YOUR CHOICE IS SIMPLE ...
THE DECISION RESTS WITH YOU
"Geoff, did you invite the Martians over for a drink *again*?"
That's a social media inquiry my friend Bill sent me, kinda out of the blue, about the same time last week the Russian attack on the Ukranian nuclear plant was making headlines.
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| Bill's post included an image that brought this one of Gort immediately top of mind. |
Just quite why, I'm not sure.
And it really doesn't much matter.
Initially I took it as a bit of fun.
But it also felt as if it required more than an LOL emoji response.
And that sent me down the path I'm going to share with you now.
My head went straightaway to the 1951 S/F classic movie --
The Day the Earth Stood Still
The film is based on a 1940 Harry Bates short story, Farewell to the Master.
In my duck-and-cover kidhood that was one scary movie
... with great effects (Frank Lloyd Wright contributed to the spacecraft's design)
... a groundbreaking musical score by Bernard Herrmann (lots of electrified strings, two theremins and Hammond organs)
... a cast that seemed very relatable (including Sam Jaffee as a singularly brilliant scientist who looked a lot like Albert Einstein)
... delivering dialog that, by and large, wasn't too sappy (more on that momentarily)
... and a political, humanitarian, quasi-religious message that was probably a bit beyond my fully conscious level of understanding at the time
-- all of which was powerfully impressive to me then -- and still.
Now, about the dialog:
“Klaatu barada nikto” -- this Monday's subhead above -- is a phrase that originated in the film. And, per some authorities, it rates as "one of the most famous commands in science fiction" and "the most famous phrase ever spoken by an extraterrestrial."
Don't know it? Fair enough.
But maybe you should.
One wag has called it a "safeword."
A glib translation might be understood as "Klaatu says, 'Don't do it!'"
Huh? The humanoid alien protagonist of the film, Klaatu (Michael Rennie), instructs Helen Benson (Patricia Neal) that if any harm befalls him, she must say the phrase to the essentially indestructible robot Gort, pictured above (Lockard Martin).
Of course, that becomes necessary.
She struggles to deliver the instruction.
In response Gort sets out, saves Klaatu, as well as temporarily refraining from destroying the Earth.
But wait. There's more. Much more.
The crux of the film is less about visitors from alien worlds being an enemy which must be destroyed as it is about actual human beings, both then and unrepented even now, being their own worst enemy.
Wikipedia has a pretty objective and quick-reading storyline recap.
Still, in some fairness, to truly appreciate it, you've really got to see how this all plays out on the silver screen. And maybe it helps to have been a kid in the '50s.
TGIM Takeaway: The Day the Earth Stood Still speaks to the present condition of humanity, perhaps even more than when it first came out.
To oversimplify grossly, Klaatu and Gort have arrived as emissaries from far off to let the Earth know the worlds that they represent have recognized this "own worst enemy" failing in themselves. Thus, those civilizations have devised a corrective remedy. So far, it's worked effectively for those distant worlds. And they are going to share it.
Spoiler alert! I'm going to jump us to the end and show you --
TGIM IDEA IN ACTION: We still don't seem to get it. Seventy-one years after the movie's release --
Whether it's the confrontation of actual hot war between nations --
... or unwillingness to effectively address global climate change
... or bewilderment at the challenge of invisible-yet-pandemic deadly viral outbreak
... or the unremitting inability to recognize the connectedness of humanity in faces or convictions or traditions unlike our own
-- politicians, world leaders, just plain folks, can't figure out how to cooperate for the common good.
So, my TGIM friends let me spell it out for you:
"The Universe
grows smaller every day -- and the threat of aggression by any group --
anywhere -- can no longer be tolerated. There must be security
for all -- or no one is secure... This does not mean giving up any freedom
except the freedom to act irresponsibly."
Our choice is simple.
The decision rests with us.
Geoff Steck
Chief Catalyst
Alexander Publishing & Marketing
Alexander Publishing & Marketing
Englewood, NJ 07631
tgimguy@gmail.com
tgimguy@gmail.com
