Errand of Mercy

on_fuego

The Force is Strong With This One
Hi to all,

So my wife and I recently got into watching the original Star Trek show. Yes, it took us this long to watch the original series. Coincidentally, what got us interested in it was a recent article on Sott.net about Gene Roddenberry. Anyways, last night we watched the episode called "Errand of Mercy" where they come across the planet of the Organians. I don't doubt that at least a few people know this episode. For the ones who do not, here is a brief description of the episode from Wikia(Spoiler alert):

"Coded orders to the USS Enterprise disclose that negotiations with the Klingon Empire are on the verge of collapse. The Enterprise is ordered to Organia, a peaceful, Class M planet in the disputed area, to prevent the Klingons from using it as a base of operations."

"Kirk and Spock find a primitive, agrarian society whose people seem curiously unconcerned about visitors materializing within their midst. Ayelborne welcomes them, but tells Kirk "we don't have anyone in authority." But, as Chairman of the Council of Elders, he invites them to the Council chambers.

However, the councilors tell Kirk they have no need of protection nor defenses; they do not believe the Klingon invasion poses any threat to their people or their culture. While they recess to discuss Kirk's offer, Spock discloses that the culture has not advanced for as far back as his tricorder can measure; Organia is "an arrested culture."

(http://en.memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/Errand_of_Mercy_(episode)

In the end, after Kirk insisting that the Organians should take his offers to help as they were "an arrested culture", Kirk and Spock realize that the Organians did not need any protection as they were a super advance civilization of "light beings". We found it very interesting how the Organians very clearly seem to represent 6th density beings.

I would say that this is probably the closest representation of 6th density I have seen on TV or Movies. I wonder if anybody can recall and recommend any show or movie that seemed to portray 6th density. I can say that the movie "What dreams may come" portrayed 4th density pretty clearly, maybe some 6th density too. At least to me.

I have always loved Science Fiction, but for some reason, I was never interested in Star Trek. I must say though, the more I watch the old Star Trek episodes, the more I like it. It has quite a bit of depth to it and I can see how it was way, way beyond it's time. I truly understand now what the big fuss was about.

Live long and prosper. :)
 
I do want to add that, while Spock mentioned to Captain Kirk that the Organians seemed to be well behind "technologically" speaking, I had a feeling that they would be spiritually advanced, since they insisted that they did not need help or protection. This got me thinking about the idea that, is it possible the more "technology" a society has, the worse off they become? It just seems that technology ends up as an STS product in many cases. It also seems to me that the higher density you are, the less "technology" is used. But what is classified as "technology"? I guess its the difference between working the land with your hands or working the land with tools. Hunting with your bare hands or using a bow and arrow or a gun. Technology makes things easier. But doesn't STS tend to take the path of least resistance? Does that mean that technology will always end up being an STS tool?

Any thoughts?
 
:/ Or technology, at this level, is perhaps a necessary catalyst for experience? According to Ra/Quo, things were flatlining in terms of 'evolution'... which reminds me of what happened to the native peoples of the Americas... technology was seemingly low, but war was still present, same in Hawaii, though on a local scale and less extreme, as they were shocked to see the intended damage the imperially minded Westerners inflicted on man, animal and nature... no respect for anyone or anything... to them it seemed unfathomable... the wanton mass slaughter etc... all done with more intention than technology... utilizing this very lack of knowledge against the local peoples around the world.... which definitely took them off the flatline chart... the pattern was already there, look at Japan after the West forced itself into their culture... from local to international domination.... pushing towards extremes.

This experience is all we have historically.... long ago, too much peace vs our known history being the opposite, one war after the next, one empire building after the next... like an endless boxing match with only a brief timeout between rounds. Technology might be just a means to an ends of catalytic experience... forcing the issues within any relationship. It seems that all that technology didn't help the Atlanteans succeed in STS graduation from the little data available... did they try to install a artificial 4d energy grid? This too seems another example of forcing the situation, as can be found in various forms currently.... without active opposition, the West is reliant on psychopaths who have essentially removed competition, so the boxing match is fixed... and you can't reach graduation levels without being challenged... a tool or opponent is needed to supply grit to the surface of experience... to supply resistance so that choices can be made willingly. It seems that most empires can't help themselves, tunnel vision takes over, be it psychopathically led or not... those types take over and reduce the contest to a non-choice or a reduced one that won't allow graduation requirements to be met.... they are fixing the game, the results as much as possible... which will bring the usual result of collapse and chaos and without enough momentum for their success... and if it goes on too long, it would seem to benefit their opposition, but if their opponent isn't active, then the game or contest or match doesn't continue... it defaults to a reset position and starts over.... or so it seems doesn't it? :/

