According to Linus in the Peanuts cartoon series of the 1960s, “there are three things you must never discuss with people: religion, politics, and the Great Pumpkin.”
In honor (sorry Erik, I slipped, “honour”) of our constant, regular violations of Linus’ idea on religion, here is The Great Pumpkin’s long distant relative.
Now that we’ve walked all over two things Linus sought to avoid, let’s make it 3 for 3 and run down politics, too. Oh Great Pumpkin, save us!
Erik, C = The Committee and ST = the substitute pumpkin
ST: Long standing advice says politics should not be discussed, like religion, because feelings are hurt and pleasant discussion will become otherwise. Religion is generally optional, everywhere except Antarctica pretty much, but politics touches even people who ignore it. Esteemed Committee, what should we know about it that we do not?
Erik: I’m on this Committee now; and that’s dumb.
ST: Discussing politics?
Erik: Avoiding it; getting hurt feelings over it? Way dumb.
ST: Dumb because?
Erik: It’s not personal like eye colour eye or a name; unless it’s a politician, somebody else far away who doesn’t care about you very much.
ST: Is that fair to say a politician doesn’t care? Look at criticism of US Presidents Obama and Bush and their wives and daughters, nice people. With genuinely nice families, how could we say they don’t care?
Erik: ‘Cause they can’t know everybody; that doesn’t even happen here! Takes time to get to know people…of course we don’t have time here so…(Erik snaps his fingers twice)
ST: So, many politicians have so many voters they just can’t know who to care about?
Erik: Nope, and how much can you care about them?
ST: So, what everybody wants to know is what’ll change when so-and-so gets elected.
Erik: Not much changes, does it?
ST: No, not usually.
Erik: What a shock, huh? But lots of things change for the politician, don’t they?
ST: Is this pretty much the same everywhere in the world?
Erik: No, ‘cause like half the Earth doesn’t even have a vote, not yet.
ST: Not yet?
Erik: Hold on, Committee scrum…..
ST: Scrum? I didn’t know you liked rugby….
Erik: There are two types of sports fan on Earth; rugby fans and others who don’t know it yet.
ST: (Fingers tapping on desk….humming…..)
C: We thank you for asking Erik to now visit and participate. His politeness and deference to our speaking is not necessary and does not serve all of you best, and we are glad he has joined with us for these few moments. The concepts of democracy are coming to Earth in a nearly universal way and we can offer to humanity that models for this cooperation will be given by your cousins, your relatives and friends you would call aliens.
ST: Visitors from other planets?
C: Yes, other parts of your galaxy. This word will lose favour, as it is common only in a few languages. Visitors from other worlds will be temporary and then infrequent.
ST: So what about the democracy ideas?
C: Your Earth’s history of sovereign nations is recent and concepts of democracy within, even newer. Until electronic communication, physical distance was significant; all this you know. The galaxy and the universe has this aspect yet the ability to move between locations Earth science would consider impossible – as Arcturus would require nearly a lifetime on Earth to reach and return, in Earth’s current understanding – has caused coordination and development of interaction not yet remembered on Earth.
ST: Remembered?
C: For you all have memories of your home and its place before your visit to Earth.
ST: Why impossible movement on Earth?
C: Arcturus can be visited in one of your days; in the interlude of an illuminated period, in fact. From the appearance of the light from your star in one place on Earth, to its disappearance relative to that same place on the surface, the daylight hours, this is enough to travel to Arcturus, have a good visit and return.
ST: That would be seventy light years!
C: Only to you on Earth.
ST: So these visitors from say, this distance, they are here very long?
C: You have many visitors from many places and some remain near your Earth for many of your cyclical rotations and others remain for brief periods only, in your Earth time.
ST: Do these visitors perceive time?
C: Yes, based upon light and planetary movements, just as on Earth.
ST: Does this travel disturb their cycles?
C: No, as they are able to replicate planet surface conditions.
ST: OK, so please explain the political organisation.
C: As worlds were reached through interstellar and later, intergalactic travel, the physical difference and distance between planets mattered less. We must digress a moment to describe the galaxy, you this will appreciate. Your Earth is round yet appears flat, by the distances. Other locations are seen as ahead, behind, to the right or the left. Other places are not up or down. Off of your Earth, there is up, and down also. Other worlds are above and below the same distances as other nations of your Earth are to the left, which becomes straight ahead when you turn. In space you do not turn; you bend. As you bend, and warp the shape of your surroundings, you lose perception of it temporarily until you return to a more stationary state close to your destination. Your television programme, Star Trek, referred to this when saying “warp speed” as this was an idea planted from our dimensions.
ST: How does this affect a political organisation?
C: The differences that exist, most obviously in language and in the physical appearances between regions, on Earth, are a small fraction of the differences to be encountered among civilisations between different stars and their planets. As your world remains yet organised along structures of lengthy travel, even as these travel intervals have been much reduced, rejection of differing ideas and methods has been as common as acceptance. This pattern is the same throughout the galaxy and many others. The age you will now enter will localise organisational focus simultaneously as acceptance of a different approach becomes more common.
We said just yesterday in your sequence of days, that religions contain many truths yet human hierarchy of them is most interesting to observe; the truths and human beliefs about them are not the hierarchy. One such organisation has codified rejection of other methods and actively waged war because of it. Mass attack over such ideas is a common element of many such hierarchies and organizations of Earth history; this will all stop as interaction between sovereign nations, religions will becomes more harmonious, more than now. Do your oak trees annihilate your maples or is the shared land and forest they both help create more important to both than destruction of the slight differences?
ST: How will this work on Earth, in practise?
C: Soon common interest will be seen and the differences, so quickly emphasised, will fade in importance. As you notice the colour of your neighbour’s house is different yet accept it with little concern, so will all things afar be seen. Some sovereign nations will break into smaller ones or parts will break away but little consequence will come, as understanding and acceptance of differences will rise much higher than today; great attention is given to a tragic occurrence or event. Less of this will be spread and attention to the positive will fill in this space and you will all see more commonly how you shall see what you think about, collectively. Ideas and developments will be shared more openly and common advantage to any initiative will be given equal value to that of individual gain. Individual gain is a good thing and has been a common thread throughout the universe; your English word greed is often envy projected upon the gainer; we would point out how “greed” and “agreed” are nearly the same word and this will be seen, where a common benefit, like food, medical treatment or entertainment brings well being or advance. It earns a gain to develop it for the betterment of all. Generosity is a wonderful thing and it comes from gain; loss cannot support much generosity and scarcity will not allow it. Your nature is to be generous and so great gain will make it flouish.
ST: What will happen to government organisations that exist now?
C: They will shrink.
ST: What about places where little voice or representation is available?
C: This will change. For a time resources given to a government entity will reduce sharply and this was designed to start the process of focus away from an impersonal authority. Where little or no voice is given to the inhabitants of a certain area, the rise in awareness of all humans will set the table, as you might say, to start this process and it will be quick, in your Earth history.
ST: Current political strife?
C: Less there will be. Conversations you shall have and public policy as reflection of your society all shall soon see. Be well!
