Remember the end of Heinlein's Orphans Of The Sky when people from the first generation ship finally landed on a habitable planet thanks to nothing but luck alone?
A gold-tinted river flows through blue-fronded meadows beneath silver clouds. Blossoms chime on blue, feathery trees. Scents carried on the warm air are like cinnamon, iodine, horses and nothing identifiable. Black and red crags front a glacier. A scaled "dragon" flies past. At night, there are three moons and many more stars than were seen from Earth.
OK: colors, chimes, scents and warmth - four senses on the new planet, which is "...not New Earth..." (p. 188), unlike at the end of James Blish's Earthman, Come Home.
Construction and planting are proceeding and there are no threats. The formerly unyielding Reymont relinquishes power and authority and starts afresh because the people can now manage for themselves. Reymont is back with Ingrid but still with Ai-Ling and others because all genes must be shared. Jealousy has been left in the other universe. We want to read the history of the new one.
7 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
"Jealousy has been left in the other universe"? Human beings what they are, it's my belief that all the problems caused by sheer human cussedness! My belief is that hope has to be leavened by realism.
Sean
... and the "Flygande Svensk Kvinna" (fka, "Leonora Christine") is at last at rest...
Jealousy: while they may recognize the need for many partners for genetic reasons, jealously may still raise its head. While there have been and still are long-lasting polygamous cultures, I can't think of any long-lasting cultures which are polyamorous.
Like many things, it may work for some people for awhile, but may be hard to work for most people for a long time...
Kaor, Keith!
What I was trying to say was that I did not expect humans to become perfect, flawless beings in the next universe. I was thinking more broadly of how I expect all the usual all too human foibles, follies, vices, and stupidities to again show up.
Sean
Indeed. Personally, I'm a meliorist- I think "things" can get "better", but it's usually not easy or quick.
-kh
Actually the mention of polyamory puzzles me a bit.
Wouldn't monogamous marriages, with marriages in later generations between any pairs related closer than 2nd cousin be about right to prevent genetic problems?
Definitely every couple having lots of children would be needed both to prevent loss of genes & to quickly build up the population needed to keep a technological civilization going.
"discouraged" should have been just after "cousin"
Kaor, Jim!
And I agree with the two main points you made re discouraging marriages between persons too closely related and the need a civilization has for a large population.
Ad astra! Sean
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