A Galactica Christmas Address

I saw on the BBC website that Queen Elizabeth delivered her annual Christmas address to the Commonwealth, or the UK, or something like that. I shall do the same:

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December 25, 2005

My fellow humans:

2005 has proven to be a challenging year for the human race. We have, over the last 12 months, endured tragedies that forced me to contemplate our brief existence on this blue jewel of a planet called Earth. From natural disasters, man-made tragedies, to events occuring from the randomness of life, I am sad that 2005* could not have been better for many beings, yet I am hopeful that this terrible year will not be forgotten. Even as we live our normal life spans, in universal terms, we are only a blip in time. Instead of being tucked away as a bad memory, I hope the world will remember 2005 and the lessons learned and pledge to improve the lives of its citizens. This blip in time must mean something.

As a species, we homo sapiens have evolved to take advantage of our so-called intelligence so that our progeny will thrive and stamp out other species. Our intelligence has changed our physical world to the detriment of "lesser" species. Our success has produced numbers so vast that we are stripping the Earth of its natural resources at an unmanageable rate. The selfish humans are uncontrollable. We are indeed a plague on this planet.

Gaia is ailing, and we are the cause. Perhaps she is fighting her illness. Perhaps the natural disasters are an immune system trying to eradicate an infection.

Perhaps the human illness is turning on itself. In our superior evolution, our intelligence has produced ideological, religious, and emotional forces that seem, at times, to be a self-regulating check and balance system for our very own existence. Whether it be a war based on religious difference, interpretation of scriptures, economic greed, or person-to-person violence, human suffering has achieved a sophistication that one cannot easily identify the root causes anymore. Our superier intellect can find a multitude of interconnected influences to one's actions. Perhaps Gaia does not need to do anything.

What if this superior evolution of ours has a built-in self-destruct mechanism...what if the flawed humans are destined to be wiped off by face of Earth by either their own devices or a new "arrival"? A popular television series has beautifully captured the elements of our predicament in its storyline, its luminous cast and smart writing. This show has the premise that humans created and abused robots that later turned against them. A rebellion of robot intelligence plans the extermination of the human race, resulting in less than 50,000 humans running for their lives in the nether reaches of the universe. This show argues that humans are intrinsically flawed and are the cause of their own downfall. Pulling in religion, mythology, and the ugly side of human nature (think rape and plunder), Battlestar Galactica, the new series, has given me a slightly less painful and admittedly, an escapist, examination of our situation. It is art like this, whether it originates in Japanese anime or American television, that gives me hope that all is not lost for Gaia and the human species.

For those of us who feel helpless and incapable of creating change in our lives, this temporary, narcissistic, and altogether too human creation of science fiction and fantasy might be a place to find some solutions to our ills.

After the good meals and the holiday parties, my fellow humans, as you return to your mundane existence of pay check to deadline to utility bills, my word of advice is to remember to return to a place where you can view your life and the existence of your fellow beings in a different light, like Battlestar Galactica. As royalty, a person living in a socially constructed, human institution, I ask my fellow leaders in all the countries of the planet to take some time to view their work in the larger context of our momentary blip in time.

Lovingly,
Her Royal Majesty Queen Chuin

*2005... Timeline