************************************************************************ The following first appeared in the private email list IVy-subscribers, which is available to all those who subscribe to the printed magazine, International Viewpoints. ************************************************************************ Regarding sex, interstellar and otherwise by Phil Spickler 3 Nov 00 I've just finished reading Heidrun Beer's very interesting article entitled "Sex and Interstellar Politics." We've come to expect interesting and evocative postings from Heidrun, and this latest one is no exception. Much food for thought, very well presented. It is not necessary to accept or reject the premise that Heidrun states, namely, that aliens created the form of our physical Earth bodies and built them so that group consciousness was impossible to achieve, to arrive at the idea that a lot of the happenings in the known history of this planet suggest that there are things that prevent mankind (4th dynamic) as a whole from feeling the sense of that dynamic and the possibiities that such a consciousness might engender. Whether this is the result of genetic or spiritual engineering to inhibit such a consciousness has received quite a bit of speculation by other and earlier thinkers. Freud, for example, in his tidy little book entitled _Civilization and Its Discontents_, asked the question repeatedly as to why humankind in designing civilization has put in it so many things that frustrate, inhibit, deny and prevent our natural feelings and longings from having an easy expression. Later, we find Ron wondering why, in the opinion of some folks, Earth has been such a madhouse for so long (this was before he decided to turn up the rheostat on madness), and from these speculations evolving ultimately such things as the materials known as OT 3 in an effort to restore to mankind the missing but highly desirable sense of group consciousness, 4th dynamic, 7th dynamic, etc. Heidrun points out that the ability and the willingness to touch others, having been narrowed down to the limitations of the fantasy described as monogamy, has denied us a very basic possibility regarding this sense of group consciousness, co-creation,etc. I think the design of our societies and civilizations and their strange religions and considerations certainly have a lot to do with this final monogamous notion, but one would have to look quite a bit earlier (although the postulates surround us in present time) to find the actual author or authors that have resulted in such strange designs. On the other hand, it might be necessary to know a lot more about Earth and its inhabitants and its place in interstellar society to get a firmer grasp on what has brought about this twisted and tortured creature which laughably has named itself "Homo sapiens." I have wondered, from at least 1950, how mankind got off, in terms of scientific classifications, with the notation "Homo sapiens," since I believe that literally translates into "wise man." I think there would be some far better phylogenetic naming possibilities for mankind than "Homo sapiens." Possibly by definitions of intelligence it should be "Homo intelligens" or something like that, but certainly not anything connected with "wise," since "wise" or "wisdom" is not necessarily a function connected with intelligence. I prefer, in my delusionary capacities, when referring to humankind, to be very kindly and call the species PRE-Homo sapiens, with the hope that someday "Homo sapiens" will truly be descriptive of said species. Let's face it, stupidity and arrogance have never been in short supply on this planet,and I certainly possess my fair share of these sterling qualities. Oh yes -- where we we now? So, whether it's implants or genetic engineering by some bad aliens, we can still find Heidrun in very simple and clear language pointing out the fact that most of the human race, as once described by L. Ron Hubbard, can be found on some scale or another (sounds fishy) at the level of inhibited or repressed sex. Certain anthropological studies of fairly small groups that have developed outside the range of Judeo-Christian teachings, and who have not been inspired to unceasing technological advancement in gadget-ridden parts of the world, have described them in such a way as to suggest that the things Heidrun is talking about have actually existed for a period of time, and that these cultures existed and were designed in such a way so as not to inhibit the flows of affinity, and had very low levels of crime, insanity, and all the other noxious possibilities that our higher and higher so-called evolved civilizations are producing. I'll close by once again thanking Heidrun for tackling a subject that gets practically no attention or mention, even here in the hallowed halls of the IVy league. Thank you, and so long for now! ---Phil