IMAGINE ARIZONA PROFILING THE WHOLE PLANET

There are really only a couple dozen people in the entire world who have seen the entire world....!

Only the American and Russian astronauts. Neither presidents nor prime ministers, neither pundits nor popes, have had the experience of seeing -- feeling and sensing and fathoming -- the astonishing reality of 6 billions of us all clinging to the same tiny spinning ball in black space.

That has to inflame the mind, even more dazzle the soul, with our desperate need to begin desperately needing not fighting one another.

Try it this way. Assume we 6 billion were mathematically condensed into a village of 100 people. Exactly how would Arizona profile us? Here's the precise proportional breakdown according to the UN:

* 60 Asians...14 Africans...12 Europeans...8 Latin Americans...5 North Americans

* 51 males...49 females

* 82 non-whites...18 whites

* 89 heterosexual...11 homosexual

* 67 non-Christians...3 Christians

* 80 would be living a sub-standard existence

* 1 would hold a college degree

Interesting village. The way one of Hawking's ET's might see us if they were to actually bother with us. Hardly the way we see us. Or read about us in our daily newspapers. Or hear about us in our incredibly self-centered, self-absorbed 24/7 cable channels and websites (like this one).

Hollywood has spun hundreds of cinematic yarns about what ET's might say to us, just before they lifted off and returned to their own far-better worlds. When you scan the scripts, the dialog seems to all come down to this:

EP (earth person): "We're in kinda of mess here. Any advice...?"

ET (extra terrestrial): "I've looked around. Watched you letting the village go to hell while you were busy waving guns at each other over the silliest of arguments. Doesn't compute. I'm going back."

EP: "But wait, don't you have anything to say to us?"

ET: "I read some of your ancient holy books. I think it's already been said. Look it up. Fast...!"