THE GUARDIANS
The year is 10007 SS, or Since Sumer, reckoning from the time mankind first developed the art of transcribing their thoughts and deeds in material form. Over the millennia, mankind has become more and more proficient at such transcription — from the original clay tablets to papyrus, to paper, and then to the all pervasive electronic form developed in the sixth millennium. Since then, the electronic form has supplanted all other older forms of transcription.
In the year 10007 Since Sumer, information in electronic form defines a virtual ocean in which human life is lived, and to which human intelligence has marvelously adapted, as though fulfilling finally the mysterious, unfathomable purpose of its own creation. From birth to death, a human being interacts with flows of information which pass seamlessly and incessantly across and through human life, through machines, through legal and illegal entities, through places of entertainment, business, sport and culture — in short through each and every part and aspect, each and every nook and cranny, of organized urban human life, which is the only form of human life remaining on earth.
Societies have created technological megacities around the globe, which are truly marvels of human ingenuity and energy. Human life is restricted to these megacities, since these megacities provide the single remaining environment to which human cultures have adapted over the millennia. All conceivable human needs are well provided for in these megacities, which depend on solar, wind and tidal energy for their smooth operation. The earth’s atmosphere is several degrees warmer than in the time of the fossil fuel culture of older millennia. Wind and tidal energy have become more plentiful as a fortuitous result of that warming, although it is also true that there has been a substantial decline in total human population since the peaks reached in the sixth millennium. Some statistical indicators in fact suggest a continuing decline in human population, albeit at a slower rate. However, data may not be conclusive on that point, according to experts who supervise the operations of megacities from huge electronic control centers, of which each megacity has one.
Children, youth and even older persons are trained in adapting to the complex megacity life and culture by so-called Institutions of Programming, which play a very prominent and prestigious role in every megacity. These institutions operate at junior, middle, senior and higher levels to ensure that each citizen is programmed to an optimal degree, according to his or her genetic capabilities, to live a comfortable life in the megacity and not to long for what may not be available in the megacity.
Inevitably, since different megacities have adopted different philosophies and paradigms of programming, there are never-ending disputes and rivalries amongst them, which erupt frequently into trade wars, information wars or even physical wars. Needless to say, the most sophisticated technology of obstruction and destruction is developed by each megacity for use in these wars, and kept in hair trigger readiness for the eventuality.
Electronic technology has developed to such a fine degree that even the minutest event, such as a fly entering a house, can be detected electronically. Technology even exists for monitoring human thoughts and emotions. However, this particular technology is at present confined to the laboratory; it has not been deployed in any megacity, since the venerable Institutions of Programming ensure that a person’s thoughts and emotions only follow an approved pattern which is known to be beneficial to collective life.
Seven years earlier, in the year 10000 Since Sumer, deca-millennium celebrations were held on a grand scale in all the megacities on earth. Certain experts, working at a prominent Institution of Programming, first embarked at that time on the ambitious mission of detecting electronically the biological impulses and drives which other animals experience, using micro-miniaturized remote sensing and recording technology. The project was hugely successful, and in subsequent years the technology was routinely deployed, often by owners of pets who wished to monitor their pets’ physical and psychological condition.
A couple of years ago, a brilliant youngster — somewhat mischievous by nature, since he had not yet undergone the specified full course of programming — began experimenting with the electronic recording of an animal transcript obtained from outside the megacity. The youngster had a strong hunch that the recording would constitute a language with its own meaning, and he felt an overpowering desire to learn how animals outside the megacity communicate with one another in their own natural environment.
Like any bright youngster under the spell of an overpowering desire, our young friend got down to his task with single-minded zeal and purpose, the propensity for which had not yet been de-programmed from him. With utmost diligence he studied zoology, sociobiology, the structure and role of language, early human languages, the process of language acquisition, artificial intelligence, and much else besides. After months and months of tireless effort, sleepless nights and neglected health, he could finally decipher the language of the transcript and the meaning thereof. Naturally his joy knew no bounds. YIPPEE! — he shouted when he had finally achieved success, and rushed to an expert at his Institution of Programming to show off proudly the brilliant result he had achieved.
The expert, although he was genuinely impressed by what the youngster had achieved, also felt that the contents of what the youngster had discovered were of a highly sensitive nature, and might even be construed to be in violation of the programming philosophy of the megacity. The expert was a senior member of the megacity’s Board of Order, Security and Harmony (BOSH), and he knew that BOSH approval must be sought before the youngster’s achievement could be made public.
