by Michal Hall
For instance, amazing people took over the distribution of food, as well as the screens and teachings. People of medicine learned how to build, stock, and sustain the complex health monitors in every residence around the world, which has dramatically changed our lives. However we are now doing even more that has to do with our living in humility. We don’t need to compete, feel jealous, or try to do something first to feed our egos. No, we can now research and do things humbly together for the good of everyone. Also a lot has been done for our newly discovered family of the Earth. Thus today, far more is being accomplished than could ever have been imagined in our past days of selfish competition. Everything is being done together…for everyone and everything.
Eventually, the world government was formed on a beautiful, uninhabited island off of the African coast. Everyone in the world was asked to nominate someone in front of their screen who they felt had evolved into humility and knew enough about the world and the democratic process. The one who got the most votes was made president, and after that, the ones who got the most votes in different areas of the world were made their representatives. In the first two years, the world democracy struggled, but with the help of the Federation, it has now become a sensitive, caring, compassionate, inclusive ruling body that is working very well for us all. The Federation is gradually turning everything over to this world government and to us all.
Of course, the sense of belonging and community that I was feeling, was also being felt by everyone. The incredible warmth of the community of Earth was bursting in upon us to make our lives new and fresh…and, for the first time, happy. One thing I noticed was that evolving into humility becomes easier when more and more people have done so. We realized that one of the reasons that humility’s love was being so accepted, was because it is easier to love someone when they are lovable. Thus when all people were evolving into humility, it made for a relaxed, unafraid, united, mutually affirming, reflective family of the Earth.
We did feel some sadness for those who had come before us and could know nothing of the wonder of living on the Earth in humility. However, we rejoiced that those who would come after us would not only have a future, but would have a meaningful, happy life. We even started losing sight of the fact that we had been moving into extinction which was the reason the Federation had come to our planet, because we were almost finished with cleaning up the mess we had made. We had also grown close enough to this wonderful planet and its many life-forms, to assist rather than destroy its ecosystems. We could feel the power and stability of assisting each other to be who we really are. We were joyfully moving forward into a secure and meaningful future for all of the life-forms on the Earth, as well as for those who would follow us.
Chapter 10
The Conclusion
As I lay there wrapped in nature with all of my loved ones around me, I was at peace. When the Federation showed us how to travel on radio waves to any place in the world, those who we called ‘loved ones’ became vastly expanded. The Federation also helped us to learn other languages so we could communicate with large numbers of people all over the world. I remember that the first time Akari and I were able to ‘propel’ (as we now call it) on radio waves, I chose to go to the seashore. I had never seen the ocean before, and even though we are now not allowed to disturb this mighty wonder in any way, I could still see it, smell it, and experience its beauty and magnitude. I was deeply hurt when I heard about our shocking abuse of the sea’s sacred waters, so I was pleased that now this dominant part of the Earth was free of our shocking cruelty.
It was some time before I first noticed that a dim light was glowing over the top of a bush. Nobody else had noticed it either. Suddenly it got brighter, and then it spoke in a loud voice to all of those around me. “It has never been revealed, in order to protect this man, that he is one of the main reasons that the Federation of Planets was able to reverse your going over the cliff of extinction to find a new and better life for yourselves. It was he who first spoke for us in the United Nations many years ago. It was he who got all of this started when we had serious doubts. We of the Federation join with you now in wishing him well on this, his final journey. He certainly deserves our thanks, and the Federation will never forget him.”
I was shocked. All of the people were shocked. Still the Federation had more to say. “On this day in the celebration of his life, the Federation is honoring him by announcing that we are now leaving your planet to go home. We have decided that you have evolved to a point where you need us no longer. For the last two years we have been doing very little, because you have now taken over your destiny. As we said, we originally had doubts about your ability to do this. However, this man begged us to consider further because he said there were so many positive things about his species. He was right. So now we thank him for his help, and for all of you for proving him right.”
They paused, and we could all feel their sorrow in the next statement. “Now we will depart…and we will miss you. May you someday reach a point where you can join the Federation yourselves and help us with other erring reflective species in the cosmos. Now you are clearly evolving into the future, and we will be watching and waiting for that day of grand reunion. Remember everything in the cosmos is interconnected, and we will always be connected to you.”
