The
Oracle: Revisited
I was
sitting here at my computer this morning watching the rising sun highlight the
bare branches of the yard trees when the thought crossed my mind—I haven’t
spoken to the Oracle tree for a long while. Now is the last chance to visit
before the deep snows of winter make it impossible to get near.
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.
Here is an
abbreviated interview or conversation, if you will, for your thoughts and
consideration. I find it soothing to converse with an ancient, wise being. It
puts a perspective on the immediacy of today. Here goes:
ME: Hello
there, do you remember me? It’s been a while since I last bothered you.
ORACLE: Of
course, I remember you! You were here just a bit ago, weren’t you?
ME:
Actually, almost nine months ago. You didn’t have much snow until after
January, if I remember right.
ORACLE: Yes,
you’re right! But we got plenty after that. I have to say that nine months
compared to 5-6 thousand years is just a blip on my consciousness.
ME: Hahaha,
I guess that is true, much different for me of course. So any news you want to
share with my readers? Have you heard about the impeachment hearings going on
in Washington, D.C.?
ORACLE: I
heard someone talk about that once, A man called “God damned” Andrew Johnson.
It seemed to me that the speaker didn’t like him very much—I never quite
understood why. Do you know about this?
ME: I have
read about that, it is before my time. I believe it was a case of over reaching
the will of Congress and willfully ignoring the laws concerning the President’s
control of the military and something called the Tenure of Office Act that was
designed to keep the President from blatantly appointing or dismissing his
cabinet members without the advice and consent of Congress. Essentially a power
struggle.and a man thinking he was above the law. There have been two actions
in my lifetime about the same base issue; is the chief executive of the United
States above the law? And now another impeachment in progress concerning the
same issue.
ORACLE:
Hmmm. In my world we have struggles like that—not for individual power but for
survival. Survival of the individual translates into species survival in the end,
even though an individual isn’t particularly important of itself. Anything else
going on that you would like to share with me—you can see I don’t get around
too far. Sometimes the wind brings news, like the aroma of a great fire
somewhere over the horizon towards the setting sun. do you know about that?
ME: Yes,
terribly destructive fires in California, er, West on the coast of the
continent. Many trees have been destroyed as well as my species homes and
lives.
ORACLE:
(Alarmed) NO! Really? What has caused that to happen? Will the fire come here?
ME: It
might, though this forest isn’t crowded like it is there, maybe down lower
where the Junipers are thick. I have to say, I can’t answer your question very
easily. There are multiple reasons, climate change-increase of carbon dioxide
due to my species releasing ancient carbon from coal and petroleum in our
industries at an undprecedented high rate. It has had a large impact on the earth. I hate to say it, but it
seems to be the human species fault for this—I don’t know the outcome or even
if life on earth will make it.
ORACLE:
Somewhere, likely on the wind, I have heard it said about that. “If there is a God who made
us and we did wrong before His eyes…at least we did wrong only because we were
as God made us, and I do not think that He…set(s) traps”1 and don’t be too hard on your species, you
all may reap what you sow, but, in the end, “Men go and come, but EARTH ABIDES.2
ME:
I
hope you abide, I’ll be back to check on you. It won’t be until spring-time
though. Enjoy the cold and quiet in the mean time.
1. Paraphrase of a quote from EARTH
ABIDES, Author: George R. Stewart, Publication date: 1949, Pages: 373, Publisher: Random
House
2. IBID
