Walker Percy - Lost in the Cosmos

EARTHSHIP: American English.

PC3: Got it. I read. What can we do for you?

EARTHSHIP: What do you mean by the Helen Keller phenomenon?

PC3: The joy of consciousness and the discovery of the Cosmos through the mediation of symbols and the cooperation of others and the preservation of this joy against the incursions of boredom, fear, anger, despair, shame, and the love of war and death and the secret desire for the misfortune of others.

EARTHSHIP: Check. Did you say shame?

PC3: We have observed that C2s experience shame. For example, do you wear clothes?

EARTHSHIP: Yes.

PC3: Despite the controlled environment of your ship?

EARTHSHIP: Yes.

PC3: Why?

EARTHSHIP: Ah, custom. Aesthetics.

PC3: Aesthetics? Explain.

EARTHSHIP: Later, when we land. May we land?

PC3: Not yet. What is your C-type?

EARTHSHIP: What is a C2 consciousness?

PC3: A C2 consciousness is a consciousness which passes through a C1 stage and then for some reason falls into the pit of itself.

EARTHSHIP: The pit of itself?

PC3: In some evolving civilizations, for reasons which we don’t entirely understand, the evolution of consciousness is attended by a disaster of some sort which occurs shortly after the Sy breakthrough. It has something to do with the discovery of the self and the incapacity to deal with it, the consciousness becoming self-conscious but not knowing what to do with the self, not even knowing what its self is, and so ending by being that which it is not, saying that which is not, doing that which is not, and making others what they are not.

EARTHSHIP: What does that mean?

PC3: Playing roles, being phony, lying, cheating, stealing, and killing. To say nothing of exotic disordering of the reproductive apparatus of sexual creatures.

EARTHSHIP: What does that mean?

PC3: Exploitative sex.

EARTHSHIP: Exploitative sex?

PC3 (consulting computerized earth-slang dictionary): It seems to mean what you call “screwing everything in sight,” not only to and to but to and to and + + and + + —to mention a few of the simpler combinations.

EARTHSHIP: That is what is called “freedom of sexual preference.”

PC3: Call it what you like. We are not interested. What concerns us is our experience with C2s whom we have allowed to land on PC3. They are usually polite at first, but always turn hostile, deceptive, and end by attempting to screw (is that the right word?) any creatures on PC3 which have an opening or a protuberance. We could tolerate their odd sexual behavior, but they were also sentimental and cruel — or rather sentimental, therefore cruel. One goes with the other. They are mainly interested in self-esteem. We are afraid of C2s. They do not know themselves or what to do with themselves.

EARTHSHIP: What about you? What do you do about your consciousness and your selves?

PC3: That is no problem. For us, consciousness of self is no different from consciousness of anything else. A self here is an individual self yet also a self among other selves. C2 selves vary from moment to moment from self-grandiosity to self-refusal, from being the infinite great self in the world to being the worst and the least self — because C2 selves don’t know who they are. *Perhaps your difficulty comes from the sensory mode which you call “seeing.” You “see” things. But can you “see” yourself? Who are you?

EARTHSHIP: I’m the second officer, the communications officer.

PC3: No, I mean, who are you?

EARTHSHIP: You mean my name? Captain—

PC3 (patiently) : No. Let’s begin with C-type. What’s your C-type? Are you C1, C2, or C3? You will not be given permission to descend until we establish that.

EARTHSHIP (after a pause) : What’s a C3 consciousness?

PC3: A C3 consciousness is a C2 consciousness which has become aware of its predicament, sought help, and received it.

EARTHSHIP: Help?

PC3: If a C1 meets with disaster, falls into the pit of itself, and becomes a C2, it must become aware of its sickness and seek a remedy in order to be restored to the preternaturality of Cl. Well?

EARTHSHIP: Well what?

PC3: Which are you?

EARTHSHIP: That is hard to say.

PC3: Perhaps we can help you arrive at an answer. Would you answer a few questions?

EARTHSHIP: Yes.

PC3: You say your civilization has five superpowers.

EARTHSHIP: Yes.

PC3: Is there peace between you?

EARTHSHIP: There was when we left.

PC3: Aren’t you in communication with Earth?

EARTHSHIP: We were until two years ago.

PC3: Isn’t that strange?

EARTHSHIP: Yes.

PC3: Then you have reason to believe something is wrong on Earth?

EARTHSHIP: Yes. (Quickly) Do you know anything?

PC3: (evasively): Let’s get on with the questions. How many wars have you had in the last hundred earth-years?

EARTHSHIP: Big or little?

PC3: Well, big.

EARTHSHIP: Two — that we know of. Do you know of a third?

PC3: How many lives were terminated before their natural C2 deaths?

EARTHSHIP: You mean how many were killed?

PC3: Yes.

EARTHSHIP: Around a hundred million.

PC3: Now you fear there might have been a third.

EARTHSHIP: Yes. Do you know?

PC3: What is the size of your crew?

EARTHSHIP: Twelve in the beginning.

PC3: How many of each sex?

EARTHSHIP: Six.

PC3: How did you arrive at the sexual distribution?

EARTHSHIP: We felt that sexual needs must be taken into account, just like the needs for food, water, a stable environment, and so on. And though none of us has any prejudice against homosexuality, we were not yet sure enough of the dynamics of a homosexual group to take chances with the mission.

PC3: Is there pair bonding among you?

EARTHSHIP: No. Ours was designed as a communal and transcultural group interaction. Through extensive prelaunch exercises, we discovered we could get beyond the usual cultural and sexual hang-ups.

PC3: How has it worked?

EARTHSHIP: Among the nine survivors, very well until just recently.

PC3: Nine survivors? What happened to the other three?

EARTHSHIP (after a silence) : They died.

PC3: Were they killed?

EARTHSHIP: Yes.

PC3: Were they men?

EARTHSHIP: Yes.

PC3: Were they killed in quarrels over the women?

EARTHSHIP: Yes. How did you know?

PC3: We’ve had some experience with C2s. How are things now?

EARTHSHIP: Fine. Each man has two women. We think we’ve made a valuable contribution to prolonged heterosexual group dynamics.