerating, and that there may well be no light "barrier" after all. Most people don't realize it yet, but these four discoveries (or rather, awakenings) have tipped the current scientific paradigm of understanding over on its ear. The consequences of this fact are very serious indeed. It means that most of what we thought we knew about how the world works is wrong! And this applies as much to economics and philosophy as it does to astro-physics and astronomy. 'Age of Uncertainty' indeed. As it is with economics, so it is with life, the universe, and everything. One of the fews things that we can know with certainty is that we are all a part of something larger. Here then is the beginning of wisdom.
.
And then there is also the spontaneous 'occupy wall-street' protests that have quickly spread around the world, owing to a popular awareness of the flaws and injustice of the current world-business model (based on sovereign states and multi-national corporations; which generates more greed and corruption than wealth). One major problem with this corrupt system of "free" capitalism is the thorny problems regarding wealth-distribution (ie. wealth for the wealthy). Hence the so-called 1% of social parasites that feast upon the 99% by draining away their wealth to a few bottomless, velvet-lined pockets. Even the pope has entered the dialogue by recently adding excessive-wealth to the list of major sins (not that the 1% really give a damn about religion anyway).
.
And so on and so forth. Interesting times, to be sure, but the asteroid-ET would first notice that much has changed in the last five or six decades as regards the outward appearance of the third-planet. There are now seven billion human creatures swarming all over the lands, building towns into cities, and cities into even bigger cities. There is no pattern or order to it. It is simply a blind and chaotic expansion of civilization that has an unrelenting momentum of its own. Nor has the corresponding expansion of industry been without effect upon the biosphere, for the planet is noticeably warmer than it was even fifty years ago. Nor is the cause of this rise in temperature difficult to find, as thousands of factories around the globe freely and openly pump out greenhouse gases by the ton.
.
Civilization in the 21st century is a global affair in many and various ways. The world-wide-web (or internet) operates at the speed of light and thus instantly connects everything and everyone to everything and everyone else. Recent events (such as the financial meltdown of 2009) shows us that even economies that are widely scattered over the globe are deeply and intimately connected to each other in many and various ways. Local actions and events have effects that ripple around the globe, and consequences that can last for years, decades, and even centuries. We are all plugged in. It's not just a connected world anymore, it's now a very connected world. And yet a contradiction exists at the very core of our shared global-village. Civilization is merging and melding all societies and cultures and economies, but these are all organized around independent nations that are supposedly supreme and absolute in terms of local-power and local-authority. National governments, in other words, are supreme within the boundaries of their borders (which are basically little more than lines on a map).
.
This idea of the soverign-state is a contradiction, a collective delusion, a primitive and absurd fairy tale. And the core of this delusion is the vain idea that the sovereign-state is answerable to no one but itself. For the sovereign-state is like unto a god, absolute and supreme, such that the only laws that any given nation need abide by are those of its own choosing. Well, I'm afraid that this will not do. For as a system of organizing large groups of peoples into coherent units, these sovereign-states are not merely primitive and counter-productive, but also stupid and destructive as well (eg. the criminal nations of Syria, India, and China). Obviously there can only be one law (ie. one set of laws) for all nations, one Law that all not-so-sovereign-states must abide by. This is the idea that sits quietly beneath the Assembly of United Nations, and indeed of all international organizations, corporations, and other global-entities (eg. such as stock markets). In any case, all these recent events only show us that the quality of these sovereign-states has now come into question, and actually poses a real threat to world peace.
.
For it is no longer the case that "a nation" can decide its own destiny (regardless of its particular form of government), but rather it is the markets and international organizations and corporations that control the power to decide the fates of billions of people. Yet These fictitious entities called sovereign nations, these reckless, irresponsible, and criminal states (eg. India, China, Syria), these corrupt and barbarous countries, are all governed through laws, such that both the people and their governments expect everyone to be loyal and law-abiding citizens. And all the while these nations are so busy polluting the planet for the good of their own local economies, that they forget that they are also committing genocide on the entire human race. For the radical changes and extreme reactions that their actions provoke from the biosphere as a whole will be visited upon everyone, and not just on their own blind and carefree countries.
.
And as YU55 sails away, the observer beams one final thought back to us: "Goodbye planet-earth. Your civilization is stupid and immature, your nations and peoples are greedy and self-destructive, and your time is
short indeed."
.
- the almost extraterrestrial one - cybrwurm ;>
.
P.S. X marks the spot where the kisses are wrought:
x
Eyes on YU55 : A Close Encounter of the Philosophical Kind
.
A unique and somewhat remarkable "cosmic" event occurred recently ... but because it had no apparent effect upon our world and its large satellite, the fact was simply noted, reported, and then promptly forgotten. On Tuesday, November 8 (2011), an asteroid named YU55 (who says astronomers have no sense of humor?) "about the size of an aircraft-carrier" just happened to pass between the earth and moon as it continues on its own orbit around the sun. No big deal, right? Well, maybe; but it occurs to me that a clever ET might take the opportunity to hitch a ride for the duration of the fly-by in order to take a close look at planet earth, and the goings-on there, while conveniently disguised as a chunk of rock and ice. Would the technology on earth be able to detect his presence aboard the "aircraft-carrier" at the closest point of approach? Not a fraggin chance!
.