When, after many weeks of waiting, the youngster had still not heard from BOSH, or even from the expert whom he had trusted, he released the transcript to his friends, who released it to their friends, and so on it spread clandestinely and rapidly amongst people who appreciate such achievements. Your correspondent being one such, thus it was that he received a copy of the transcript, and feels likewise obliged to share it, although he too is painfully aware of the risk of de-programming he faces should BOSH discover his complicity in the spread of unauthorized and potentially subversive information.
[The transcript follows]
Watch the gentle rays of the rising sun turn the forest a golden green. Feel the gentle morning breeze stir the forest to life. Hear the birds break into song to greet yet another beautiful and busy morning. Small animals, a little slower than the birds, and certainly not as lively and chirpy, will soon feel too the magic of the dawn and will begin their ponderous movements. Soon the forest will be bathed in the brilliant light of the morning sun, and abuzz with the sights, sounds and smells of abundant plant and animal life in its endless forms and variety.
This is our forest, our home, our life, our world. We are in it, and it is in us. We are made of it, and it is made of us.
A short hop away from here, beyond the large trees, lies a pond. To the other side of the hillock lies a much bigger pond which we all visit together when the sun comes up to the top of the hillock. Much food is available in and around the small pond and the bigger pond, and trees grow bigger and thicker near the ponds. Beyond the clumps of big trees, there is a vast area of grasses, smaller trees and shrubs, home to many birds and animals.
See the chicks in the nest up there on that tree branch. See them struggling to open their eyes and move their tiny wings, as they raise their heads and call out in feeble voices for their rightful morning share of food. See the mother bird fly in with her mouth full of goodies, and hear the sounds of a happy family.
Life is plentiful. Life is good.
In spite of the junkyards — the places we avoid, places with the look and smell which negate and threaten our good life. A species of restless primate builds the junkyards and inhabits them. These primates build the junkyards, live in them, fight over them, and destroy them — all this with a mad frenzy peculiar to that strange species, unknown anywhere else in creation. Restless, impulsive creatures, and a constant threat to our good life.
But we know how to handle the threats from these primates.
See the two restless primates rushing hither on top of the moving piece of junk. They will remove parts of our plentiful life and take them back to the junkyard on the moving piece of junk. Today they will cut and remove wood. We have never seen frenzy like that in any other species. The wood will go into the junkyard and will be turned to junk. At other times, they catch many birds and animals, and take them back to the junkyard in a big pile, on a moving piece of junk bigger than the one they have brought today. And always they take away water from our lands. They use long suckers to suck water from our ponds and rivers, right back into their junkyards.
And what do the junkyards give back to us? Foul smelling waters and air, and more junk. Everyday more junk tumbles out from the junkyards, making the junkyards grow bigger. No good ever comes out of these junkyards, but the junkyards grow bigger and bigger. Often coloured waters and air come out from the junkyards which do us much harm. It is good that the rains come often to wash our land and make it healthy again.
There are many, many restless primates inside the junkyards. We see them when we fly over the junkyards. Only a small number of them ever come to our beautiful world, to take away food and animals back to the junkyards. The junkyards do not produce food for these primates, since food does not grow in junkyards. They use land outside the junkyards to produce food, but these primates cannot survive for long outside the junkyards. Large moving pieces of junk, with two primates inside each one, work the land to produce food and carry it into the junkyards.
This primate is a strange species of animal. Of all the creatures we ravens see in the forest and in the vast lands beyond, and of all the creatures we hear about in the lands even further beyond, right up to the ocean shore, none is as strange, restless and dangerous. All other creatures look for food, or water, or places to nest, or safety of the young. And when they find what they are looking for, they live a happy life. This primate is different. It knows no happiness, but is much attached to the pieces of junk which it always has about it. Its life and habits are seen only in the movements and growth of junk. It seems a restless misfit, with no proper place or purpose in the life around it.
We have seen many junkyards no longer inhabited by this primate. There are signs of new plant and animal life in these abandoned junkyards, but no sign of the restless primates. Our fellow ravens, from lands far away, beyond where the sun sets, speak of large crowds of these primates abandoning one junkyard and moving to another. They move in long rows of the moving pieces of junk. Our fellow ravens say junkyards are abandoned when they begin to be swallowed up by oceans. Much ocean life is seen in such abandoned junkyards, but not the restless primates who abandoned the junkyards. Ocean life comes back to these junkyards after the restless primates have left.
