Musings:
Where is your chimney located, dear reader? Is it an external or an internal chimney? I ask because I recently have become fascinated by chimneys. An external chimney is a structure attached to the main body of the house, whereas an internal chimney is a pipe which runs from a furnace in the basement upwards through the roof. External chimneys are attached to a side of the house not facing the street. Apparently, there is an ordinance governing the location.
Words of wisdom: Don’t let anybody ruin your day. Ruin it yourself.
I’ve come across an interesting quotation from The Twilight Zone TV series. It’s taken from the episode entitled “He’s Alive” and recounts how a neo-Nazi-type is being manipulated by a shadowy figure. At the end of the episode, the protagonist discovers that the figure is none other than Adolf Hitler. Rod Serling, the show’s creator, then utters the quote:
“Remember it [the appearance of Hitler] when you hear a name called, a minority attacked, unreasoning assault on a people or any human being. He’s alive because through these things, we keep him alive” (The Twilight Zone, season 4, episode 4).
Uncle Adolf has gone to his reward. But, his successor is alive and well and carrying his torch. He is name-calling every waking hour; he is attacking minorities every single day; he is assaulting (metaphorically) any and all whom he deems a threat to him. Nothing and no one can deter him from spewing lies and insults, making counter-threats against his perceived enemies, or stirring up his followers to commit violence on his behalf. We needn’t name him. We all know who he is. He will be “alive” for generations to come.
Another question which arises concerning UFOs is, if they exist, why haven’t they made First Contact?
The Chas offers this analogy. Say you’re walking down the street and you pass by a yard with a sign posted. The sign reads “Beware of Dog.” Beyond the sign is the dog on a chain. The dog is barking fiercely and baring its teeth. Would you then approach the dog in order to pet it? Not bloody likely, mate. You’d keep on walking. You’d wait until the dog was tamed and trained.
Similarly, the ETs are waiting for humankind to become more civilized.
What’s that you say, dear reader? Aren’t we civilized? Look at all of our works. Isn’t that civilization?
Some of our works are weapons of mass destruction, and we’re not afraid to use them if and when the spirit moves us. And speaking of “spirits,” we are so addle-brained by xenophobia and the “us” vs. “them” mentality – brought on partially by religious prattling –that we will use those weapons against any and all of those “thems.” The whole history of humankind has demonstrated our penchant for loud barking and baring of teeth.
More advanced ETs may have posted a symbolic “Beware of Dog” sign somewhere in our star system, but less advanced ETs ignore the sign. Signs are for other people, don’t you know? Ignorance is definitely not bliss.
The Chas’ life philosophy can be reduced to the following two precepts. One, do unto others that which you would have them do unto you. Two, live and let live. Until humankind can fully embrace these precepts, it cannot be considered “civilized.”
Just a thought.