The timing of this casual fly-by couldn't be better, for 2011 has clearly proven to be a banner year so far as global political developments go. For example: the so-called 'Arab Spring' event, wherein popular social movements (aided and abetted by developments in communications technologies) toppled traditional tyrannies and ancient regimes. And there was also the decline and fall of Greece and Italy due to market forces and multi-national unions (ie. the euro-zone). And also the Arab League moving to expel the criminal-nation of Syria from their multi-national grouping, and then imposing economic sanctions to underline the point. This last is, in fact, an amazing and wonderful development, and I applaud the Arab League for its wisdom in this frightfully important matter of international relations and the validity of criminal tyranies. All of these ongoing social-political processes (along with others) are, of course, pregnant with possibilities and implications for the future.
.
There have also been many amazing breakthroughs in scientific investigation: such as the odd fact that 74% of the universe is made-up of "dark-matter", and that synchronicity may well be the best way to approach a proper understanding of 'life, the universe, and everything', and that the universe's expansion is accelerating, and that there may well be no light "barrier" after all. Most people don't realize it yet, but these four discoveries (or rather, awakenings) have tipped the current scientific paradigm of understanding over on its ear. The consequences of this fact are very serious indeed. It means that most of what we thought we knew about how the world works is wrong! And this applies as much to economics and philosophy as it does to astro-physics and astronomy. 'Age of Uncertainty' indeed. As it is with economics, so it is with life, the universe, and everything. One of the fews things that we can know with certainty is that we are all a part of something larger. Here then is the beginning of wisdom.
.
And then there is also the spontaneous 'occupy wall-street' protests that have quickly spread around the world, owing to a popular awareness of the flaws and injustice of the current world-business model (based on sovereign states and multi-national corporations; which generates more greed and corruption than wealth). One major problem with this corrupt system of "free" capitalism is the thorny problems regarding wealth-distribution (ie. wealth for the wealthy). Hence the so-called 1% of social parasites that feast upon the 99% by draining away their wealth to a few bottomless, velvet-lined pockets. Even the pope has entered the dialogue by recently adding excessive-wealth to the list of major sins (not that the 1% really give a damn about religion anyway).
.
And so on and so forth. Interesting times, to be sure, but the asteroid-ET would first notice that much has changed in the last five or six decades as regards the outward appearance of the third-planet. There are now seven billion human creatures swarming all over the lands, building towns into cities, and cities into even bigger cities. There is no pattern or order to it. It is simply a blind and chaotic expansion of civilization that has an unrelenting momentum of its own. Nor has the corresponding expansion of industry been without effect upon the biosphere, for the planet is noticeably warmer than it was even fifty years ago. Nor is the cause of this rise in temperature difficult to find, as thousands of factories around the globe freely and openly pump out greenhouse gases by the ton.
.
Civilization in the 21st century is a global affair in many and various ways. The world-wide-web (or internet) operates at the speed of light and thus instantly connects everything and everyone to everything and everyone else. Recent events (such as the financial meltdown of 2009) shows us that even economies that are widely scattered over the globe are deeply and intimately connected to each other in many and various ways. Local actions and events have effects that ripple around the globe, and consequences that can last for years, decades, and even centuries. We are all plugged in. It's not just a connected world anymore, it's now a very connected world. And yet a contradiction exists at the very core of our shared global-village. Civilization is merging and melding all societies and cultures and economies, but these are all organized around independent nations that are supposedly supreme and absolute in terms of local-power and local-authority. National governments, in other words, are supreme within the boundaries of their borders (which are basically little more than lines on a map).
.
This idea of the soverign-state is a contradiction, a collective delusion, a primitive and absurd fairy tale. And the core of this delusion is the vain idea that the sovereign-state is answerable to no one but itself. For the sovereign-state is like unto a god, absolute and supreme, such that the only laws that any given nation need abide by are those of its own choosing. Well, I'm afraid that this will not do. For as a system of organizing large groups of peoples into coherent units, these sovereign-states are not merely primitive and counter-productive, but also stupid and destructive as well (eg. the criminal nations of Syria, India, and China). Obviously there can only be one law (ie. one set of laws) for all nations, one Law that all not-so-sovereign-states must abide by. This is the idea that sits quietly beneath the Assembly of United Nations, and indeed of all international organizations, corporations, and other global-entities (eg. such as stock markets). In any case, all these recent events only show us that the quality of these sovereign-states has now come into question, and actually poses a real threat to world peace.
.
For it is no longer the case that "a nation" can decide its own destiny (regardless of its particular form of government), but rather it is the markets and international organizations and corporations that control the power to decide the fates of billions of people. Yet These fictitious entities called sovereign nations, these reckless, irresponsible, and criminal states (eg. India, China, Syria), these corrupt and barbarous countries, are all governed through laws, such that both the people and their governments expect everyone to be loyal and law-abiding citizens. And all the while these nations are so busy polluting the planet for the good of their own local economies, that they forget that they are also committing genocide on the entire human race. For the radical changes and extreme reactions that their actions provoke from the biosphere as a whole will be visited upon everyone, and not just on their own blind and carefree countries.
.
And as YU55 sails away, the observer beams one final thought back to us: "Goodbye planet-earth. Your civilization is stupid and immature, your nations and peoples are greedy and self-destructive, and your time is
short indeed."
.
- the almost extraterrestrial one - cybrwurm ;>
.
P.S. X marks the spot where the kisses are wrought:
x