There follows my report after the initial three trelfthmas of studying the beings on the assigned planet, known to its own inhabitants as The Earth.

From afar it certainly appeared as though the dominant beings on this planet were of a high level of intelligence and intellect. I have to say that my conclusions, following the study I have carried out according to the orders I received from the Supreme Council, are not as would have been expected.

We had initially ascertained from our accrued knowledge of their level of technology, that they would probably prove to be enlightened, at peace and in the throws of making great strides forward in art and order in society. They do indeed have small communication devices which enable them to talk to others of their kind from great distances, many also using video links as well as sound. They can journey from one part of the planet to another, covering thousands of what they call "miles" in relatively few of what they call "hours" [their time sectors, apparently], in large winged tubes which they call aeroplanes, or airplanes. Granted, they do tend to be rather cumbersome in their method of getting these machines on and off the "ground" as they call it, but once airborne they're fairly efficient aerodynamically.

They have constructed some impressive structures in various planetary centres which they call "cities". These cities, however, appear to be quite detrimental to their planet's natural environment and here is where my report tends to become, sadly, rather more negative regarding "humankind," which is one of the words they use to describe their species. Perhaps it would be best if I were to list the findings which lead to me to conclude that they have some serious intellectual failings.

Having been able to spend several of their time periods called "years" walking among them, I can report with great accuracy regarding some of the strange and destructive habits to which they seem to be prone. How did I manage to walk among them without being discovered? Well, the first of their negative aspects is in part the answer.

1. LANGUAGE

They appear to have thousands of different languages in which they communicate. As with ourselves some thousands of trelfthmas ago, this - rather than being celebrated as adding to their diversity and culture - seems to be a cause of deep distrust among the majority of these beings. In fact they have often resorted to ridicule and even worse, violence and warfare simply due to the linguistic differences between them. Where the potential exists for individuals to learn each other's language and celebrate the rich depth of meaning it can add to mental understanding of what is being said, they largely use it as a means of separating groups one from another and even set up what they call "borders" keeping one language group apart from another. A recipe for confrontation if I ever saw one.

It was largely due to this language situation that I was able to walk among them. Since I don't speak many of these dialects at all, and the one they call "English" I have learned and speak with what they'd call a "strange accent," I was able to pass of as a "bloody foreigner" most of the time whenever a potentially awkward situation developed whilst I was inter-acting with one or more of their kind. Although I could never quite work out where blood came into it. The first few times I heard the expression used about myself I thought that maybe I had torn my skin in some way and was seeping life fluid, but no, that wasn't ever the case. The expression was never actually used to my face, so I was never in a position to find out quite how it applied, except to say that I am sure it was always used derogatively, which is why I began to discern that language was often indeed a negative aspect of their society. I must say that the clothing prepared for me by the cultural department on board the mothership was excellent and enabled me to blend in very well. A commendation to whoever headed the research into the subject before my assignment began is surely due.

2. PERSONAL HABITS

Whilst it is evident that though some among them have acquired knowledge concerning what is good and what is not so good for their physical well-being, it seems that the vast majority are on a self-destructive course. How weird is that? Their ecosystem produces a huge variety of plant foods, yet they have an insatiable desire to kill animals, so much so that they have driven some which were once known to exist in huge numbers, to extinction. True some have gone extinct through the humankinders poor handling of their environment too, but killing to eat them is also a major factor.

It's an anomaly really. I have seen that great numbers of the kind, who mainly seem to live in nuclear groups of around 4 to 6, even keeping some kinds of animals in their homes and pampering them to the point that it really doesn't benefit either the animal's health or theirs, yet they'll quite coolly go out to purchase foodstuffs in a building, often quite near their domicile, which is packed with animal carcasses, often kept in chill cabinets which they call refrigerators.

But what really shocks me and I still can't see the logic behind it is this: huge numbers of these beings have a totally inexplicable habit which involves sticking small white or brown sticks in their mouths and setting them alight! Their mouths, as with ours, are designed primarily for vocal communication and the intake of foodstuffs; yet so very often you'll see them with these glowing sticks emitting smoke as they not only hold them between their lips, but they actually inhale the noxious gases from these things. I know you won't believe this part, but I have actually seen the smoke from these "cigarettes" as they are often called, coming out through their nose holes!! This is sooo destructive to their organism. I wouldn't have believed it myself had I not seen it probably hundreds of times while I walked among them. To their credit, they have constructed some buildings which they call "hospitals" and these are places where they take their sick ones in order to try and provide healing. Yet how many of their resources are simply being wasted because so many of their number practice self-destruction through a poor choice regarding what they eat plus their habits regarding these burning sticks. I even theorise that maybe these "hospitals" are such wonderful places to be that many try to find ways of getting taken there, just to enjoy the experience.

Further research into that aspect of their nature may be worthwhile. meanwhile, I have one final area to comment on, and it's...

3. SPIRITUALITY

Those of us in the universe at large all accept that First Mind exists. There is too much evidence in the cosmos for any reasonable sentient being to doubt that in these times. But the way in which humankinders have developed their system of acknowledgement, which they call "religion," totally baffles me.

I referred above to the fact that they use their language differences to divide rather than unite. It appears that they have also added to this divisiveness through something that really ought to unite them, and that's their religion (I'll use their term here), or to be more accurate, religions. They almost seem to take great delight in arguing over virtually every aspect of belief. Some say First Mind must have three heads, others that there are many First Minds! A few, although their numbers are growing, now deny that First Mind even exists. Whilst they are quite wrong about that (as we all know) you can't altogether blame them when you see how divided the believers are. Some, and this is a significant minority actually, say First Mind even took their form and became one of them a couple of thousand of their "years" ago. Now how crazy is that?

But the worst aspect about all of this is the fact that, whenever they take up arms in this totally cretinous way that they so often do, they appeal to First Mind as if First Mind were taking sides in their petty arguments. They send great numbers of their youth off to die, telling them that First Mind is approving of this idiocy.

CONCLUSION & RECOMMENDATIONS

All in all, as I noted at the beginning of this report, humankinders at first appear to be intelligent. It may at first have seemed a good idea to establish contact with them. But following my in-depth study of their ways and beliefs over several trelfthmas, I would recommend we continue to keep them in quarantine from other sentient beings in their quadrant. Were we to allow them to infect other civilisations with their current ways, I feel that chaos would soon spread like those diseases from which we once suffered many hundreds of trelfthmas ago. Discord and aggression would once again break out where now there is now harmony, a harmony which we have enjoyed for a great time period, ever since we grew to understand that pride, aggression and self-destructive habits had to be eliminated.

I would recommend to the Council that we wait a further couple of hundred of their "years" and then send another study team. The only down side of doing this is the fact that the damage they are doing to their own ecosystems may by then be irreparable. But in view of the danger they would pose to universal peace and harmony, it seems the only course open to us at this time.