Views from around the universe, communication, technology, digitalisation and more

Oh, planet Earth!
We owe you so much.
Without the abundance
Of the mistakes you make,
Where would we be?
Where would we go?
To learn.
How not to act?

But the time of selfish indulgence in your failings is drawing to an end.

And while we are not ready yet to meet you face to face, we have decided to share some of our thoughts and insights with you.

Oh, planet Earth!

And thus we present to you: Views from around the universe, a collection of statements, thoughts, definitions, stories and testimonials from the planets of the universe.

All names and origins of our writers have been omitted to ensure unbiased reading. The names can be found in the great ledger of the universe, a copy of which is available on all planets. Except on planet Earth. You know why.

And just in case you are wondering, usually you will find that most of our authors smile while composing their contribution. Though, when you find very short statements, you may assume that the subject in question annoys the author in question.

A.I.

communication, the art of

genius

ideas

imagination, the lack of

pips

progress

propaganda

space exploration

technology

There was such a run on this subject that we opened another page dedicated to this ambiguous issue. It must be said though, in all fairness, that our contributors lean maybe a little too much towards the negative aspects of what artificial intelligence and chatbots can, can’t, should, shouldn’t and all the rest. Here is the new page: artificial intelligence, views from around the universe.

The art of communication starts with self-exploration, with learning who you are and who you want to be.

The art of communication = The trick and the greatest difficulty is to learn to think before you speak.

The art of communication = It is astonishing how many earthlings can conduct a conversation without once listening, thinking or responding consciously. It seems their heads are so full of the so-called news and feeds and news feeds and texts and posts and tweets and what not, they take it all in and then let it all out again randomly. It works, I guess, because they basically ingest the same tag lines.

The art of communication = On our planet we celebrate communication. When we meet, we begin with a washing ritual, which is followed by a meal ritual where we serve each other. Washed and fed, we move to the comfy zone, a place made of cushions and lit dimly. There we take it in turns to listen to what the other has on their mind. In order not to interrupt the speaker, the listener makes notes. Sometimes the time of communication is so intense and thorough that we fall asleep for a while before we continue.

genius = one of humankind’s big words. The present mess humankind finds itself in indicates that no genius lives on planet earth.

genius = There was once this story of an earth child who acted and spoke so incomprehensibly that all grown-ups where puzzled. But since none of the grown-ups wanted to admit that they didn’t have a clue what the child was talking about, they declared the child a genius. The same happened at university. And later a prestigious job was given to a grown-up who had never in their life done or said anything of use but was revered as a genius. That’s earthlings for you.

genius = A troubled soul who wishes for peace of mind.

ideas = funny little buggers, can be very persistent

ideas = Oh, these little things that tend to hit you out of nowhere, and before you know it, you are in a mess because, of course, you had to test the idea.

ideas = beautiful. I love them. They are so unpredictable and often enough they have a lot of potential. However, beware of naysayers. They often spoil the experience. On a related note: ideas are always great, energising, but that doesn’t mean they are any good. Yet, it is better to go along with an idea than to dismiss it only because your imagination is on holidays. At the end of the day, there is no knowing where an idea might lead. The clever and brave never dismiss an idea. Except on a hot sunny day when they laze around and give their brains a rest.

Ideas = They are little buggers. They start small, a mere thought. Maybe a tingle. Until someone asks: Well, could it be done? What would it take?

Ideas = Never quite happy until you give them a try. Until you take them to the dance.

The lack of imagination = very common in Earth humans

The lack of imagination = is an unfortunate root problem on planet Earth. We have put a team together to find out why so many Earth humans seem to have lost this vital ability, or why they shun it when they come across imagination. The reliance on answers seems to be one of the causes.

