Stephen's Secure Blog #287
These stories about Stephen began was when he was 10 years old, and
moving to a new part of the country to attend a special school for
gifted students, in the 1950's. This was from a time before computers
would fit on a desk, and when people communicated with friends in other
countries by actual letters sent through the postal service. He wrote
225 of them to a friend. He stopped writing to his penpal, but found he
still wanted to record his life, in case he lost his memory again, and
wrote 30 entries in his first logbook. Then he wrote to an artificial
intelligence called Geenee, in the master computer in his school for
gifted students, which he started attending in 2016. Now it's after
2018, and he's continuing to save his memories in a secure blog.
All characters are fictitious, even if some of them might have names
that belong to some actual people, or act like people we know.
The stories may not be posted in chronological order.
Stephen is 17 in this story, in spring of year 7 of his special school.
Stephen's Secure Blog #287 "Preparing CNN for Tibet"
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The CNN producer called me, and asked me to meet with the talking
head. I ported to the designated meeting room. The producer introduced
me to Don. The first thing he said, "I've been reading about the
country, but I don't really know it. I need to ask if there is going to
be a problem with me being black." I grinned and said, "No, only if you
are Chinese." He grinned, and said, "That I understand." I said "For
me, I like the contrast. I would prefer to have the most assorted
people you can put together. I want to show them, and the world, that
diversity is a very GOOD thing." He said "Wow!" The producer, Len, was
grinning his face almost in half. I said "It's not just for me. The
Chinese have been pushing the opposite view. The more we can do to
counter that, the better." Len said "Always The Master Teacher." I said
"Absolutely!"
I said "You know they speak a different language there." Len said,
"You can translate." I said "Or you could learn the language." He said
"You wouldn't say that, if you couldn't make it happen and ready for
use." I said to Don, "I think he's been studying me." He said "He has,
and so have I, the last few days." I said "I can give you the language,
but there is a little problem with it being useful in such a short
time. Do you know another language?" He said, "French and Spanish, but
not enough to be an expert in them." I said "So, here's what I'll do.
I'll update them, and attach Tibetan to them, which will make the
spoken language fully available in a week. The same for you, Len. BUT,
I will need to put you out for an hour, and you are going to have a
mighty painful noggin for a few hours after that, but I can help reduce
that, what doctors laughingly call discomfort, by quite a bit. Or we
can postpone the trip for a month." They both wanted it right then. I
did that.
After an hour I woke them up. Their heads hurt. I helped them to
reduce the pain. Don said "It isn't as bad as I thought." I said "If we
didn't need it working so soon, I could have made it painless." He said
"Can you do this with other subjects?" I said "Yes, and it can't be
forgotten. I will be using this advanced teaching method, and others,
in Tibet, to make it an education center for the world." He said "Why
Tibet?" I said "Because they won't make regulations against it, and it
won't put other schools there out of business, and because much of what
makes me who I am, and what I can do, originated there. But they have
lost a lot of it. In helping them regain that, well, that means
teaching, and I'll be doing that MY way. Therefore, all that is
included." He nodded.
He said, "What is officially known about you is confusing." I said,
brightly, "Not to me!" He said, with some irritation, "That doesn't
help." I said "Good. This is a tour of Tibet. Not a tour of me. If it
becomes too much about me, I will see to it that you have nothing." He
said "But it's the people, who people, our audience, make connections
with." I said "Oh, you will find a lot of people there. I've been
giving English to some of them. What made you have pain, and took so
long, and will take longer to be useful, took them less than a minute
to learn. They are not more intelligent than you are, which would help
tremendously for that, but they have minds which are better developed.
They educate the way which causes that, the best in the world, after my
own school, and I'm bringing modern teaching methods to that, to make
it even better. One more thing. In this life I'm NOT a Tibetan, so you
should not focus on me." He said "In this life? You have had other
lives?" I looked at Len, and said, "Next candidate?" He said "Can we
have a few minutes?" I said "I'll give you five." I said like the
Terminator, "I'll be back!" I ported away.
I ported back. I said "You're still here." Don said "I knew that." I
grinned and said, "Good. So, what else do you know?" He said "That
asking you those things isn't going to get anywhere." I said, "Well,
not anywhere you want to be. There are good reasons for that, which the
President of China found out. One question leads to others, which leads
to many others, and all direction is lost. Around and with me, it's
better to stick to the work at hand, and let the rest take care of
itself in its own time, in its own way, and it really does. And Len, I
was not watching. I respect privacy. Yes, I can see and hear anything I
want to. But there is something you should know. My biological hearing
is VERY sensitive. A family mutation, I think. I would appreciate it if
people didn't yell in my ear. And I can't turn that off. So, if you
want to have a private conversation around me, better do it a LONG way
Just to Tibet. No, I wasn't reading your mind. Best not to start that
again." I held up my hand, and said, "Did you think this situation is
new to me?" He subsided, looking thoughtful. I wiggled my eyebrows at
Len, and he let his laughter happen. He said to Don, "Just go with the
flow. Your questions will be answered, even those you don't ask, if you
just don't push it, and let it happen. He's a TEACHER. In the right
mood, he can't help but share who he is." I said to him, "Oh, I feel SO
exposed!" They both laughed.
