"Ian Watson - Alien Embassy" - читать интересную книгу автора (Watson Ian)

'Do you feel confined, here in Africa? Here, is the same as everywhere else - part
of human society. If you're a lama, what do you think you'll be preaching about?
Tourism?' He made the last word sound obscene, which it was. 'What sort of
people travel the world nowadays?'

'Some sailors do.'

'Oh yes - carrying essential supplies! That's just because everywhere isn't self-
sufficient. Even the biggest of the sail-barges only need a few husband and wife
teams to crew them-'

'A computer trims the sails, I know.'

'The barge is their world, not the ports they call at,'

Rajit flushed.

'But you travel, sir. There's nothing wrong with travel if you're really

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Ian Watson - Alien Embassy


contributing something.'

'You're forthright, at least! Bardo officials travel, right enough - to co-ordinate
the world and see that everyone is fed and cared for and correctly educated.
Perhaps to find candidates for starflight, if we're lucky-'

'I only want to visit places ... to contribute. Like you, sir. Only slowly, as a lama.'

'Quite! The trick of being a lama is just that. To move gently from place to place,
to teach the people social ecology. To repeat the good news of how the human
body-field can be used to contact our star friends, without squeezing the world
dry to build rocket-ships and other paraphernalia. The lama proves by his own
example that there's no need for people to waste energy that way. He doesn't
wander from town to town because he's been, allotted some sort of magic carpet,
but because he's the perfect compass needle to point the true way. That way
always points right here - wherever he is, in a little village like your Bagamoyo
or a big far-off city like Bombay.'

'I agree, sir.'

'But you'd still like to see Bombay? Well, honesty's a fine thing, Rajit, At the
same time, the really honest man also knows when to tell a lie. He knows when
it's more true to tell a lie. Sometimes we have to tell little lies and play games,
don't we? He who doesn't know how to do this is a fool. No one would want him
for a lama.'