Who Are You?

Who Are You?

            I stand alone in the middle of my grandfather’s land in the northern part of the Lower Peninsula in the State of Michigan.  The nearest town is Kalkaska, located a good ten miles to the south.  There is nothing to see; the only possible attraction for this area is solitude.  I am surprised to suddenly find myself watching as an alien spaceship lands within a short walking distance from where I stand.  Instinctively, I realize I have no idea what they want or how they intend to get it.  I don’t know what is important to them.  I reason that, if questioned, my best defense is to remain silent, but I presume they will find someone else to question if it comes to that.  I reason further, that in that case, silence would gain nothing, but could be taken as an insult.  I decide to make the best of the opportunity to welcome the aliens as friendly visitors and hope it will affect a good result.

           

The spaceship does not look like anything I expected.  It is not particularly aerodynamic.  This should not be a surprise because every child of the 1960s knows the principles of aerodynamics do not work above a marginal level in space, but its lack of symmetry is odd, nonetheless.  No obvious weapons are visible, nor does it seem particularly military in appearance.  The surface of the ship has no cut-out areas or windows.  There are no markings I can take to be national symbols or corporate logos.  The closest man-made construction I can compare it with is a lopsided submarine.

            Shortly, a small opening appears in the underbelly of the ship.  A group of three aliens disembark and approach me.  They do not seem aggressive, nor are they in any particular hurry.  They carry no instruments or weapons, and they do not seem to keep step or observe any military protocol.  As they reach where I am standing, I can see their general form is quite human, though they would be noticeable in a crowd as alien.  Their skin is very smooth, but there are sinewy muscles just below the surface which suggests strength and agility.  Two of the aliens smile slightly, while the third addresses me in English.  With no preliminaries, he asks with a slight bow, “Who are you?”

            I am surprised to hear English from the alien, but is has a calming effect on me.  I was tempted to think they might be tranquilizing my mind in some devious way, but their thoughtful expressions disarm my fear and I relax.  I had expected they would ask questions.  I give the most descriptive short answer I can think of:

            “My name is Brian.  I am a member of the only sentient race which lives on this planet; I am human.  Of all the people on this planet I am slightly larger than average, but in this we are all very similar.  My reasoning abilities are above average, but I am not representative of the great thinkers of my kind.  My actual education falls short of those who lead, especially in my geographical region, but in this we are not all similar.  There are those who are highly trained and are expected to manage organizations and governments.  These people have power and usually have many possessions.  There are also those who are expected to contribute to society in more uniform and specifically productive ways.  I am a good representative example of the second group.”

            “People are divided into two sexes, male and female.  I am male.  Males are distinctly larger and stronger than females, and were once expected to dominate leadership and security roles.  Males and females share many characteristics.  The psychological difference between men and women is the subject for much philosophical thought, debate, and even humor.  Regarding me personally, the most noticeable differences between my female partner and I lie in my general lack of intuitive reasoning.  My partner almost always has ideas and forms conclusions by way of mixing rational conclusions with emotions and intuition developed over years of having experiences and engaging other humans in relationships.  Although no human is completely one-sided, my cognitive reasoning is distinctly impersonal; the degree to which I mix rational thought with emotions is inconsistent, sometimes to the point of becoming a handicap.  It is ironic that I am widely considered to be more stable and reliable than my partner.”

            “Our method of procreation here is to attend personally to our offspring until a set time is complete, after which they go off into the world to each find their own fulfillment.  This is called parenting.  There are several parenting styles, usually divided according to the degree to which parents and their children associate with one another and share their interests during the upbringing.  In this, I am considered to be closely attentive.  My philosophy is based on the proposition that the prime objective of any human generation is to prepare the next generation of people for success.  This preparation is an ongoing process which undergoes several changes, and ultimately ends only upon the death of the seniors.  My partner and I are just now experiencing the beginning of the final phase of parenting.  My youngest child has recently passed the last age requirement for becoming a fully accepted member of our society.  Fortunately for my partner and I, this phase is the longest phase.  For some, this phase is the least interactive between parents and children, but I believe my particular philosophy of parenting will result in a long and mutually satisfying period in which my children live independently, but make frequent visits and attend specially planned events.  At such events, parents and offspring share new ideas and impressions from independent experiences.  These events are called holidays.  Before my own time is complete, I hope to engage in satisfying relationships with the offspring of my children.  In the meantime, I will continue to enrich my own knowledge and experience, partly because I think it will be useful to others, but partly because my personal philosophy includes the view that education, like art, music, and love, constitute their own reason for being.”

            Upon the mention of philosophy, the leader of the aliens thanks me and explains he is a diplomat.  His mission requires his immediate contact with government officials, so he declines my offer of coffee without explaining why he chose to land in Kalkaska.  He records my instructions for finding the local police station.  Before he goes, he introduces me to two of his associates.  They are obviously male and female, but whether or not they are marriage partners is unclear.  The alien leader tells me they are educators and their mission is consistent with a longer visit.  They are familiar with human physiology and have information about coffee.  They are anxious to try it.  On the way back to the house, I politely ask, “What do you know about a man named Jesus?”