Spes-Alpha - the introduction

Hey, everybody... I've been reading a little bit about philosophy lately, and I want to try and define a structure to some ideas that are recurrently in my mind. Differently of all the personal projects in my life, this time I really don't give a s*** about any kind of restriction - I will just try to put some ideas in the form of eventual texts, allowing myself do change or delete something if in the future I perceive that it was not what I wanted to say.

So, I will start with a little fictional scenario. Some decades in the future, as the developments in space exploration grow significantly, the same cannot be said about or environmental issues. Global Warming - or any other catastrophe you might prefer - give a last Check-Mate to the humanity in Earth, and the scientists decides to keep some colonies in different planets to try and maximise the possibilities for our species (and others believed to be important, such as some bacteria and the pigeons) to keep existing for a long time.

I know this idea is not original - actually, I have already used a similar storyline to a RPG campaign about 8 years ago (good old Hades, such a nice planet!!!) - but it is the only scenario I can find to illustrate some of my ideas. So, for the moment, let us focus in one of these attempts to build a new colony. Consider a small group, just as big as it would be necessary to proliferate the species (please, I am not considering the incestuous or miraculous ways of the Bible, so we will need much more people than just a couple).

For the moment, we will call this mission Spes-Alpha. After several projects, meetings, publications and some last-minute definitions because of deadlines, they defined a prototype of the society that should be kept in the beginning of the mission - and the profile of the people who would be involved. All of those persons are specialised in some functions (art, technology, whatever). None of them have met each other before, and also none of them follow any strong religious or politic doctrine. They came from different parts of the world, but are able to communicate properly in a common language.

Everybody has an important task in the mission. While travelling through the space, the amount of tasks is reduced - but everybody knows that those not actually working now will essential in the colonization of the new planet, that I suppose is not an easy task. In general lines, if somebody does not perform the job properly, the life of all the society is at risk - therefore, everybody is originally as being equally important and no status hierarchy should imposed over the group.

In this society, there is no general leadership. Any decision related to a specific problem is taken democratically by those who are responsible for the subject. In any case of really important decisions, involving conflicting subjects, bigger meetings are performed to get the more accepted decision. Each individual is motivated to always act according to a set of rules, seeking for the welfare of the group as a whole - among those rules, an important one is not trying to give your opinion in a subject that you are not related - the group would see in a very negative way if a communication expert try to say how the food chemists should perform their work.

The last aspect that is important to think about this society is: there is no scarcity of resources. They have more than enough food, clothing, technological gadgets, musical instruments, and whatever else is necessary for them until they are capable to produce new products in the new colony. In general lines, the society is projected to not perish by lack of resources - and the members of the society have enough education to understand which habits are adequate relating to the consumption level and even about reproduction rate.

That is it for today... Just think about the Spes-Alpha society for a while... Do you think they are capable of keeping this social organisation??? When do you think the first serious conflicts will appear??? If the new planet allows, will they be able to start new generations with the same social order? In a positive case, how many generations do you think it will take to start appearing conflicting groups within the society???

I'll continue the discussion someday... Cheers

The major trip of a life!!!

Hi, everyone

I've been promising to write about things that happened to me in London (in a blog or something like it). So, this first post will be about the trip and related events. Actually, several things before the trip are important for explaining why I'm here now, but if I follow this line, I will finish by writing a book (or, at least, a much more boring blog)

Therefore, I will cut the past (for now) and start with the moment I was in Salgado Filho airport, in Porto Alegre. It was very nice to see several friends on there to say good bye (look at the photo above: Thank you Lu, Lolo, Dodonho, Mario, Carol and Carlinha). I must confess that I almost cried when I entered the departure area and looked back to those that stayed. But, the anxiety (for not saying fear) was stronger than the ``good bye sadness'' on that moment, so I got to move on without tears bothering my vision.

The first plane (to Buenos Aires, stopping in Montevideo) was a little uncomfortable, but since it was my first time in an air transport, I did not mind. I must have looked like a little boy, always looking into the window, marveled with any different city or cloud that appeared below me. Such ``enchantment'' only give place to drowsiness (i didn't had a good sleep in the previous night, probably due to the nervousness), and my sarcastic sense of humor, making me thing different ways of scaring the people in the plane (e.g. screaming ``AVIÃO!!!!!!!!'' while looking into the window with an expression of fear :P). Actually, this curiosity was soon filled in, when the plane had a ``strong'' break when arrived in Buenos Aires and I could look into the fear expression in some of the passengers.

The time I spent in Buenos Aires was very interesting. Actually, it was a little boring in the beginning, but I've met interesting Gaucho people on there, a guy and a girl going to study in Spain (actually, the girl is from Pelotas, the same as I. As I am used to say, people from Pelotas tend to meet each other anywhere in the world).

The Boeing 747 to Madrid was considerably more comfortable than the other plane, so, in spite of the kids screaming and crying, I have slept almost all teh trip. In the time I was awaken, I could practice my ``portuñol'', by talking with an Argentine girl (from ``Tierra del Fuego'', near Patagonia), who lives and works in Madrid.

The arrival in Europe was very hurried. I had little time to arrive in Madrid and take the flight to London, but this time was enough for forgetting my hat in the bathroom (and consequently run through the airport to take it back, when I remembered), and again, to get confused with the Spanish language while entering the plane (what almost cost me to lost the flight, because I took some time to understand what paper the girl from air company wanted).

I think I'm terrible for writing narratives. One may notice that I always start a new period with ``The something was ...''. But, continuing with the events, The Airbus from Madrid to London was even worst than the first Boeing. Also, since I had entered later in the plane, I didn't had enough place to put my hand luggage, and had to carry it with me in the seat what directly reminded me of taking a Bosembecker bus to Bachini (but with a pack of peanut to eat). My first (and I think it was the unique) tear during the trip came when the plane was approaching the Gatwick Airport. That mix of fear, responsibility and dreams coming through filled my heart for some seconds. However, my pragmatism was still stronger, and I could not let the emotions wreck my attention and efforts to get where I should go.

It may look a little ``politically incorrect'', but some times, when you see somebody in a harder situation than you it gives you more strength to face things behind excuses (probably because you got ashamed by complaining of a situation when things could be very worst). This Brazilian guy that took the same flight than me, and arrived in London without speaking any word in English, made me feel a coward by being so worried with language issues. So, arriving in London became really easy (except by the hat that tried to run away from me again). I took some time to find the transport until Candem, but taking the train and the tube was not a problem except by carrying tha backpacks (especially because the smaller was without one strap).

Well, to finish this long and boring post, I will repeat something I always say. No matter what is the supreme force in the universe (if it exists, what I often believe), I don't know if you prefer call it of God, ``Patrão Velho'', Karma, entropy or whatever, but all I know is that It always put amazing people in my way, to help me, making things easier and more pleasurable. And in this time, it was not different: Since the GREAT friends in the airport to every person I met during the trip, everyone was very special, I really don't know what would be of me without you.

Thank you all (even those who will not read this)
Rafael V. Borges