The light turned brighter…and was gone. As the people gathered around me with words of thanks and appreciation, I realized that though my light was also very bright in my love for them and everything around me, it was not very bright in regard to my body…but I was happy.
I looked at the tall, healthy trees filled with swarms of chattering birds, and the bright green shrubs surrounded by curious animals. As I felt all of this embrace me, I remembered the Federation’s teaching, “Your planet, the Earth, does not belong to, or come from you…no, you come from, and belong to, your planet Earth.” I could feel the birds and the other animals that were there loving us because they were no more afraid. We now had even more new precious friends who loved us just as much as we loved them. When I looked around, the number of the animals I could see around me would surprise you…like cats, dogs, cows, buffaloes, pigs, chickens, ducks, sheep, goats, squirrels, armadillos, bobcats, elks, foxes, raccoons, skunks, weasels, wolves, and opossums. A small group of children stood among them lovingly petting the animals that would allow it, and showing love and respect for those who would not. This was a beautiful sight because both the children and the animals looked so natural and so happy together. It made me remember when the screen first told us about in the ‘Back to the Earth Camps’ that the children could attend to help them experience, appreciate and reconnect with plants and animals.
I have said many goodbyes in my time. Saying good-bye to Bilbo was hard, but saying goodbye to Akari six years ago, almost destroyed me. We decided not to have the one child allowed to us because we felt that in the face of our horrible overpopulation, one more life was not worth losing all of life. As I looked around at all the love, it occurred to me how crazy it is that we don’t know how much we appreciate those around us until they’re gone. It’s always hard to face that the cost of loving is grieving, but, of course, loving is worth it. Since the great transition, I had evolved to love so much more and so many more. In fact I had come to love so many other people and other species that when I said this last good-
bye, it was with a huge and profound sorrow…but it was also with abundant gratitude!
I looked at the smiles on the healthy, alert faces of all of the humans, animals, and other small fellow travelers on this Earth who I knew had gathered around me quietly in the grass and shrubbery. I looked around at the trees I loved so much that were now everywhere, and I thought about all the powerful and meaningful aspects of this now alive, freed and growing world…of which I had been, and always will be, a part. I looked into the unpolluted, clear sky and remembered the bright stars that now shine at night to remind us of the endless, mighty cosmos from which we have come. I smiled at all tha
t I had loved and learned, known and done on my precious journey…and I closed my eyes to rest.
It was then that I heard my mother, the Earth, calling to me. She was calling me home. I sighed and relaxed, and I remembered no more.
Afterword
“We shall be notes in that great Symphony Whose cadence circles through the rhythmic spheres, And all the live World’s throbbing heart shall be One with our heart. The stealthy creeping years Have lost their terrors now, we shall not die. The Universe itself shall be our Immortality!”
—Oscar Wilde
“The Earth and all its life forms and processes are sacred. We belong to them and they to us—we are kin. We should, therefore, act lovingly, reverently, and respectfully toward them. We must not unnecessarily injure these beings and processes when we take from them what we need to live. The key to contemporary earth-based spirituality and ethics is, therefore, a felt sense of connection, kinship, and loyalty to earth, her life forms and living systems.”
—Bron Taylor
This book uses fantasy to tell a story of powerful truths. For instance, it shows us that we are definitely a species that is going extinct.
We have left the culture of the Earth that our ancestors knew to pursue a culture of selfish pride, greed, hate, violence, and fear. This has resulted in the blind arrogance that causes us to abuse each other and the Earth. We have polluted the rivers, streams, and oceans; we have murdered the animals and plants; we have wiped out most of the ecosystems that allow life to exist on the Earth; and our shocking overpopulation, where we’ve grown from 1 billion to 8 billion in just one century, is speeding up our extinction together with most of the Earth’s other life-forms. For the few who haven’t swallowed the lies that try to escape this reality, and now want for our species to survive, should find this book to be very helpful. They will see how our culture based on greed and fear has now left us living violent, meaningless lives. Thus, this book is not just a book of fiction, it is a book of purposeful, educational, hopeful fantasy.
The plot, partially inspired by new questions in cosmology, that suggest real solutions to our many problems. It is a story of our foolishness, but it is also an encouraging trip into rediscovery and hope.
It shows us how our evolution into pride can be reversed and turned into an evolution into humility. It maps out a culture of the Earth that would allow us to have a future in the cosmos.
