“Do not answer. DO NOT ANSWER. DO. NOT. ANSWER.”

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Imagine yourself in the not-so-distant-future, you’re in a laboratory late at night.

You’re tired, cold, and hungry from working ungodly hours – testing, upgrading, and testing – same old system maintenance.

All of sudden, on one of the monitors – large, green text starts scrolling across and down the page.

You’re tired eyes, barley able to open, can’t make out the words.

Then at the same time blips and other technical sounds starts bussing and loudly going off.

You’re wide awake now.

Then silence. It left as quickly as it came. What was that?

____

You have just received the first radio transmission from another world. Congratulations.

You run over to the printer and start reading the alien message…

“Do not answer. DO NOT ANSWER. DO. NOT. ANSWER.

This world has received your message. I am a pacifist in this world. It is the luck of your civilization that I am the first to receive your message. I am warning you – do not answer. Do NOT answer. DO NOT ANSWER.

There are tens of millions of stars in your direction, as long as you do not answer, this world will not be able to ascertain the source of your transmission. But if you DO answer, the source will be located right away. Your planet WILL be invaded. Your world WILL be conquered.

Do not answer. Do NOT answer. DO. NOT. ANSWER.”

What would you do in this situation?

Would you answer, or would you not respond?

It’s the most important decision ever made in human history.

Choose carefully.

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(This post was inspired by Three Body Problem. The quote was taken from book number 1)