People Watcher

I have been a professional people watcher for the last 150 Earth years. My planet sent me here to observe and report on humans. Using direct observation will determine whether to add Earth to the Interplanetary Consortium or quarantine it. I take my work seriously, and this assignment has been the most difficult I’ve ever undertaken. When the posting was first assigned to me, I felt that in 25–50 years tops I would have my report complete and be ready to move on to my next assignment. Boy, was I wrong!

Using my special ability to see into a person’s inner self, or soul if you prefer, I can usually determine if a species is inherently noble or malicious. I watch how they interact with and toward each other. Then I compare those actions to what they are actually feeling and thinking. By doing this, I can extrapolate a species’ true identity. What’s taken me so long to determine the true nature of humans is that their true personality appears to be evolving right before my eyes.

When I first arrived on earth, the train stations and churches seemed to be likely places to observe human behavior. Trains used to be the most popular mode of travel from one city, state, or country to another. People of different classes and nationalities would gather at a station to travel. On the surface, people were courteous to one another and held their inner prejudices in check. Everyone tolerated, even accepted, each other as fellow travelers trying to reach a particular destination. This camaraderie among travelers has altered significantly with the advent of air travel and airports. Today’s traveler is more concerned with overhead luggage space or a “comfort animal” than the traveler in the seat next to them. Their inner thoughts tend more towards an uncomfortable tolerance rather than peaceful co-existence.

A major factor driving the change in human behavior seems to be the number of major wars that have occurred during the short time I’ve been on this planet. Humans, throughout their history, have always been a self-destructive species. As war has become more common, killing has become an acceptable resolution to a problem. The person singing the loudest at church services may well be the individual who kills a fellow parishioner over a parking spot.

My superiors want my findings. I will make one last observation before sending in my report, choosing a local supermarket as my last location. Five people stand in line, waiting to check out. The first is a man wearing jeans, engineer boots, and a leather vest over a T-shirt. His hair is unkempt and his beard is long and scraggly. In his cart is $200 worth of food he is purchasing with his savings to help a local veterans’ shelter.

Behind him is an attractive young lady, nervously shifting from side to side. She is buying a container of juice and a box of animal crackers for her 3-year-old that she left outside in her parked car. Her nervousness isn’t out of concern for her child inside the hot car, it’s because of her opioid withdrawal. She needs to get back to her car for more, a lot more.

Next in line is a self-assured-looking man in a pricy suit purchasing an energy drink and a power bar. He had just made the sale of his career by convincing a developer to purchase a block of tenement houses. It’s not his problem that the tenants are about to be evicted with no place to go. His bosses at Kushner Realty will surely give him a promotion.

Last in line is an elderly couple. Mixed in with their regular groceries are jars of baby food and a big bag of diapers. Their daughter was a single mother who had recently died in a car accident. Instead of allowing the child be placed in the system, they opted to forgo, perhaps forever, their retirement and raise their grandchild. It was the right thing to do.

I left the market and returned home to complete my report. This species has so much potential, but brings with it so much mayhem that my decision is almost impossible to make, but make it I must. I only hope that history will judge me fairly.