Smooth seas do not make good sailors by Georgina Parry

Hi Tommaso,

thanks for your interest and observations. In my reply to Michael Alan I have talked about some of the less Utopian aspects of the tale.

You are right indoctrination, shared affirmations, is used as a means of maintaining social cohesion. Common knowledge of past mistakes, necessary limits, optimism and common purpose are used. As can be seen it is part of the education system, parental guidance and public information. Whether this is good or bad is a matter of opinion. Self interest to the detriment of others, greed, and profits do not have a place, success is measured in other ways. Nor does anarchy have a place. Perhaps there can be discussion among the populous about the affirmations, choosing perhaps the shared affirmations for the next quarter, discussion of the meaning/interpretations, validity and benefits of the different affirmations. Perhaps voting to delete some from the public list or adding new ones as they seem appropriate to new circumstances. In this way the people might feel they have some democratic input into the steering of the society.

Re. bad guys. I think they are not all of one type. There are people who can dedicate themselves to service of the sanctuaries as external protectors and gatherers of data. Their character may make them unsuited to permanent sanctuary life as it does not sufficiently challenge their competitive drive. These are not bad guys but could become bad guys if trapped in an unsuitable environment and culture. There are those opposed to the social control of the system and want to overthrow it in favor of their own form of government or anarchy and those who are have personality disorders that can not be cured and are a danger to the other residents.Using brain scans it is now possible to observe the structural differences of such people and screen them out of the population, and exile them.It may be possible to detect them while still children and put them into a different education path that will prepare them for life outside of the sanctuary.It may be possible to think of some positive role that those fearless, ambitious, self interested people could play.

Re. the political system I have in mind a benign democratically elected meritocracy, rather than sinister hidden authoritarian control. Social leadership would be a dedication like any other and suitable personalities would have appropriate broad based education (e.g.sociology, psychology, history, science, leadership, prior to becoming candidates for election. I haven't gone as far as thinking about a suitable curriculum : )

I think that putting in the infrastructure and construction of the sanctuaries would happen with a background of unrest as the need for them would not be agreed to until the environmental conditions have made survival difficult.I imagine it would require peace keepers to prevent obstruction from those who regard them as a waste of resources that could be better spent on food production and basic necessities of life, and those that would want to take resources from the sanctuaries for their own personal survival.The only way a peaceful transition could take place is if the 'indoctrination' of the people begins before construction so that the majority are in support of the projects.

Thanks for helping me put some more flesh on the bare bones, Georgina

Hi Wilhelmus,

you are right that the seas have never been entirely smooth but mankind has lived through the best of times in the relatively stable inter glacial period. Now it seems climate change will only add to our woes world wide. More droughts more floods, more tornadoes and cyclones, more lightning, more wildfires, more heatwaves, more unseasonable weather, as well as a population still growing and oil running out that mechanized intensive agriculture, that has fed the world, depends upon.

I will read your essay Wilhelmus : )

Hi George,

thanks for reading the essay and for filling in the blanks in your own way. My daughter also informed me that in a story something exciting or intriguing has to actually happen. We were only allowed 9 pages and were instructed to be optimistic. All I have done is set the scene, as a vehicle for highlighting a number of issues and their solutions. They are facing the unknown. What they can do is to learn how to survive whatever happens, they are 'filling the tool box' so to speak, so that they have what they need to do that.

High culture and creativity are two measures of the success of the sanctuary so there will be effort put into enabling and encouraging personal development and exploration and celebration in those areas. I imagine just as the children learn to create virtual environments to explore so do the adults, not just as games but as experiences. Art is not limited to external images and objects but becomes immersive and interactive too. Architecture is also a creative field in which old limitations might be left behind. Building unimaginable shapes There is also no reason why the sanctuaries could not 'evolve' over time to better meet the emotional and intellectual needs of the people. A symbiotic relationship is imagined in which the people serve the needs of the sanctuary and the sanctuary serves the needs of the people.

Hi Vladimir,

Yes George is OK if you like, the 'ina' is just a feminisation.

Thank you so much for your very appreciative comments. Glad you picked up that the tale is not mere fantasy but is a vehicle for raising a number of problems facing humanity and their solutions, linked to current scientific knowledge.

Glad you enjoyed it.

Hi Gene,

this is actually my first attempt at fiction (since high school). I found it surprisingly easy to write as my imagination did a lot of the work for me. I have written other FQXi essays but I would only recommend "Which of our basic physical assumptions are wrong", as it is relatively easy to read and was well received. It contains the diagram of the explanatory framework for physics which was in passing referred to in the last section of the story you read. There is also an enlarged copy of the diagram in the discussion thread. Prior to finding FQXi.org on which I am able to discuss and share ideas I wrote a few books but I am no longer distributing them as my ideas have moved on, it is not financially viable or worthwhile to me to produce and distribute them and I am also a better writer now than then. Perhaps this contest may inspire me to wrote more fiction. Really glad you found it enjoyable, and yes I do think we have a lot to learn.

Thanks Murat.

Hi Domenico,

glad you found some sense in it. I suppose it might be a bit disorienting. There is a narrative in black type which is describing life in the sanctuary . There is the writing on the girl's computer and home screen in blue, sayings that bind the community together and lessons that the girl is being taught. Then in red is technical information from the Knowledge Hub, which is I imagine is the communities super computer and repository of knowledge. The technical information is not a necessary part of the story but provides actual scientific information to back up the story details. The reference numbers throughout refer to the reference list at the end in which there are many hyperlinks making the finding of additional information easy.