We also see abandoned junkyards far away from oceans, in vast, sandy regions with little fresh water. The restless primates waste much fresh water, and they abandon a junkyard which has little fresh water around it. Different types of birds and animals come to live in these abandoned junkyards, and only those trees grow around them which do not need much water. Some of these junkyards have been swallowed up by sand. Only some higher parts of these abandoned junkyards stick out above the sand.
The remaining junkyards and the moving pieces of junk are getting bigger, but we see less of the primates themselves. We sense fear in them. They are still dangerous, but there are less of them, and the remaining ones are fearful.
See the two who are here to cut and remove wood. The large tree they are looking at stands right next to the pond. There are nests on it, and bee hives, and it yields much food. We will not allow that tree to be destroyed. We will stop these two and chase them out. They have brought with them pieces of junk which can kill us and make loud noises to frighten our young. They use a bitter-smelling substance to suffocate and kill us. But we will not allow them to use that stuff. We have ways of dealing with these two and all the noxious stuff they have brought with them.
[Break in transcript]
See! That was quick and easy. All it took was one swoop down at them, by all of us together, making loud cries and aiming at their faces. The primates did not die from the attack. They scrambled back to the moving piece of junk. We attacked them again as they scrambled, but we did not kill them. The fat one was hit just below its eye, and then again on its head as it scrambled back. They hurried back to the piece of junk and made off.
This happens often. It is fun, and it is good training for our young, who join in the attacks and learn how to repel the restless ones without getting hurt or killed. Sometimes the primates come in larger number with more pieces of junk. The struggle takes longer, and then the wild bees join in too.
The primates fear the wild bees more than they fear us ravens. The stings of the wild bees are vicious; a few bees can attack and kill a primate. We ravens spot the primates approaching. We watch them from the time they emerge from the junkyards. In the forest, we attack them first, as soon as they come out of their pieces of junk. When the bees join the struggle, the [untranslatable] primates are utterly helpless, and the struggle is soon over.
We also attack the primates while they work the land to produce food. Often they do not come out of the large moving pieces of junk. The pieces of junk work the land and collect food, making loud noise all the time, while the primates remain inside. Then we cannot attack the primates. We see the primates through the large eyes of the moving pieces of junk, and we sense their fear. The primates can see us from the other side of the large eyes. We all go and sit on the moving pieces of junk, and cover up its large eyes. Other birds of the forest also join us. The pieces of junk are not able to remove us, and they are not then able to work the land and collect food.
The land belongs to us, and the food belongs to us. We do not let the primates take our good food back into the junkyards. We do not let our homeland become smaller and smaller to feed their hungry junkyards. It is not natural that good life should turn to junk. It is only this one strange creature that engages in this activity.
[Break in transcript]
See the ravens flying in from the lands beyond where the sun sets. They will spend some time with us in this forest, and they will tell us what goes on in their forests and in the vast lands near the ocean. In colder seasons we have other visitors, from faraway lands from where the cold winds blow. They come here seeking warmth. In warmer seasons, we fly to other lands, to observe life in other places.
These our fellow ravens tell us of the terrible wars going on amongst the primates. Primates living in different junkyards are fighting to decide whose junkyard is bigger. The crazy primates fight even when there is plenty of food for all. In these terrible wars, these crazy creatures are killing each other and setting each other’s junkyards on fire. Many birds and animals are losing their lives. The primates have built pieces of junk that can fly and throw fire down to the ground. Many forests are being burned to the ground by these fire-throwing flying pieces of junk. For making their junkyards bigger, the primates damage our good life. No other animal destroys as much life as this primate does. What a plague this creature is upon all the good things that exist.
Such are the tidings our fellow ravens have brought us from distant lands. They say they cannot go back to the forests they have left behind, which have been burned. They say that the primates they have seen, in the lands beyond where the sun sets, fight and destroy with a frenzy which we in this forest have not seen. If they are right, we in this forest may escape the terrible fires and destruction of which they speak.
Some of the visiting ravens will stay back here with us, since there is plenty of food and water in this good forest. Others will move on towards where the sun rises, to find another forest where they can find food and build nests. We know of many good forests in that direction which can be reached before the sun sets.
[Break in transcript]
What is this we see beyond the hillock? A group of primates is coming slowly towards this forest without their usual moving pieces of junk. We do not see this often, since the primates only move about in their pieces of junk. Some of us will go closer and see if there is a threat here for the forest.
Yes, all of them are on foot and it appears that all of them are young creatures. We have not seen before such a group coming to the forest. Perhaps they do not intend to destroy life. We will not attack them at once, but we will watch them closely.
