So you think all this instant communication is a good thing, do you? Well, maybe it is -- and on the other hand, maybe there's something about it that makes you doubt yourself or fear for your inner equilibrium. If so, John Matellaro's "Cosmic Quarantine" parable (Utopia Planitia #69) is just the ticket!

John's science-fiction leanings are evident in this smoothly-flowing narrative of a time either far in the future or immensely long ago, when vastly different sentient beings across the universe found a way to communicate with each other. (The results are uncannily like what many of us have been experiencing with email and the Internet.) We think John has once again pointed very subtly (and indirectly) toward an overlooked quality of existence:

". . .we have thrust ourselves into the psyche of every other person on the planet. And if we don't like what we see, we can deliver horn toots or flames and rants until we either reach catharsis or an ever more refined level of misanthropy."

His description of what could be a Paleolithic couple "squatting by a ring of fire" on top of a mountain invokes a deeply peaceful sensation and no small amount of yearning in this reader. [If sufficiently large numbers of you are similarly affected, then there's still hope for the species, we'd say. -- JHF] Drop by MacOPINION for a refreshing and thought-provoking Tuesday meditation, then spend some time with yourself in a quiet, private place -- if you can still find one!

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February 07, 2012