Thea Alexander - 2150 A.D.

"In the 1970s," Carol added, "you lived in a world in which at least one out of every three people lived in abject crippling poverty, and you people, in your proud United States – united indeed! Hmmm, but that's another story you people had a welfare system so politically corrupt and inadequate that it not only ignored the worst cases of human neglect and poverty but actually perpetuated poverty and ignorance from one generation to the next.

"At the same time," she continued, "you dedicated your major national energies and resources to war and paranoid preparations for war. If, in the 1960s and '70s, you had devoted the same amount of money and national effort to solving your social problems that you did to waging your nation-dividing Vietnam War, you could have ended the poverty cycle forever in your country and gone a long way toward resolving many of your nation's other social problems."

"I know," I said, "but our political leaders were ignorant, if not corrupt."

Carol shook her head. "Every nation deserves its leaders," she said. "You're trying to avoid your own responsibility by placing the blame on others. Please, Jon, don't think I am sitting in righteous judgment of you or your micro society. I don't blame or condemn micro man for acting like micro man. It is the only way he can act, because it is the only way he has learned to act. But I must help you see this broader perspective."

"But," I objected, "how can you not condemn human beings for selfish, cruel, and even vicious behavior toward others? Especially since that behavior became so selfish and shortsighted that it almost wiped out our whole planet?"

"It was the only way," Carol answered, "that man could learn the consequences of his own actions. Mistakes are absolutely essential in the learning process. Besides, Jon, it's only terrible from the short-term micro point of view. From the Macro view it's all perfect. Everything has a purpose and a happy ending because everything is evolving toward perfect Macro awareness."

"I know," I said "that from your Macro view we are all responsible for our every experience. But tell that to someone who is suffering from poverty or disease, or some other kind of human injustice."

Carol smiled and said, "I don't speak to children about things they're not ready to understand. But I don't forget that in time every child becomes an adult and everyone eventually will understand everything."

I decided that we had gone as far as I felt I was ready to go on this subject, so I asked Carol when I would meet the other Alpha members. She immediately asked C.I. to contact her, or should I now say "our," Alphar. In about fifteen seconds we heard the voice of our Alpha leader who informed Carol that the rest of our Alpha would be back in about two hours.

After Carol had thanked him for this information she terminated their contact and told me how C.I. can contact any Macro society member by using the communications cell contained in the bracelet which each of them wore. She showed me what she called her mib (for Macro identity bracelet). It contained a timepiece, a communications cell, a bionic monitor, and a nutrition compartment. I was fascinated by the fact that the bracelets supplied C.I. with the heart and brain patterns for everyone in the Macro society. Any danger was immediately relayed, via C.I., to those closest and best able to offer help even if the person in trouble was unconscious and, thus, unable to call for help.

Carol told me that I would soon receive my own mib. Then she asked me if I would like to see pictures of our other Alpha members. Of course I did, so she asked C.I. to present them.

Suddenly I was looking at a picture of our leader, Alan, whose voice I had just heard. At the same time C.I. was telling me about him.

"Your Alpha leader, Alan, is 20.6 years old, six feet five inches tall (this, along with his weight, was given in metric equivalents, then translated for My benefit), 240 pounds, and is presently residing in the student Gamma of Delta 927."

Carol interrupted C.I. at this point to tell me that we could listen for days to the accumulated information that C.I. had on every individual member of our Alpha. This information, she said, even included data on past lives. However, she felt that I probably was not ready for too much information on each member yet.

It was here that she pointed out that all information on every person in the Macro society was available to everyone. There was no such thing as secret, hidden, or confidential information.

I commented that my government in 1976 could not possibly function without massive secrecy. Then I looked at a video tape of Alan leading a discussion group, running, walking, swimming, playing games, and sleeping. He looked tremendously vital and intelligent. When I commented on this, Carol said he was a Six, as if that explained it all.

We next saw pictures of Bonnie, who was Alan's Alpha mate. She was six feet two and weighed 160 pounds. Next was six-foot-seven Adam with Nancy who was six feet three. They were followed by Diane and David who were six feet one and six feet five respectively. Then came the tallest man of all, Steve, at six feet nine, and his Alpha mate, Joyce, who was six feet three. Finally C.I. presented pictures of Carol and Jon, and I realized the pictures of me had been taken while I was in the library and walking with Lea.

I was impressed with the sheer physical size and beauty of my fellow Alpha members. I was also surprised at the lack of hair. Of the five males my hair was the longest, and it was short by 1976 standards. Even among the girls the longest hair was Carol's, which was no more than four inches at most.

When I asked Carol about this she informed me that they did not value hair because they were not vain about their appearances. It was simpler, she assured me, to keep their hair short.

"Tell me, Carol," I asked "are there any fat or ugly people in the Macro society?"

She laughed and said, "How could there be, when we control the complete genetic, physical, and mental development of all our children?"

"All right, but why, then, do you have your different levels of awareness? How come everyone isn't level ten?"

"Because," Carol answered, "we can not change the learning experiences of past lives. However, no soul can incarnate into the Macro society who has not evolved to Macro potential."

"Even me?"

Carol smiled. "Oh, Jon. Even our wisest ones could not have succeeded in helping Lea bring you here if you didn't have the Macro potential."

"Let me try to understand these levels of awareness," I said. "I'm level one because I'm a beginner at Macro awareness."

"That's right, Jon. You're well on your way back toward applied awareness of your oneness with all that is, all that was, and all that ever will be."

"And Adam and Nancy have demonstrated second level awareness," I continued. "You are at the third level along with Steve, while Bonnie and Joyce are level four. Then we have Diane and David at level five and Alan, our leader, at the sixth level. Now, tell me, what's the difference between these levels?"

"I'll let C.I. answer that," Carol said. "And while you are getting your questions answered, I will go back and pick up your mib from the administration building."

I had a mental picture of the map which C.I. had shown me of the Delta and I suddenly realized Carol was talking about a ten-mile round trip. "You mean you are going to walk ten miles?" I asked.

She said, "Oh, I could have it sent by underground pneumatic tube. right here to our Alpha, but since I missed our exercise period today I'll run the distance. I'll be back in less than an hour."

"Ten miles in less than an hour?" I asked incredulously.

"Don't worry, Jon. Our Macro powers help us run lighter, faster, longer, and more joyously than would ever be possible for micro man."