Stephen's Secure Blog #303
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 Summer of year 7 of his special school.
Stephen's Secure Blog #303 "Dragon a Pearl"
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I sent an image to the President of China. I said "Greetings. Please
tell me when it would be convenient for us to have a little talk about
something nice." He looked up and smiled, and said, "Right now is just
fine!" So, I ported to his office. We said the usual polite things. I
said "I have an artistic quandary, I hope you can help me with. On a
whim, I scanned around in tropical waters off Central America. I found
something. Then I made a sculpture to kind of present it. Then I had to
decide what to do with it. I have an idea to give it to the country it
is most related to. Er, this one." He was very interested, and said,
"But you have a problem?" I said "Yes. I don't know actually how to
give it, and if it is accepted, just where it should be. I don't want
to give it to the government, but to the PEOPLE. So, it should be where
they can see it, and know it is for them from me, in a personal way. A
place not just for tourists, but where the regular people of China
would go. In a country of a very repressive government, I think that,
despite the official political lies, such a thing might not even
exist." He became very thoughtful. I said "Something more. Even in an
approved government establishment, people who were seen to like my
sculpture, might be forever listed as subversive, in considering that I
have said and done some antigovernment things, and they might think
that, and so shun my work." He thought some more.
He said "I understand. I have no perfect solution. Could you describe
this art?" I said "I found a white natural pearl, 19cm in diameter." He
said "Wow!" I said "The sculpture is a dragon holding it, of golden and
other colors made of solid diamond, 2m long." He was too shocked to say
anything. I said "Why so shocked? My road to Sera is much bigger, and
more difficult to make." He calmed down a little, and said, "I
understand that is true, but each new thing you do is something of a
shock, and that you want to give it to us, added to it." I said "Do you
think I make these things for ME to look at?" He thought some more. He
said "You are correct about it's placement. The places I first thought
of, ordinary citizens do not visit." I said "Tell me, is such a
situation, and what it really means, good, or even healthy for your
people?" He hung his head, and said, "It is not. I don't think we can
accept it, in a way it should be, and that severely frustrates me." I
said with tears, "Not as much as it does me."
After a while, he said, "Would you show it to me?" I projected the
image. He said "The most appropriate place we have for it, from a non
Chinese artist, would be in the Beijing World Art museum." I said "I
just looked. That museum is named misleadingly. It is not OF the wold,
but for the world to see what you want it to see of China. I would be
alone there. Do you have ANY museums which have things from foreign
artists in them? I don't see any." He said "I don't think so." I said
"Do you realize what that says to your people, and to the rest of the
world?" He looked very sad, and said, "I am considering that, and
finding great sadness."
I said "If you want to have a friend, you need to be a friend. That
applies not just to individuals. With how you are, even as you want
others to see you, you show you have only distain for other people. So
much so, you don't have any of their art in your museums, which exist
only for State and Communist propaganda, and not for REAL artistic
purposes. If I gave the dragon to you, you couldn't put it on display.
There is no place for it. I was wrong to come to you with this. I made
a mistake. I should have checked the museums first. I had no idea that
things would be this wrong here. I am very sorry to have troubled you.
I should not have made it." He said "No! Make what your heart tells
you, always. Because we are not worthy, is not a reason to not make
your art. There is a future where it CAN be on display. I don't know
when, but your art will survive all of us, to live in a brighter
future." I said "You are wise, but that doesn't do anything to solve my
current problem. I have it, and it is seen by so few people, well, just
me for now, that it is very lonely. I make my art for PEOPLE. Not
rooms."
He said "There is Hong Kong." I said "I've heard of it." He
controlled himself. Then he said, "I understand. You want it here. Not
in a Temple?" I said "Right. Not there. Would require too many guards."
He said "I didn't think of that. Yes." I said "More for your thinking.