I said "I have arranged for a police lieutenant to be with us, so
there will be no trouble with the authorities, which have also been
notified." Don said "Will he try to keep us from anything?" I said "For
your safety, maybe, like a good police officer should. Other than that,
no. Do you think I would select anybody who wouldn't be exactly who I
wanted?" He said "I'm beginning to see something of your
effectiveness." I said with an evil grin, "You WILL see a lot more."
Len laughed. I said "What will happen in public there, is something you
will just have to experience. But I'll try to prepare you. They VERY
highly respect their clergy, more than even in Thailand. If you show
even the least sign of disrespect to a Lama, which is something like a
Priest, your life might be in danger. That includes touching one
without permission. So no shaking hands. We bow, like this." I
demonstrated. I said "The lower the status of the person, the lower
that person bows, to the person of the higher status, who doesn't bow
as low. But they understand that foreigners aren't familiar with that,
and will be quite accepting of you if you try. My being with you is
going to make things a little strange to you. To them, my status, to
those who know who I am, is the highest in the world. You should be
prepared to see that, and not be surprised, or question that in front
of them. And NEVER touch me in public. That could start a riot. I see
you don't believe that. I don't care. Just act as if you do, or I'll
send you back to the States in a hurry. Riots have started over
disrespecting Lamas there, before, and I am a Lama, at the least."
He said "But you aren't dressed like a Lama." I said "I knew that."
He looked funny. I said "I'm also an Abbot of a Temple of a different
tradition, and acknowledged Master of Abbots of many Buddhist
traditions. All wear different robes. Which one should I choose to
wear, and slight the others?" He nodded, and said, "Now I understand."
I said "So, wouldn't it be easier, and LESS time consuming, if you just
accepted what I tell you, without pestering me for details, and then
find out more as things develop?" He hesitated. I said to Len, "Didn't
you tell him I am unable to lie?" He said "Er, no. I forgot that." He
still looked unbelieving. I said "Would you treat the Pope this way?"
He looked confused. I said "Buddhists think of me as a living Buddha.
The Catholic hierarchy believes some Saints speak through me. Buddhists
believe I was those Christian Saints. Now, will you start using your
brain, instead of your prejudices?" He was about to get angry, and then
subsided in thought. I waited, after a slight nod to Len.
I said to Len, "I spent some time in thought, alone on a mountain, a
few times, recently. A very dry mountain." He knew what I meant. I said
"A friend asked me if it was the same mountain as before. I said I
didn't know. I was lost then, and to this day, I have no idea which one
it was." He laughed. I said "I mention this, because I had some
conversations there. I think that caused my embrace to become
significantly more effective, judging by the last two times I employed
it." He looked at Don, to see if he had heard. I said, "He didn't hear
me, and isn't hearing me now." He nodded. Don came out of his
abstraction, and asked me, "Would you tell me which Saints?" I said "If
you know the Saints well, you will, if you prove yourself worthy, know
which one I believe worthy of the title, before I leave you today. So,
do you have any questions about what you might experience in Tibet?"
He said "How is the food?" I said "The worst in the world." He was
really surprised, and so was Len. I said "Not much grows there, and
what does, and the animals, tastes really bad. And the altitude is so
high, water boils at a temperature that has to work really hard to burn
you. Tibet is an intensely Buddhist country, but even the Monks there
have to eat meat, because there isn't much else to eat, to maintain
health. There is something you need to know. To be polite and
respectful, you have to drink their kind of tea with them. Very few
people but Tibetans like it. It's made with tea, but with a lot of yak
milk in it, and yak butter. You will insult them if you don't drink
what is offered, and the whole cup, and when it is empty, they will
refill it. Do NOT drink from the second cup if you don't like it. Leave
it as the farewell luck cup." Len said "Thank you for that
information!" I grinned. I said "I doesn't bother me as much as it does
other people."
I said "There is another custom you should know about. You shouldn't
do it, but sticking out your tongue is a sign of respect in Tibet. So,
if somebody does that to you, don't take offense. I see you want to
know why. Many years ago, there was a religious disagreement. The
Tradition in power tried to suppress another Tradition by banning the
reading and reciting of the forbidden texts. When approaching one in
authority, a Monk had to stick out his tongue to show it hadn't turned
black from reciting what was not authorized. That was witnessed by the
regular folk, who took it to be a sign of respect, and copied it." They
both said, "Wow!" I said "I agree. Oh, and not once was there ever seen
a black tongue, which caused the authorities to believe they were VERY
effective." They laughed.
We talked more about Tibet, and then I said, "I think this is enough
for today. Have you seen my effort at golf?" Don hadn't. I said to Len,
"Was the squirrel and the bird in it?" He said "They were. The bird
perched on your shoulder like it loved you, and sang when you asked it
to. The squirrel was very friendly. They left you when you asked them
to." I said "I had just told the other clergy something I felt
emotional about, from my past. Animals come to comfort me in those
times, even though I ask them not to." Don was looking awestruck. I
stood and nodded. They stood. I opened my arms to Don. He knew what to
do. I hugged him with all my love, and he almost fainted. Len helped
him to sit down. Then I did the same to Len, and helped him down, too.
He whispered, "You're right. More intense. That must have been SOME
conversation!" I tried not to laugh. I said "Let me know when you want
another meeting. Here's a book about the history of Tibet. I just wrote
it. Farewell." I ported away.
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Grant
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