February 18, 1977
Perhaps
because I’m traveling alone, and while ascending Kilimanjaro in search of
death’s release I have experienced extreme loneliness, Raminothna has become a
very real entity in my mind as a traveling companion, both in the world and in
my life. My rational and occasionally
cynical mind say that she is but a figment of my imagination, but if so my
imagination would be extremely fertile and who am I to pour Agent Orange on it,
or even Agent Reason. I allow my mind
to accept Raminothna as she presents herself, and I do not feel the least bit
lonely. And so, I asked her, “So,
Raminothna, I was born into the time of the Seven Critical Symptoms. Does this carry special meaning? Or is it just coincidence?”
“If it is,
then you were coincidentally born into a momentous destiny - as a child of the
Critical Generation of Homo Sapiens of Earth.”
“So
what exactly do the Seven Cosmic Signs signify? What are the Seven Critical Symptoms symptomatic of? ”
“The Seven Cosmic
Signs signify the coming of a global transformation, one that is all-embracing,
multi-dimensional, unprecedented, inevitable, irreversible, potentially
unsurvivable, and already unfolding. If
case of success, Earth Life would go to the stars. In case of failure, the Earth would die. Any planet endowed with life and
civilization is required by nature to go through such a transformation, sooner
or later, each in its own time. The
time for your planet is now. As for
what the Seven Critical Symptoms are symptomatic of, if you have a weak
stomach, which your opting out of medicine at university seems to indicate, you
wouldn’t want to know.”
“I
haven’t yet fainted from the sight of blood, including my own, so go ahead.”
“Very well. If you must know, the Seven Critical
Symptoms are symptomatic of the Six Planetary Diseases.”
“Sounds
dreadful. But go on.”
“The
First Planetary Disease: Planetary
Cancer – where a small new part of Earth’s Biosphere multiplies unchecked,
attacking the greater part of the Biosphere.”
“And
this new part is Homo Sapiens of course?”
“And
its cattle.”
“And
the second?”
“The
Planetary Wasting Disease – precipitous extinction rate resulting in
precipitous loss of biodiversity, massive deforestation resulting in massive
loss of biomass, and rapid soil erosion –some 6,000 super-tanker-loads from
India alone according to your species’ database – resulting in rapid loss of
fertility.
“The
Third Planetary Disease: Planetary
Blood Poisoning – discharge of pollutants and toxic waste into the Atmosphere,
Hydrosphere and Biosphere, not from outer space I might point out.
“The
Fourth Planetary Disease: Planetary
A.I.D.S. – PAIDS -damage to Earth’s auto-immune system protecting Life On Earth
from solar UV radiation – the ozone shield – leading to damage to the Biosphere
from the plankton up.
“The
Fifth Planetary Disease: Planetary
Fever – global warming.
“And the Sixth Planetary Disease: Planetary Psychosis – internal hostility,
split personality, suicidal tendency.
“Dreadful
enough for you?”
“Excuse
me while I go and throw up.”
“And you, an integral
part of the Earth, is right in the thick of it.”
“You
don’t have to rubbing it in.”
“Sorry.”
“No,
you’re not. And how does a planet
commit suicide anyway?”
“By global
nuclear holocaust, for example, which would be the fast way.”
“And
the slow way?”
“By any or
all of the other five planetary diseases.
A planet could exhaust its resources and die of starvation, for
example.”
“I
can’t disagree with you, Raminothna.
Mine is the Critical Generation indeed, for healing the Earth.”
“To
begin with,” said Raminothna.