One guard struck me, and then tried to shoot me, in a Temple, after I
reprimanded him for striking another guard." He sat up straighter, and
said, "I didn't know that! I'm sorry!" I said "You forgot that I told
you that before. If I had not concealed it, by using my power to fog
the memories of some tourists, and erase the memory cards in their
cameras, and order the shocked Monks to take no action, and to not talk
about it, there could have been some very serious trouble for ALL of
China." He said "I have to thank you very much for that! What did you
do to the guard?" I said "I gave him orders he could not disobey, that
he is not to strike or try to harm another in any place which people
consider to be religious, even to defend himself, and that he must obey
all laws, and that he must treat all people with respect. It was
mentioned to me later, that those things were very unnatural for those
employed by the government of China."
He had some interesting conflicting reactions, which I studied with
evident interest, which ultimately made him laugh. I said "I don't know
if you can understand, but those Monks were severely traumatized by my
being struck in the face by that guard. I had to do some work to help
them recover. Even before I ever entered Tibet, those in Buddhist
Temples world wide knew who I was. Do you know that in Thailand, the
King is the head of the religion there, and his ordinary subjects must
approach him on their stomaches like angular worms, because of that.
There, they though well of the King, that I treated the him as an
equal." He said "Wow! You are correct. I still am unable to understand
how they think of you." I said "And this is in spite of the fact, which
is well known, that I don't like to be worshiped. They tried to avoid
showing that in Tibet, but not always were they successful." He said
"That man on the bridge. I see. He was ready to fall to his knees in
respect." I said "Probably. Even the Abbots have that feeling." He said
"Even the Dalai Lama?" I said "He is the leader of his Order and
Tradition, which being preeminent in Tibet, makes him its spiritual
leader. I am placed highest in ALL Buddhism. Still, there are other
issues. In a past incarnation, I was one of his earliest teachers. He
would revere me for that, if for nothing else." He nodded, and said, "I
see."
I said "All this doesn't do anything to solve my problem." He said
"We could build another museum, for foreign artists." I said "Further
separating your people from them? And anybody interested in foreign art
would be suspect. Who but the most stupid and foolhardy, would ever
enter it?" He said "I understand." I said "I have an idea. Tibet is
still part of China. Should it have its own museum here?" He looked a
little excited, and said, "Yes! Oh, could we have miniatures of your
great works from there, too?" I said "I could offer that as an
inducement." He said "Please induce us!" I smiled, and said, "But not
the Great Wheel of Life. You will get nothing from me that your
scientists will want to try to demolish to fail to understand." He
looked a little less enthusiastic. The way I looked, made him laugh. He
said "We have places for a new small museum, near those we already
have." I said "Given the location, I could make one in seconds, but you
would tear it apart to examine it for secrets, not accepting that I
wouldn't give you anything which had them. The floor of the square is
nothing but a very big block of stone, and will always be so, no matter
what you do to it." He looked embarrassed. I said "Even if it had
something extra, you would not have been able to do anything which
could help you understand it."
I got up, a went closer. I said "Touch my hand. What you feel is
something no science I know of, on ANY world in the galaxy, can detect,
except by feel, or understand anything else about it. I surrounded a
world with it, and many have tried to penetrate or remove the barrier,
with science much in advance of anything on Earth. I have full mental
control of its properties. I can make it assume any shape, allow
through it anything I set, and refuse others. I use it mostly for
personal defense, and to keep too much sun off of me. I can make it act
like a space suit. I walked on the moon naked, to test it. This one
thing, and there are many, cannot be perceived by anybody who doesn't
have some special abilities, and much skill in them. Only some of my
most advanced students can do this, and none of them understand the
math which describes it, and they are the most intelligent and talented
beings in the known galaxy."
He said "I try to believe you, but I doubt that others will. Pride
refuses that." I said "And pride is your people's greatest failing. The
Europeans treated you as less than dogs, in their empire days. To make
that worse, so did other Asians, the Japanese. So, to recover your
lowered pride, your leaders encouraged your pride, but then found
personal power in that, and went to excess, and couldn't let go. Now,
instead of false lack of pride, you have too much false pride. You fool
yourselves in your pride, that the world agrees with you, that you are
worthy of respect, but they don't give it undeserved. You are now less
deserving of respect in the eyes of the world, than when you were of
little pride, under the feet of your oppressors. Your government still
thinks that making Tibet independent, makes you respected less, but it
in fact is the opposite. This shows how much your values are twisted.
