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Third-Party Defense

Dreamed 2004/9/11 by Wayan

THAT DAY Cover of 'Big Mouth and Ugly Girl' by Joyce Carol Oates.

I'm reading BIG MOUTH AND UGLY GIRL by Joyce Carol Oates. Difficult, painful--the two main characters are bitter and suspicious--rightly so, after lies get them shunned. Brings up ugly memories for me--I was my school's pariah and punching bag.

In the evening, go to a jam session with my friends Mike & Nic. Meet Murray, Oona, and David, who keeps suggesting drum rhythms to Nic till she snaps "I thought this was a jam, not a tutoring session" and quits; and Rod, who loudly tells me I'm loud and irritating and interrupting him. The second time he does it, I leave the circle to talk quietly to Nic & Oona off in the corner. Rod loudly complains a THIRD time--about my loud murmurs, I guess. I've felt Rod was rude before, but this was blatant and he singled me out. His scorn seems weirdly casual--as if I'm just a natural doormat.

Wow. Don't jam with him again. Beyond that, I can't see a lesson here... if it's meant to give me an opportunity to confront a bully, I'm not buying. No payoff I can see, other than a fight with a jerk. Nothing to gain here. I go home early.

Now, at home, I still feel mad--clinging to the insult. Except, frankly... I was bored. That jam was monotonous. Was Rude Rod my excuse to walk?

Should I ask my dreams about it? I suppose so, though I really want the opposite. Recently at Burning Man, I got lots of praise for Planetocopia, and cringed at the compliments! Want to learn to take praise not sneers. But that wasn't the lesson presented today. For Nic and me both, just insults outa the blue.

THAT NIGHT

Interstellar aliens have attacked. They killed off or swallowed several other intelligent species with a single overwhelming technique--not a military thing, a sociological trick that gets high-tech races to destroy themselves. But humanity resisted--not consistently, there were many doubters, but key factions realized the scam and averted civil war.

Next, the aliens send robotic bugs to crash the Web and other infosystems. A cruder attack--hinting they don't have much beyond their prime weapon. Humanity resists again, and now with more unity.

As it becomes clear the aggressors have destroyed many civilizations and plan to kill more, we start to feel a responsibility to other races too. Is fighting more justifiable when it's not self-defense? When you defend third parties? A consensus slowly builds that we need to fight and may have to exterminate the exterminators.

To save the next species.

Forcefields defend Earth--and me, floating in high orbit. Dream sketch by Wayan. Click to enlarge.

NOTES NEXT MORNING



LISTS AND LINKS:
DAY: music - manners & rudeness - bullies & threats - outsiders, shunning & ostracism - healing from abuse -
DREAM: dream beings - aliens - war, pacifism & self-defense - ethics - digital dream art - same dreamer, same night: Overlay

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