wallpapers and stuff

“I vote against Contact.” Nordrix said with a heavy sigh.

“This is unprecedented.” Andrynn sputtered. “In all my years of surveying unaligned civilizations. I’ve never heard a concern from Cultural Studies. Economics and Warfare tend to quash admittance to the Interstellar Union.”

“I am aware.” Nordrix replied. “I did not come to this conclusion easily or lightly. My full and thorough report will be available soon.”

“Can you summarize for the committee?” Asked Gr’chykk of Warfare. “These deathworlders would formidable foes to the IU. If First Contact is handled properly, they could instead become our allies.”

“First Contact is inevitable.” Hypool of Science added. “They are on the verge of developing FTL transport and communication.”

“In my full report I strongly argue for Interdiction.” Nordrix answered. He wished they would just read the report. Confrontation made him uncomfortable.

“Unacceptable!” Screeched Smathley of Economics “I have never seen such a potential for mutually beneficial trade. I demand a preliminary summary this instant.”

It was unavoidable now. Nordrix was prepared for this demand. He stood up and prepared his files and notes to be displayed to the Contact committee. It would have to be a convincing argument and be made succinctly.

“My area of expertise is comparative religion. Specifically, I analyze cultures through the lens of what abstract concepts they deify. Certain motifs are repeated in each and every member culture in the IU. Gods of warfare, natural cycles and bountiful harvest are universal. This is apparent to most people without the academic knowledge I hold. May I assume that as given?” His colleagues agreed.

“Humans have an archetype previously unknown in the IU. They call this god-type ‘The Trickster.’ It occurs through out the cultures of this planet. The Trickster is hall marked by cleverness, deception and transgression of the taboo. So far, I have not discovered a major religion that centralizes this figure. Despite that, I have found that Trickster behavior is endemic to human society.

“If humans were to enter the Interstellar Union, they would unleash chaos and anarchy on our society. The number of words and phrases they have dedicated to untruths are staggering. It is routinely accepted that contracts will be voided, treaties broken and objective facts can be ignored.

“Culturally normative behavior is a paradox to them. It is expected that during their maturity that youths will violate customs, taboos and laws. As human adults attain maturity, they will begin to enforce the social values they ignored only a few years previous. When they become elders, they will mourn a false past that exists only in their imagination.

“Worst of all, they constantly improve on these techniques. If a human practices deception with innovation and novelty, they will usually do not face consequences. Legal systems seem designed to malfunction in this exact way. Social approval is similarly fickle. There is absolutely no standard for when a behavior is praised, normalized, politely ignored, forbidden or condemned.

“Here are some specific exam-“ Nordrix stopped talking as the audio-visual broadcast system seemed to go haywire. A rapid series of painted images flickered, creating the illusion of movement. He knew these were called cartoons. Loud, instrumental, march music assailed the sound wave receptors of the committee. A man in a green out fit wearing a horned crown laughed. A robed woman threw a golden apple. A monkey rampaged across a banquet table eating everything in sight. Spiders, crows, raccoons and coyotes in a parade.

The last image was a grey rabbit, standing on its hind legs holding carrot in a gloved hand.

“Nyaaaaaaa, What’s up doc?”

It's right-handed

I am right-handed

There are grooves for the thumb and knuckle to grip that fit my hand perfectly

I have calluses there from holding my stylus and pencils and the gardening tools.

There are sharper and blunter parts of the edge, for different types of cutting, as well as a point for piercing.

I know exactly how to use this to butcher a carcass.

A homo erectus made it

Some ancestor of mine, three species ago, made a tool that fits my hand perfectly, and that I still know how to use.

Who were you

A man? A woman? Did you even use those words?

Did you craft alone or were you with friends? Did you sing while you worked?

Did you find this stone yourself, or did you trade for it? Was it a gift?

Did you make it for yourself, or someone else, or does the distinction of personal property not really apply here?

Who were you?

What would you think today, seeing your descendant hold your tool and sob because it fits her hands as well?

What about your other descendant, the docent and caretaker of your tool, holding her hands under it the way you hold your hands under your baby's head when a stranger holds them.

Is it bizarre to you, that your most utilitarian object is now revered as holy?

Or has it always been divine?

Or is the divine in how I am watching videos on how to knap stone made by your other descendants, learning by example the way you did?

Tomorrow morning I am going to the local riverbed in search of the appropriate stones, and I will follow your example.

The first blood spilled on it will almost certainly be my own, as I learn the textures and rhythm of how it's done.

Did you have cuss words back then? Gods to blaspheme when the rock slips and you almost take your thumbnail off instead? Or did you just scream?

I'm not religious.

But if spilling my own blood to connect with a stranger who shared it isn't partaking in the divine

I worked with a woman who was independently wealthy. But she liked working housekeeping. So she did. And if the manager got bitchy with her, she’d just shrug and be like “Okay, I can quit.”

Like the manager treated her like a human being because she knew she had to because otherwise she’d lose one of her best workers.

There’s a lot of people who’d happily do the same sort of thing.  Honestly?  A lot of the jobs we consider “shitty” jobs?  Are shitty because the employees are treated like garbage.