A Multi-Species Civilization

What would it really be like to drink in a multi-species bar or, more generally, to live in a multi-species civilization? Commissioner Desai's receptionist announces his next visitor, Aycharaych, the door retracts and Desai does not know what to expect. A xenosophont could have any size or shape of body, any number of limbs or any means of locomotion, might have to wear a spacesuit in a terrestroid environment, might be unable to communicate by making sounds or pronouncing Anglic, might have unprecedented powers or abilities. In fact, although no one realizes it yet, this one is a universal telepath, which was thought to be theoretically impossible.

We know that the next person we meet may be male or female, black or white, young or old, but Desai has to be able to cope with almost literally anything, assuming only that it is intelligent, and he is a skilled diplomat. How do ordinary people manage? Years ago, I read a science fiction comic strip in which our hero visited the equivalent of a garage to inquire about a previous customer. The mechanic give him a description which went something like, "Big purple guy with four arms and no hair." Imagine beings of all descriptions passing you on the street or entering your place of work to do business on a regular basis.

As I have said about immortality and time travel, such a big change to everyone's experience would profoundly affect consciousness in ways that sf writers should reflect if they can.