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The original was posted on /r/hfy by /u/GoldenSheppard on 2024-10-29 22:12:39+00:00.
Okay. So. I Had A Thought.
We’ve achieved interstellar travel and venture out into space. We have First Contact. All are very excited. As we talk to these SHINY NEW ALIENS!!! there is a pause in the conversation. The aliens ask “What did you do during your Great Pause?” All the humans look at each other in befuddlement. The translators and cultural liaisons from each species furiously converse for a few moments which becomes minutes. Nearly half an hour later, the Alien and Human teams go back to their respective leaders. The Aliens looking horrified, the Humans looking sheepish with one looking quite smug.
Human Leader asks the interpreter to fill them in so they con continue this groundbreaking conference that is being transmitted to the entire human race. The interpretation lead looks like they want to blame their kid brother for something before looking up and admitting “Well, the Great Pause is the time during which a previously space faring race is planet bound while they wait for space debris to form rings so it is safe to go into space.”
The Human leadership all look at each other. Humanity had known of the issue. It had, in fact, been AN ISSUE since exploring space had begun, but Humanity had just YOLOed their way into space, knowing that the initial push outwards would be extremely hazardous. The push out into space had been pioneered by the prison industrial complex, sending lifers and death row inmates into the first great pushes out to the initial orbital colonies, knowing there was a high chance of death. It took fifty years of this before there was enough of a foothold in orbit to begin cleaning up space to make it safe for the average citizen.
The idea of a “Great Pause” was anathema to the Humans. Space was there to be EXPLORED, how could they stay ground bound? Admittedly, in retrospect, it significantly changed how crimes were punished on Earth fr the better. Seeing flights go up with such a high mortality rate, slaughtering people who were just hoping for a chance at freedom was the push that humanity needed to make large reforms to the Justice system.
Had they Paused though? Reaching out into space was the push humanity needed to unite. Had they allowed themselves to stay ground bound…
“Friends, I apologize for the translation issue. While I am sure all of the Humans are familiar with this story, allow me to explain to our New Friends the history of Space Exploration…”
Over the next ten minutes the leader paints a fairly sterilized picture of the Push to Space that has the Aliens looking over at the humans horrified. Well, the Human Delegation thought, we’ve fucked the pooch here. Maybe our next first contact will go better.
It did not go better.