019 – What lies beyond

Humans had long been self-represented in our stories as a curious species, but then they came from beyond. Boring (as in, digging, not tedium) suspended holes spilling into open fields and valleys, they tumbled out – proclaiming themselves, fittingly enough, as The Curious. Unlike our prior misanthropomorphisms of how alien visitors would react, The Curious regarded our petty conflicts with distaste, but didn't intervene as we continued to fight wars, despite their arrival. It was true as many Generals had observed, "War always same."

In our fictionalized characterizations of other intelligent species, a frequent jumping-off basis is to take a trait that we possess, then make it the hyperbolized "core" of an entire civilization's lifestyle. The Curious did not disappoint, but rather than greed or aggression, they adopted a mantle of sheer accomplishment. These guys were every motivational speaker's dream, as they helped us build our empires, somewhat condescendingly reminding us that just like it was in our nature to fight, it was in their nature to, as goes in our lingo, get things done.

Following cultural exchanges, it was clear that while The Curious possessed neither super-strength nor telepathy, it was their persistent followup, their dogged adherence to keep moving, to be inquisitive and act upon whimsy, which kept them going. With hundreds of portals all over Earth leading back to The Curious homeworld, they offered any potential entrant the opportunity to travel through – on the condition that they could never, ever come back. The reason? Not living life to the fullest due to Earth's many unhelpful distractions would lead one into irreversible depression. The successful, they told us, would be assimilated into Curious society, and the failures… well, with upturned lips, they left that part blank.

Tagged as: *Dream Journal*