Only the strong and secure, can give freedom to others. Respect others,
and you will be respected, eventually. That is so obvious, it hurts me
that your people choose not to see it. It's like some kind of mental
illness. But it shouldn't surprise me, because you don't even respect
your own people. That's why Tibet wanted and needed its freedom." He
said "You will provide a recording of this?"
I said "Yes. But, to what good? Your whole culture is like that now,
as reflected in the rampant merchandise piracy, and the fake drug
market. It's not lack of enforcement that's causing it, but lack of
respect for other people. They just don't care. Those who had any
respect at all for other people, wouldn't market false things which
will kill them. Even if you wanted to change, you can't do it in any
reasonable amount of time. You will never have enough labor camps. What
has taken all this time to create, will take as least as much time to
repair. IF there is the desire, and I don't think that's going to
happen in a way which will be enough. You can't make social changes by
force from the top. Only with education, and with obvious benefits to
the changes, can you succeed, even in a small way. People will not
change unless it is in their best interest, and even then there will be
resistance to ANY change, to overcome. Remember always, you can NOT
force nature, or you will create worse problems for everybody. Work
WITH nature, and you will succeed. Your big dam should have showed you
that some floods are better than others."
He said "But the first step is discussion, and that is what you and I
are doing." I said with a lopsided grin, "Not really. You are listening
in pain, while I am orating." He laughed. He said "If we asked, would
Tibet allow us to have some things for the museum? I said "It would be
interesting to see if they would. A lot would depend on how they are
asked, and who does it." He said "If I did it personally?" I said "If
you follow my instructions with them, which I just gave you." He looked
surprised, then thoughtful, and then more surprised. He said "I always
underestimate you. It must be the respect issue. I am the leader of one
of the biggest and richest countries in the world, and yet I have no
real personal respect from anybody. And there is you, who do not want
to lead anybody, who is probably the most respected person in the
world, and probably many other worlds, and the most intelligent, most
powerful, most caring, and so most WORTHY of respect. I think my pride
has great difficulty accepting that." I said "I respect you for saying
that. I know it wasn't pleasant or easy." He said in English, "Damn
right!" We traded grins.
I said "Where my art is concerned, I have very little patience. I can
build the museum, and in the style of Tibet, in seconds. And it will
have no secrets in it. Or you can do it, or not. If Tibet won't give
you exhibits, I will make identical copies of what they should have
given you, for the museum. Which you shouldn't tell them in advance.
But, Tibet giving them to you, will be good for you both." He said "I
have to agree with your wisdom. If we provide the site, and the utility
connections, can you use them in the way you build?" I said "I can.
Prepare the site with a drawing first, so I can select where the
terminations will be. There should be a full wash room, and enough
electrical power for the lighting and such. I will copy the internal
equipment from your other museums. One thing. I don't use glass. I use
quartz crystal for that. More durable and stable. I usually build with
jade. I think maybe I shouldn't encourage hammer and chisels with
that." He grinned, and said, "If the square is any judge of that." I
said "If you can't guard such a public place, what good are you?" He
laughed.
I said "I'll make it of basalt, covered with red and white marble.
Fittings of stainless steel. Standard light fixtures. One floor, with
offices and equipment in the basement. All heated and air conditioned.
There should be more than enough to exhibit. I scanned the whole
country to a depth of 50 meters. There are a LOT of buried artifacts
which will become available as soon as we get some archeologists
working." He looked very interested. I said "Yes, gold, too, but you
know they won't spend holy things." He said "Disappointing." I said "I
agree. Fine for culturally important relics, but they use gold to cover
their statues, to honor them. They were shocked when I told them how
insulting that is to the artist who made them."
He laughed his head almost off his shoulders. He said, still
chuckling, "I can just see that, you the offended artist, who is also
their religious superior, disagreeing with that centuries old
practice." I said "Yes. They even do it with cloth, so you can't see
most of the work of the artist. They only thought of what the image
represented to them, and not of why it was created. It was more of a
shock when they felt my feelings directly, when I saw some work I did
in my past lives, treated that way." He said "Wow!" I said "I agree."