The young primates have gathered on the verge of the forest, and are preparing to stay there. We will take up positions on the trees nearby and watch. If they begin destroying life, we are ready to attack them and chase them away. If they partake of some good things without destroying life and the forest, we will not attack them.
The young primates seem to be making nests on the ground. Some are looking for fruit amongst the trees, while others are searching for small animals. There is plenty of food in the forest, which can be enjoyed without destroying the forest. It appears that these young primates are learning how to live in the forest.
Some of the young ones are running around, chasing each other and trying to catch a red object being thrown from one to another. The sounds they are making are sounds of happiness. We approve. These young ones are not showing any intention to damage.
Some of the young ones have caught hold of a rabbit. They are trying to feed it grass. But the rabbit knows how to feed itself. It does not depend on these primates for food. It jumps out of a youngster’s grip and scampers away. This starts a quarrel amongst the young primates.
A bigger one hits the smaller one who let the rabbit jump away, and the smaller one cries out. Other primates rush to join the quarrel. Some of them break sticks to beat others with, while some throw stones. They forget about the nests they were building and the food they were gathering.
It did not take much for the happy primates to start a loud and angry quarrel. The rabbit did not need them, and they had no reason to feed it. There is plenty of food in the forest for the rabbit, and it is very good at feeding itself. Now the rabbit is gone, but the fight amongst the primates is becoming worse.
One young primate is bleeding from an injury on the leg, and crying by itself, away from where the fight is still going on. No other primate is paying attention to this young one, since all are busy fighting.
These young ones did not come to the forest to catch a rabbit and feed it. They came to share in the good life of the forest. They were happy at first. There was food and there were nesting places for all of them. Yet they started a loud and angry quarrel. Even the young ones of these primates are restless and unpredictable. It is not possible to learn of the reasons behind their actions. Things get worse with the older ones. For this reason they are a constant danger to our good life.
The bigger primate who started the quarrel is now making loud sounds and gestures to end the quarrel, waving its stick in the air and grabbing smaller ones to keep them from fighting. It seems the loud sounds and gestures of this bigger one have an effect on the other primates. Now they are sitting down, being it seems tired of the quarrel, nursing their injuries but still threatening each other with angry sounds and gestures.
The sun will soon set, and they are arranging for food and nests. Some are going about in search of food, some have started a small fire, while the remaining ones are building nests around the fire. After food, they are singing songs of happiness, dancing around the fire, and enjoying the good life of the forest. The bigger one is more active, still making loud sounds and gestures which have an effect on the others.
[Break in transcript]
The primates are mostly asleep at night. Not many sounds are heard from within the nests, but we are keeping watch on them. Now and then one of them emerges from its nest to relieve itself near a tree. When the bigger one came out to relieve itself, one of us swooped down at it with loud cries, to observe how it would react. The bigger one was not afraid, and its reactions were quick. It swung its stick at the raven with a loud cry and chased it away.
Hearing the noise, some other young primates came out of their nests and made sounds and gestures at the trees. We sat quietly and watched them. In this way we learned how the younger primates defend themselves. We must learn their habits since they have come to live in the forest.
[Break in transcript]
When the sun rises, the young primates are getting busy. The bigger one is making loud noises and gestures again. Very soon we see them removing the nests and preparing to move away. It seems they had not built the nests to stay for a longer period. They have picked up their nests and are carrying them back towards the junkyard. Many small pieces of junk are left behind where they nested for one night.
What was the purpose of their coming and going, we do not know. Perhaps there was none, or perhaps they wished to observe forest life. But they have not observed forest life. They do not belong to this forest. Perhaps they learned that and went back.
On their journey back, we swooped down on them a few times, to observe how they react, and to signal to them not to come back. They used many sticks to defend their group, but we injured a few. The bigger one was not afraid, and was very active with its stick. Others were learning from it, and were trying to fight like it was doing. The bigger one is brave, but it lacks purpose, just as they all do.
This group also showed signs of the senseless and restless behaviour of older primates. The younger ones behave no differently from the older ones. They do not understand that their junkyards cannot be sustained. They will come to the forest again, and try to take away parts of our good life.
We oppose the restless [untranslatable] and restrain them from spreading their junkyards. Many primates are killed, and many junkyards are abandoned. Good plant and animal life returns to abandoned junkyards. The remaining primates will learn to live without the junkyards, and to live without converting our good life to junkyards.
We are watching them closely.
Life is plentiful. Life is good. We are guarding it.
[End of transcript]
