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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

Interview with the Oracle of the Great Basin

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.