We traded grins. I said "We probably can't have it done in time to be
open on the 4th, and I don't know how long the new government will take
before they are ready to consider such a thing. So, if you are willing
to put the perl dragon in another museum, temporarily, I might agree to
that, if there is proper security. Or I can keep it in my new rebuilt
art school in Lhasa for a while." He said "You have an art school?" I
said "Partially. I bought some larger area for them, and made the
buildings, and are giving them free supplies. Well, I like art." He
said with a grin, "You like understatements, too." I said "Absolutely!
Oh, I mean, a little." He laughed. He said "You built an art school.
That must in itself be art. I really want to see it." I said "Now?" He
said "If you will, er, absolutely!"
I sent an image ahead, and they were ready. I ported us there, after
giving him a charm to maintain his air pressure. We walked around the
outside, and he said wow a lot. Then inside to the six story atrium,
and he was really in awe. The owner met us there. We all bowed a lot. I
told her about the museum. She liked the idea. I said "The student I
brought to you. Is he well?" She said "He's an artistic genius!" I
grinned, and said, "Besides that." She laughed, and said, "He has
earned their respect with his brilliance, and with his kindness and
consideration. He may become our greatest artist." I said "Please tell
him that I want some of his work now, and as he progresses, in the
museum we are building in Beijing, if you agree." She almost glowed,
and said, "I do, and I'll tell him." I said "Good. I have a problem. I
have a big sculpture which will be in that museum, but for now, it is
alone and unloved." She said "A problem no longer. It may abide here,
and it WILL be loved." I said "I have no doubt. Would here in this open
area, under a crystal dome, be acceptable?" She said "It would."
I made a big silvery dome, and then let it dissipate, and there the
diamond dragon was, holding the pearl, under a big clear dome. Both of
them almost popped their eyes out. After a while, she said, "What is it
made of?" I said "The perl is natural, which I found off Central
America. Yes, it surprised me, too. The dragon is carved from one solid
block of made diamond. I programmed the colors in it while I was making
the block, so they would be in the right place in the carving." She was
too amazed to say anything. The President said, "I don't understand it.
How could you make the dragon look so wise?" She turned to him and
said, "That's what a real artist does. Sometimes they don't know
themselves how they do it, but we don't complain about that very
often." He bowed to her. She said to me, "May I show him your
painting?" I said "After you." We went to her office. He was amazed all
over again. I said "That is a true scene. He was my best friend. We had
joined a larger tribe, and their best fighter challenged him to a duel.
That's his mother. The man who killed him, killed me less than a year
later. History says, after that, he went on to conquer all of China,
and other countries." He knew who I was talking about, and said, "Wow!
Do they know that in Mongolia?" I said "The museum does. I gave them a
lot more. Some others know I was a Mongol in a past life. I couldn't
hide it when I assisted them in setting up last year's festival, and
did some demonstrations, and some teaching after it." They both said,
"That was you!" I just grinned, and they laughed.
I said "In a few weeks, I will be having another art show at my
gallery in New York. It will have some new things. I know that, because
I have yet to make some of them." They grinned. I said "Would you like
to attend?" They both showed interest. I said "It would have to be not
official, and without official guards. However it is likely that at
least one guest there will recognize the President of China, but won't
make a fuss about it in public, or to the media. I have had to make her
boss make her behave once before." He said with interest, "Who is her
boss?" I said "The Secretary of State." He nodded, and said, "So your
government knows about you." I said "Some do. Some saving of lives
could have contributed to that." He laughed, and said, "I surely
understand that!" He told her about the insurrection. I said to her, "I
see you wonder why I saved our enemies. Well, their replacements were
worse, and I would have had to make my lazy butt work overtime to make
them see reason." She said "I understand what you are not saying." I
most have looked funny enough to make them laugh.
They both wanted to go to the gallery event. We said our farewells,
and I ported with the President back to his office. I said "I sense
that you want something." I made and ported in a painting of me on the
lighted Road to Sera, making the fireworks display. I said, while his
eyes were bugging out, "I'll be doing that again on the fourth. You are
welcome to attend. I'll contact you that afternoon to see if you want
to. Farewell." I wrapped him in my love, dropped some memory cards onto
his desk, and ported home.
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Grant
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