E.T. Revisited: The Eyes of a Blind Man

Hmmm, if a real-life E.T. from a lesser evolved planet spent a year among us on earth, what three questions might they pose on day 365?

“I must say that your technology, while quite impressive, leaves me somewhat puzzled. These electronic boxes, which you call computers and devices, are intended to save time and make all your lives much easier. And they most certainly do so in many ways.

“But I have observed that so many of you seem to be sorely afflicted with this condition called stress. It seems that each of you has more work to complete than you have time to do it in. You are perpetually running a race that never seems to finish.

“It seems to me that, while the technology is designed to serve you, in many ways you serve the technology. Can you explain that paradox to me?

“I am also fascinated by this institution you call the pharmaceutical industry. It seems that millions of dollars are spent every year developing medications for everything from athlete’s foot to male pattern baldness. This industry consistently reaps billions of dollars in profits.

“But you have this dreaded disease called cancer which takes millions of lives every year. It causes such terrible suffering, shortens so many lives and leaves so many others bereaved. You have many treatments for it but no cure.

“Would it not make more sense to put aside the research that is happening on those lesser afflictions and redirect those efforts to finding a cure for this scourge of the ages?

“And finally, your planet has this wonderful concept called an ecosystem. Every living thing is intricately interconnected. There is a circle of life, which extends from the simplest to the most sophisticated creatures, which exceeds anything I have ever witnessed.

“You are an intelligent species. Your scientists have discovered and documented the checks and balances within this marvelous system. You know what you should and should not do.

“But you seem to have an insatiable thirst for what you call development. Marshlands are drained, woodlands cut down, farm land plowed under and rivers diverted in this pursuit with so often only lip service paid to the impact.

“Can you explain to me why you, as a species, strive so hard to understand the balances in your world and yet act in a manner that flies in the face of that understanding? I confess I cannot puzzle my way through this behaviour.

“It seems to me that, as a species, you so often practice do as I say, not as I do. Or to put it another way, in what I think you refer to as metaphor: You see so clearly with the eyes of a blind man.

“My apologies if I seem presumptuous. I am puzzled and merely what to unravel the mystery. Can you help me understand?”

~ Michael Robert Dyet is the author of “Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel” – double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’s website at www.mdyetmetaphor.com or the novel online companion at www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog .

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