I just proofed a passage I translated about how man may have moved to the earth from Mars - after he had taken that planet for granted, and drained it's resources.
It reminded me of a programme I really enjoy watching, but have not had the time to follow faithfully, on TV: Battlestar Gallactica.
It filled my head with thoughts of those "saucer" images and references from the ancient world. Knowing what is sacrificed if one goes from a place with everything to a place with less, this is a compelling idea for me. Moving to a place of less means that one does, in so many ways, start over from nothing.
But all that sci-fi aside, there have been ages on this earth where mankind has started as if anew. Why is it that brain surgery was performed in ancient Egypt, but never again until our age? Why is it that so much is lost, only to be rediscovered?
I would say that it is through lack of appreciation, and mistaken values. Wrong values lead to wrong choices, which means a waste of time. Centuries?
But mention values in the US, and you are called a fundamentalist. And mention them here, and you are another form of zealot.
Where is the golden mean?
Whatever our values, conscious or not, will guide us, like the idiomatic stars of yesteryear (not so idiomatic if you are a sailor). Mars is an illustration. But how many times will we have to retreat to distant planets to return to know how to appreciate that which is ours?
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