Population growth is slowing but it is still growth. I am unsure about the future promise of biotechnology due to the hit and miss nature of using virus vectors.(Possible damage to the plants genetic code by the insertion of the vector and attached code.) There is some debate about the safety of GM crops. the increasing use of pesticide on Roundup ready crops and the problem of resistant weeds arising from unintended gene transfer. Perhaps one day it may be possible just to print out desired genetic code circumventing the vector issue.

Thanks for your comments.

John,

thanks for reading it. The story is a vehicle for raising and giving solutions to a number of problems.On this discussion thread a have given a list of many of the problems raised. It is set of a time when surface living has become too difficult for most because of the consequences of climate change. Though subterranean or sub-aquatic living is not compulsory and some have decided to stay outside and 'battle' the elements. I would ague with you view that there is a degree of sterility . Unlike many other Utopian tales nature has been taken into the sanctuaries for its continuation and for the needs of mankind. As I said mankind belongs with the tree of life. Disease is avoided by having a healthy natural microflora living in the environment. There are green spaces for recreation and stress relief, there are wildlife zones there is horticulture and aquaculture. There are companion animals for stress relief and companionship.

There is a hierarchy of needs and at the base there are the prerequisites for survival. Without the ability to survive non of the higher needs will be fulfilled. The societies are facing the unknown and so is filling its 'tool box' with means of survival so that they are able to adapt to whatever happens. They are becoming highly versatile. Yes I agree about pushing boundaries but that is what these people are doing by biominicry, bio-engineering,and creative cultural pursuits. High culture and creativity are measures of the sanctuaries success.See may reply to George Gantz re.creativity

Hi Tejinder,

thank you for reading my essay and for the questions.

Perhaps Japan might give us an idea of a society where procreation is not universally considered a priority. Japanese adults could choose to have children but many are not. Though there has been a rise in companion dog ownership. Demographics of Japan There are other purposes for which lives can be lead. And with busy fulfilled lives there isn't a place for children too. In my 'Utopia' it's the people who want to be parents more than anything else and are prepared to dedicate their lives to the role of raising those children that do that. They give up other options in order to fulfill that primary desire.Children are not an add on that parents don't really have time for, or accidents, or extensions of their selfish parent's egos.

increasing childlessness in Germany and Japan

Helen Mirram confronts the final female taboo

Quote: "Although a minority of women choose not to have children, the trend constitutes a genuine revolution, pointing to some unspoken resistance to motherhood. As we know, as soon as women were able to control reproduction, pursue studies, enter the job market and aspire to financial independence, motherhood stopped being an inevitable, self-evident step and became a choice instead."By Elisabeth Badinter, Special to CNN, May 15, 2012 "Why are rich nations birthrates in freefall?"

Its seems given a choice many women choose to be child free(rather than just child less), ie. not having children seen as a positive state of affairs.

Peaceful transition to the kind of societies imagined would require public familiarization with the various problems that have lead to their necessity.See also my reply to Tommaso.

Mostly the story is a vehicle for introducing numerous problems and giving solutions. For a list please look in this discussion thread at Apr. 22, 2014 @ 21:41 GMT

It is important to appreciate that this is not just a pretty Utopian fantasy.

Real problems that are or may well soon affect mankind are raised and importantly solutions are given. I have not merely said this is a problem or we should do something or lets all be nice to each other ( though of course that is desirable).

Here are some of the problems raised in the essay (not in the order they appear ), read it carefully to find the solutions.

Growth of population, 2.growth in the consumption of resources,3.unwanted / uncared for children,4.education in the future,5.diet,,6.stress,7.antibiotic resistance, 8.desertification,9.sea level rise,10.how to adapt to the unknown,11.maintaining social cohesion,12.mass migrations,13.maintaining good will, co-operation, and genetic exchange between isolated communities,14.potential ice age,15.how to feel worthwhile without children,16.need for sustainable measures of economic success,17.need for a shared goal and values for humanity,18.self sufficiency,19.security,20.How to create independent colonies suitable for space migration,21.what happens to non human life as climate change progresses? 22.cancer

The tale progresses from a rather stark opening quote that shows the devaluation of humanity and ends on an uplifting quote that in contrast shows the unappreciated value of life, and especially the human being. It also progresses through a day from 'sunrise' to 'sunset'.Physics is woven into the tale both in the context of problems we will face and as solutions to problems. I particularly like the realization that light at night is linked to cancer and so can be prevented by a healthy sleep regime.

The final section relates to my explanatory framework for physics in which the (material un-written )future is not fully determined so mankind has freewill to build his future. Through out the essay are many references the reference list contains a large number of hyperlinks making the access of additional information easy.

Hi Michael, Tommaso,

I had not heard of 'Zardoz' but have now read about it on Wikipedia and watched a trailer for the film. Oh dear I will never think of Sean Connery in the same way again!

I envision "my warriors" to have a role more akin to that of soldier ants that guard and keep safe the colony. Rather than being completely separate independent agents they are still a functional part though taking on a specialized role.

I don't see them as brutal and undisciplined but quite the opposite. Working in well regulated groups for mutual protection and survival. They are not 'gladiators' working for public entertainment, as in 'Zardoz'. Though I think applauding their efforts and celebrating their successes is important to give work satisfaction and esteem to the warriors. Important because their dissatisfaction would risk the warriors turning on their own sanctuary.

Immortality is a theme explored in 'Zardoz'. I have not looked at the problem/s of immortality or drastic life extension. Maybe it should have been mentioned in my essay but a large number of other problems were dealt with. The story assumes moderately extended life span due to: eradication of disease, famine and war, optimized diet and sleep regulation. 0% population growth through planned child birth rate.

Thanks, Georgina