INTERVIEW WITH THE ORACLE
This is an
interview with the Oracle of the Great Basin, a 5000 year old Bristlecone Pine
tree. The Oracle has seen a thing
or two, metaphorically speaking, in his/her lifetime. I decided that I would
tap that experience and take advantage of the wisdom gained in those eons.
Forgive me if I take liberties with reality at times, it can be surreal talking
with an ancient intellect at times. A quick disclaimer:
The author makes no warranty to the verity of the Oracle’s answers. All
questions were asked (and I imagine answered) in complete sobriety with no
assistance from external sources or chemical aids of any kind to arrive at the results of
this interview. Material presented now may not be the complete transcript of
the interview, and further text may be shared in the future.
ME: Thank
you for agreeing to this interview. I am sure that the readers will enjoy it as
much as I shall. Let’s begin. Wait…What?
ORACLE: I’m
just glad that you recognized that your species could benefit from a talk with
a tree. Also, if I seem to pause, just remember that my clock doesn’t “run” as
fast as yours. (Tree laughter here)
ME: HaHaHa,
I get it. I will make a note of that. So first question: How did you get to be
the Oracle here in the Great Basin? What or who gave you that status?
ORACLE:
Well, for me, it seems like it was a matter of seniority. Just outlasted my
peers is all. Oh I guess there’s more to it. You know in 5000 years you witness
many things and you have plenty of time to ponder on them—try to decipher what
they mean or if they mean anything at all. As to who, I have to say, I’m
surprised you asked that question.
ME: Why
would that be?
ORACLE: On
my side of this conversation, the answer to that question is a given. But not
on yours?
ME: I don’t
want to put words in your “mouth”.
ORACLE: Then
I will say that the great almighty GOD gave me that chore to do. Is that a good
enough answer? Do you understand?
ME: I
thought that might be your answer, but I wasn’t sure. So you believe in GOD?
That everything was created, not evolved? Help me understand your view on this.
ORACLE: GOD
created everything, the whole earth and everything on it has a soul/spirit. GOD
is everything, is everywhere. Of course we evolved don’t be obtuse. At GOD’s
hand and direction though, on his schedule. The Earth is too old for that not
to have been the case. It is too ordered as you can see all around you. How
could this have all been due to random chance?
ME: So all
of your peers believe in GOD? Believe that GOD directs everything? What about
bad things? Does GOD direct them too?
ORACLE: Yes,
everything you call nature believes, well, know about GOD. We are in harmony,
GOD and us. Why do you worry about bad things or other things that you can’t
control? After all, what can we do as trees when a fire overtakes us? We can’t
even run away, we are fixed in place. So why worry? If your species decides to
lop off a branch or cut one of us completely down, can we take revenge? If GOD
doesn’t prevent bad things does that mean that He directs them? Don’t be silly!
Doesn’t your species believe in GOD?
ME: Not all
of us, maybe not even a majority of us, we’ve looked and can’t seem to ‘see’ GOD.
And the ones that do believe can’t agree who or what GOD is. We have the option
to run away or take revenge as a species, I guess that is why we worry about
bad things, and we worry that we should be able to do something about them. And
harmony--isn’t that just a type of music? Just a joke here, don’t answer that
question. So what is your take on climate change then? Man caused or just
another natural change that has happened millions of times over the eons of
time?
ORACLE: That
is sad! I can’t imagine a life of worry like what you are describing. Not
knowing whom you are, where you came from, where you are going. Can’t imagine
that. I see why you would want to joke at a time like this, but harmony is
hardly a joke. Let me tell you a story about climate change and then we can
talk some more about it later, is that Okay?
ME: Yes, go
ahead.
ORACLE: My
great grand parents, on all sides, witnessed the rise and fall of the great
lake that your species calls Bonneville over a period of time that was caused
by climate change and geological change that affected the local climate.
Sometimes it was warmer and wetter, warmer and drier, cold and wet, cold and
dry. The earth weathered it all. Most changes occurred over long periods of
time. Never on a schedule like is happening now unless a volcano erupted and
filled the air with ash and smoke or a meteor struck us and caused the same
phenomena. Your species is Hell-bent on what? Sucking the last drop of
petroleum from the ground? Fouling the air with the smoke of all that burning
petroleum? Polluting all of the fresh water on earth? Do you think you’ll be
able to desalinate enough for your species to survive? For mine? The climate is
going to warm or cool on it’s own schedule, not much any of us can do about it
Hell, I have already told you that we can’t even run away and the only revenge
that you’ll see from us is there will be more carbon dioxide to breathe since
we and most other trees won’t be around to convert it to oxygen. I have to say
here that your progeny, if there are any will curse you and the memory of you
for ages to come.
ME: But what
can we do? There’s just too many of us and we all have different ideas and
motivations. And the politics of it are just too complicated to solve anything.
ORACLE: Ah,
politics! Another subject for another day. I think I will ponder your question
for a while; I’ll get back to you on that.
ME: Great, I
will wait.
ORACLE: You
better go home for a day or two; it gets cold here at night. We are 10,000+
feet in altitude, you know. Goodbye for now.
