Consequences (Part 24)

We fly down towards Washington DC. It looks decrepit and different. We land on the White House Lawn.

"Why hasn't anyone reacted? Where are the Secret Service? Do people land on the White House lawn often in 2059?"

"We are invisible. The field renders our presence undetectable. Let's walk over to the Oval Office."

I've been to the White House hundreds of times, yet I've never seen it look so awful. The White Paint is in need of a coat and the lawn and plants look less cared for and half dead. In 2009, the army of gardeners and maintenance crews would have been fired for sure.

"Look at this."

Yal-hune shows me something that looks like a fire hydrant sticking out of the ground.

"What is it?"

"It's a mind blanking device."

"Mind blanking?"

"Yes. Some of your technology white papers were used to develop 'mind blankers' - devices which broadcast on recognized synaptic frequencies and interfere with natural thought processes."

"What for? Why is it here?"

"A person coming within 30 feet of this device is rendered temporarily mindless. They freeze up and collapse. It is used as a security device all over the world wherever they want to keep people away. It works. The after-effects are diminished mental capacity. It's earned a reputation as a mind-wrecker."

"Why isn't it influencing us?"

"I'm shielding us from the signals with my field."

"And they have these placed all around the White House? What about the President and all the rest? They have to be very careful where they walk, don't they?"

"Yes, they place them in specifically mapped areas. The White House interior is shielded somewhat - look."

I see large clear Plexiglas type constructs bolted to the walls, which I had not noticed before.

"What are those things?"

"They are harmonic dampers. Very expensive and they block a wide spectra of high and low frequencies using a resonant obstruction method."

"Never heard of that one."

"The crystalline composition detects a signal, matches it via reverberation and then blocks it by cancellation. It's not perfect, but it is the basis for all sorts of soundproofing and signal blocking used all over the Earth in 2059."

"So the mind blankers augment or replace the Secret Service and keep people away. The dampers protect the President from stray signals. It seems that someone wearing the damping technology would be immune to the blankers?"

"At this time the dampers need to be huge crystalline structures weighing upwards of 800 pounds. The technology has not yet been developed to make it wearable."

"Okay...so my papers were misused to create stuff that interferes with people's minds. What should I do - destroy those papers?"

"All I am trying to do is show you that all efforts to educate or share advanced information come with downsides and consequences. By showing you some of the consequences, hopefully when we return, you will see things a bit more balanced and have less of a drive to get me to assist you in revolutionizing the Earth's technological level."

"You've got to understand, Yal-hune - I was born into an era which promised the moon, space travel, longevity, Utopian type cities and more. After awhile I realized they weren't going to deliver - ever - unless I got the ball rolling myself."

"I know your motivations. Let me show you something else."

We take off again - effortlessly. Jeez, I could get used to this type of travel! The White House fast shrinks and is unidentifiable. We head west and arrive in Colorado, near what I recognize as the old NORAD center and command bunkers. We pass through the mountain walls as if they are not even there and we are in some sort of storage facility.

"What are these things? Warheads?"

"You remember the fascination with neutron bombs in the 1970s? It thrilled certain folks that they might be able to kill off humans but leave the structures intact for re-habitation?"

"Yes. I do."

"Well the mind blanking technology was turned into a 'deliverable' weapon and now wars and attacks are waged in which the victims have their minds destroyed, which most often kills the body too. Its proponents favorite euphemism is 'clean warfare' and it too is the result of one of your technology contracts and the accompanying white papers for the military."

It's horrible beyond words. Nothing good came from the cutting edge science shared - only weaponry, suffering and unimaginable cruelty to other humans.

"I think I've seen enough. This is just one possible future right? By showing me this - it should probably change it, right?"

"Not necessarily. Some of the data you have shared was already being weaponized back in 2009. These things have evolved from actions you already committed - not ones you still have not yet made!"

"So how can I go about changing this dismal future for humanity and Earth? Sharing advanced technology and understandings seems to backfire."

"You will have to figure that out for yourself. Balance! Balance is the key and should be your watchword. If you apply balance to your life and actions, it should make a difference. And not just for you, but for humanity and future generations. Humanity needs to change its goals and understand inherent immortality. Once this is understood, when they are ready, then can technology be shared without it being horribly subverted by selfish, small-minded, destructive humans to try and control others and place themselves on top."

(End Part 24)