Sunday, April 25, 2010

Stephen Hawking scares the hell out of me on a Sunday morning

Today's NaPoWriMo prompt from readwritepoem asked us to use the first words we hear today as inspiration. I deviated from the prompt a bit but using one of the first things I read today, so this is mostly a found poem.



Stephen Hawking
says
humans should fear aliens
believes
extraterrestrial life almost certainly exists –
and humans should be extremely
cautious about interacting with it
To my mathematical brain,
he says,
the numbers alone
make thinking
about aliens
perfectly rational
Stephen Hawking
suggests
that aliens might simply
raid Earth
for its resources and
then move on
We only have to look at ourselves,
he says,
to see how intelligent life
might develop into something
we wouldn't want
to meet
I imagine they might exist
in massive ships,
he says,
having used up all the resources
from their home planet. Such
advanced aliens would perhaps
become nomads, looking to conquer
and colonise
whatever planets they can reach
Stephen Hawking
concludes
that trying to make contact
with alien races is a little too risky
He says
If aliens ever visit us, I think
the outcome would be much as when
Christopher Columbus first landed in America,
which didn't turn out
very well
for the Native Americans.
Thus confirming as rational
a belief I have had
since studying fractions
in the third grade:
math
is
creepy.

9 comments:

  1. Good one! Hawking is so smart. Be afraid!

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  2. In the immortal words of Monty Python: "pray that there's intelligent life somewhere else in space, 'cause there's bugger-all down here on earth..."

    I remember reading a science fiction story once in which humans were beginning to explore outer space and were contacted by aliens who told them to stop, saying basically "we've seen how you act towards each other. We don't want you anywhere near us." In other words, if they're NOT like us, they won't want anything to do with us...

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  3. Hahaha! Nicely done :)

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  4. Ah, the Erin Davis one-two punch! Love it!

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  5. Great! I never thought of aliens like that, now I am scared :-). xoxo

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  6. O, this is so so so good! Michael and I saw an online headline about Hawking's comments last night but I hadn't followed up on it yet, and now, having read your account of it, I feel fully informed, appropriated chilled, and mathodically creeped out!

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  7. its not the math
    its what we choose to do with it =)

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  8. I have yet to try this method. Hope it doesn't always result in such disturbing outcomes!

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  9. Robin--yes. Be very afraid!
    Yogaforcynics--I think I like your sci-fi story's take on it a bit better than Hawkings.
    joanne--thank you!
    Kathleen--I think this blog is the only place where I am capable of a 1-2 punch!
    Annie--I know, right? It's scary!
    Lydia--I like the word "mathodically." Kudos!
    lucychilli--My rational mind knows you are correct. :0)
    Derrick--try it and let me know if you get something more pleasant. :0)

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