The lack of imagination = On our planet we nearly lost this essential gift, because our societies had turned against each other and we bent our minds towards war. It was only when a group of thinkers from opposing societies set out to demonstrate to us the folly of our obsession with dominance that we slowly started to free our minds, and we once again learned to use our imagination. Not just to end the stupid and useless conflicts but also to build, to create, to nurture, to enjoy. Once imagination is employed the land and the people grow and flourish.

pips = no one seems to remember how this point got on to the list

pips = good for necklaces

pips = nice word

pips = the beginning of life, well, of some life

progress is to recognise that not all new inventions and developments are good.

progress is to call a damaging practice damaging and test better options.

progress is too often used as excuse for exploitation.

progress = What looks like progress today might turn out to be utter nonsense tomorrow. Our advice: never rely on progress, never stop asking questions. And if at all possible never be impressed.

propaganda = You would think that in the age of the internet propaganda would have lost its teeth. Not at all. But it could.

propaganda = Dear earth humans, growing up is not always fun, but honestly could you please use your brains. You do have the potential to be clever, you don’t have to believe what people shout and swear and conjure out of thin air.

propaganda = It’s so easy to condemn the human race for its gullibleness. But we are presently trying to figure out what could help you to be less vulnerable, less prone to be swayed, less impressionable. We guess that a boost of embracing confidence might help, but we are still in the middle of our research.

space exploration = I used to love space exploration, travelling the universe, discovering worlds upon worlds, forging friendships, exchanging knowledge. But by know I want to puke when I hear these two words together. And yes, it’s earth’s fault. Or to be precise, it’s the fault of a few brainless individuals who think that exploring space is the thing to do while their planet and its people suffer. The very thought makes me sick. And I will tell you this, people who think that space is more important than the life of your fellow humans: You are not welcome in the universe!

space exploration = When I was young, I always wondered who had the time to explore the universe, but then I was invited to join a travelling group to one of our neighbouring planets, and ever since I have been travelling, using the times of travel to work remotely and then spending wonderful weeks with the folks on other planets. It’s something that puzzles me about the earthlings. They look to the universe without having explored their own planet, they rush around their planet in flying cylinders only to demand that any new place should have their favourite dishes and everyone should understand their language, and they shy away from taking the time to travel slowly, in a boat or train, to make use of the time between destinations. How will they ever be ready to explore space? They seem far to impatient, like a toddler who constantly demands instant satisfaction.

space exploration: I agree with some other writers. As things stand right now, humans are not welcome in the universe. Honestly you need to get your act together and stop filling space with your rubbish. Sorry, I know we are meant to be supportive, but honestly it would be nice if you could make that a bit easier for us.

Tech, tech, tech … where to start? There are advantages to using tech. Some. But Earth humans tend to have a servile belief that tech can solve everything while at the same time they block out the damage done, the resources wasted, the stress inflicted and so on. Tech, tech, tech …

technology = On our planet we put down the breaks at some point. Tech had infiltrated every aspect of our lives and we were chocking. Luckily someone noticed and decided we needed to be radical to get our heads straight. So, we decided to turn off all tech and give our lives, our ways to produce and farm, our ways to communicate and consume entertainment, a good think. And then, very slowly we started to re-employ some tech. Other tech we adjusted, and quite a bit we disposed of. The benefits for our society are enormous, and it looks like we finally got the balance right: use tech where it has an overall benefit, and otherwise enjoy a tech-less lives — it’s much more relaxing and satisfying.

technology = the inefficiency of technology seems to be rarely studied on planet Earth. We highly recommend it. One of the main troubles is the inflexibility of tech.

The first views from around the universe we ever shared are published on the easy town ideas website.

By now this website offers a wide range of contributions from Aktionismus and angst to youth and zebra.

More entries from around the universe can be found on the websites listed below.

dot.

Insights and comments on the art of covering the body, fashion, and more.

book stations

Stories and observations for the reading corner.

towns and cities international

Comments on towns and cities, and more.

we need to talk about sex

Stories and testimonials regarding the human sexuality, and related subjects.

ripples

Comments on the worlds of doing business, charity and the like.

We are pleased to announce that the author Charlie Alice Raya has agreed to be available for readings. For more information see the easy town ideas website. There you will also find everything about pre-ordering the first edition of Views from around the universe, and about donations, both of which will ensure that we can continue with our work.