Of course, it's always the individual Choice that matters, but the larger group dynamic is always dominant and sets the stage, the zeitgeist that determines how the match is faught, the forms, the technology mattering little to none, as it is the spirit of the thing that matters, the nature of the choice. Technology seems more an answer than a question... a simple one of means and not ends... which seems to take on a life of its own... ghost in the machine affect... which the C's mentioned as well in the past and the present, which is being setup to take over, as it won't need its creators after it reaches a certain point of self-awareness... something the entertainment medium seems to have noticed more than those responsible for its creation, and isn't this always the case with tech? 'They know not what they do'. 'As above, so below'... so why keep repeating the cycle? Obviously the gameplan isn't working if it has to be tweeked all the time... as if 'below' is but a tool for 'aboves' learning... like we learn from our teaching tools, be it the internet, games, entertainment, sports- athletic or political... all platforms for our tools of expression... all tools that seem to be going pretty much nowhere... in a hurry once they get established, rooted in the soil of society.. like a virus it takes on a life of its own and takes control and needs to be reset with everything else... who controls this program... is it us? or US... 'as above, so below'?

PS.. haven't seen that episode in a very long time, I only remember it as you spoke/wrote about it... sort of reminds me of the original pilot of the series which was used in the later one as a subplot or whatever... the 'technology' of that society was of the mind... having all the interactions between the damaged couple play out in their minds.. .and isn't that what is said of our situation? It's all a dream in the mind of God? All the worlds' a dream, but we are the dream, we are the dreamer.... A lot of the same concepts used throughout that series and in the Star Trek series that followed... nothing ever really changes but the technology it seems, which makes things look different, but the experiences remain the same.
 
on_fuego said:
I do want to add that, while Spock mentioned to Captain Kirk that the Organians seemed to be well behind "technologically" speaking, I had a feeling that they would be spiritually advanced, since they insisted that they did not need help or protection. This got me thinking about the idea that, is it possible the more "technology" a society has, the worse off they become? It just seems that technology ends up as an STS product in many cases. It also seems to me that the higher density you are, the less "technology" is used. But what is classified as "technology"? I guess its the difference between working the land with your hands or working the land with tools. Hunting with your bare hands or using a bow and arrow or a gun. Technology makes things easier. But doesn't STS tend to take the path of least resistance? Does that mean that technology will always end up being an STS tool?

Any thoughts?

From one perspective, technology is like a tool and the way it is used depends on the user. The Internet technology we are using here to communicate is one example. The Internet could be used for different purposes - more STS like or more STO like. So it is not the technology itself but how it is used that is more important.

Another perspective is regarding the kind of technology a society develops. Our society is of a STS nature. The technologies developed reflect this nature of our society though we can try and find more creative and STO like uses for the existing technologies.

I would speculate a STO society will likely develop and use technology which are more reflective of their basic orientation. The intelligence that guides the development of technology there would be under the control of the essential STO nature, which will give the technology a different form than what we are used to. It would perhaps be more organic from a broader ecological even cosmological perspective displaying the essence of cooperation as opposed to the type of technology we tend to develop geared more towards power and domination.

Thinking that technology is a way of taking the path of least resistance may not be the right approach. There are certain aspects of life where making things easy is useful for further development of an individual and society. If most of life's energies are spent just on satisfying survival needs, there is less scope for real development. So technology has its place - even in a STO society - osit.
 
on_fuego said:
I do want to add that, while Spock mentioned to Captain Kirk that the Organians seemed to be well behind "technologically" speaking, I had a feeling that they would be spiritually advanced, since they insisted that they did not need help or protection. This got me thinking about the idea that, is it possible the more "technology" a society has, the worse off they become? It just seems that technology ends up as an STS product in many cases. It also seems to me that the higher density you are, the less "technology" is used. But what is classified as "technology"? I guess its the difference between working the land with your hands or working the land with tools. Hunting with your bare hands or using a bow and arrow or a gun. Technology makes things easier. But doesn't STS tend to take the path of least resistance? Does that mean that technology will always end up being an STS tool?

Any thoughts?

Well, everyone in the above is really talking about the "gadgetry" subclass of technology and the use of gadgets (e.g., from a simple plow to a transporter) is limited only by the imagination and purposes of the user-gadget combination.

Concerning the idea you expressed as "STS tend to take the path of least resistance", I get the connotative meaning implied, but the conclusion proposed may just be one context-specific implementation of what appears to be a more universal tendency of getting something done while expending the minimum amount of energy to do so. You follow that pattern as well, but in itself, that doesn't qualify or quantify your STSness or STOness. After all, the use of a tool or gadget is only possible after an idea has gone through stages from a vague inspiration to a full production. In a creative sense, a physical tool is an idea made manifest (and it's still someone's idea, not "just" a material product).

Changing to an esoteric context, we might say that this idea could continue to be developed in order to fulfill its highest possible purpose, whatever that might be.
 
Or, guns dont kill people, people kill people. I would say that it might also depend on the purpose of the tool. You cant really do much with a gun aside from shooting at something or someone. Shoot for food, or shoot for pleasure. I guess it can get pretty tricky when it comes to guns.
 
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