Ray Nayler’s novel The Mountain in the Sea asks the kinds of questions about us, our future and our interaction with other living beings that are raised by many great works of science fiction.
Chris: Brilliant interview with Ray Nayler - the entire exchange and the added section. In particular references to living outside one's growing up place (mine is south-eastern Australia) - becoming able in other languages - and the feeling of humility which comes with that - and about the poison of nationalism/racism. I have just recently read your book "the greatest evil is war" and out of my experiences living and travelling abroad (around 20 of my adult years) and of having been a teacher of literature and writing - and of history - endorse everything you wrote therein.
This book might be the closest you come to meeting an intelligent alien if you don’t recognise the fact that because intelligent aliens are just that, intelligent, they seek to control the engagement they have with humans so that we don’t meet them in situations in which they are not in control of human reactions to the “meeting”. The work of Budd Hopkins and Dr David Jacobs teaches us that they can control even the perception we have of their meetings with us, a perception which, because it might interfere with their agenda, they would rather we not have at all. The level of military advantage is greatly improved if their adversary is unaware that they have an enemy. The abduction phenomenon betrays this strategy of “perpetual surprise”, but humans are generally too centred in their belief in being the smartest guy in the room to recognise this.
Enjoyed this interview. Always interesting to learn about books that comment imaginatively on our contemporary reality, at the same time leaving a little room for hope.
Thanks to Renate, James and John W. Reitter for liking my comment, but I don’t know what there was to like about it. I see the alien agenda as a problem bigger than climate change. It puts the white supremacist “replacement theory” I have heard of now into perspective, anyway. I’m not reassured by the thought that ET may have each of our cultures on tape, or on whatever the ET equivalent is for tape.
Or, to rephrase Mark Twain:
The more I learn about the human race, the more I like octopuses.
Or this, as sung by Dave Van Ronk:
“The octopus may cause you alarm,
if you think he’s meaning you harm,
but with his love he turns on the charm,
walking arm in arm in arm in arm in arm in arm in arm” Harbor of Love, (Frandsen?)
No, armored by a bit of humor, I’ll listen to the interview.
Chris: Brilliant interview with Ray Nayler - the entire exchange and the added section. In particular references to living outside one's growing up place (mine is south-eastern Australia) - becoming able in other languages - and the feeling of humility which comes with that - and about the poison of nationalism/racism. I have just recently read your book "the greatest evil is war" and out of my experiences living and travelling abroad (around 20 of my adult years) and of having been a teacher of literature and writing - and of history - endorse everything you wrote therein.
I do not hear so well and would very much appreciate closed captions.
This book might be the closest you come to meeting an intelligent alien if you don’t recognise the fact that because intelligent aliens are just that, intelligent, they seek to control the engagement they have with humans so that we don’t meet them in situations in which they are not in control of human reactions to the “meeting”. The work of Budd Hopkins and Dr David Jacobs teaches us that they can control even the perception we have of their meetings with us, a perception which, because it might interfere with their agenda, they would rather we not have at all. The level of military advantage is greatly improved if their adversary is unaware that they have an enemy. The abduction phenomenon betrays this strategy of “perpetual surprise”, but humans are generally too centred in their belief in being the smartest guy in the room to recognise this.
Thank you very much. It is never explained WHY such pathological hate of capitalist Russia and total support of Nazi-dominated Ukraine government !!
Stand with Russia – it fights for all of us against bipartisan fascist US/UK clique.
https://thedreizinreport.com/2022/10/09/war-crimes-2/
Thank you.
Tulsi Gabbard: FBI and Intel Agencies Tried To Steal Our Democracy, Never Forget And Forgive Them For This Treason – Oct. 6, 2022
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2022/10/06/tulsi_gabbard_fbi_and_intel_agencies_tried_to_steal_our_democracy_never_forget_and_forgive_them_for_this_treason.html
I never cease to be amazed at this place where we live with Twains and octopuses and zines and trees.
Enjoyed this interview. Always interesting to learn about books that comment imaginatively on our contemporary reality, at the same time leaving a little room for hope.
I'm getting a lot of stops and starts with this video (the same as your interview with
Robert Waters)...any reasons for this?
Thanks to Renate, James and John W. Reitter for liking my comment, but I don’t know what there was to like about it. I see the alien agenda as a problem bigger than climate change. It puts the white supremacist “replacement theory” I have heard of now into perspective, anyway. I’m not reassured by the thought that ET may have each of our cultures on tape, or on whatever the ET equivalent is for tape.