The Blue Orb By Larry Crane

It was the most priceless object known. Nowhere in experience or knowledge was its match found. Strange that those most intimate with it, vastly underrated its importance and significance. Little did they seem to understand that their very existence was dependent on it. It had moved through many circles, over eons of time before it was even seen, and then some still denied it. Within and on it resided the primeval life force that sustained all. Some even claimed that surrounding it was the only life force that was, is, or will ever be. As it was ignored or denied it seemed to diminish in luster and brilliance as if neglect could in some way harm it. Some of its keepers were saddened and worried by its deterioration, and sought ways to rejuvenate it, others cared not, for they were ignorant of its true purpose. The concerned somehow intuited that their survival depended on the vitality of the orb, while the ignorant continued the neglect and turned a blind eye and a deaf ear to word of the orbs deterioration. As the neglect and deterioration continued, so to did the waning of the vitality of life force. Soon the damage would be irreversible and possibly fatal. The concerned keepers gathered their best knowledge from their wisest elders as to how to rejuvenate the orb. The only way appeared to be gathering peace and love in their hearts for the orb and each other. Once they had gathered peace and love in their own hearts it may be possible to spread the feelings to the keepers that were neither concerned nor ignorant. Doing this in prayer and reverence might generate enough energy to heal the orb. All while the concerned ones were actively attempting to restore the vitality of the orb, the ignorant keepers jeered and laughed, for they were so dense they couldn’t see or feel the diminishing shine of the orb. They even tried to maintain that the concerned ones might be causing the problems. Even up to RIGHT NOW it is impossible to tell if the out flowing of peace and love will be enough to forestall the damage, and return the orb to its former brilliance. This magnificent, matchless, blue gem that floats through the frigid, vast, black emptiness. A piercing, blue beacon that flashes color in the trackless void. A haven for fragile life processes that haven’t seemed to emerge anywhere in a creation so big as to be unimaginable. This is home to tenacious life, a veritable greenhouse garden, alone. A sole sentient species, though diverse, truly one contentious family, unknowingly carries on its adventure through the cosmos.    Do you want to know who these beings are? What precisely, this orb is? The keepers of the orb are humanity and the beautiful blue orb is this precious planet - Earth - the true “Garden of Eden” to its inhabitants who ride along as it spins out its own, and humanities destinies in the dark, cold, unfathomably huge vastness of the universe.    The deep question we must face is, do we dare allow the divinely installed potential to fail here on our extremely rare, little ( tiny by cosmic standards ) garden planet. Considering how many orbs like ours we have found so far, it would be a tragedy without precedent to descend into chaos, death, and destruction. We have it within our power to either fulfill our potential, or destroy our fragile little orb. We must face our responsibility with maturity, love, patience, faith, hope, humility, humor, courage, and wisdom. We absolutely CANNOT allow ourselves to fail because of our human frailties. Those of us who are already elders will probably not out live the orb, but our children, grand-children, great grand-children…….. ???????