Today’s installment of the ‘The Last Pictures Project’ will focus on misery. Like I said yesterday, with the good, you’ve got to take the bad and it would be unjust to humanity to only paint us in a positive light. I find it fitting that this subject is posted on Halloween Day.
21. Death
It was difficult to find a picture that would evoke human death to the aliens. I liked this one.
22. Famine
I wonder if aliens have problems with resources on their planet? Are there some that have excess while others have not enough? Is famine a universal problem? Will they understand this picture?
23. The Atomic Bomb
I really don’t know what to say here. I’m sort of regretting this topic. I have viewed hundreds of terrible acts of humanity today and I feel a good cry is in order.
24. September 11th
I wasn’t sure if I should title this September 11th, 9/11, Terrorist Attacks, or The Twin Towers. Hell, I’m not even sure the aliens will understand what this means, but this day, these people & structures deserve their place forever.
25. The Elephant Man
Just so the aliens know we weren’t all perfect (difficult to understand, I know, especially after viewing a photo of my children) but they there were deformities and abnormalities in humans. Do you think there is an alien equivalent to Joseph Merrick?
26. Growing Old
While I certainly wouldn’t label aging as “misery” I felt this was the proper series to include something as human as growing old.
27. Fire
Whether caused by nature or humans, fire is certainly a force to be reckoned with. We use it for heat and cooking, but it is not always easily tamed, and as you can see in this example, it will wreak havoc at its leisure.
28. Storms
Hurricanes, blizzards, tornadoes, monsoons, even torrential downpour comes from the skies. The aliens are probably familiar with different storm systems, depending on the atmospheres they have been to, so I thought they should know us Earthlings dealt with trouble from the skies as well.
29. Earthquakes
A photo of the Earth separating after an Earthquake. Kinda important stuff when you’re leaving a legacy of this planet is all about…
30. Alien Autopsy
Thought I’d throw this one in there just throw those guys off a little. Hehehehe…
31. Saying Goodbye
It’s so hard to say goodbye… a true human emotion and one that aliens can most likely relate to.
32. Harry Houdini
This one came by suggestion from my friend Robert who pointed out that Houdini and his wife believed that spirits contacted the living and seances on October 31st are still held today to contact him. He died on Halloween day.
You really should read about the interesting life and death of Harry Houdini.
33. The Holocaust
I asked several family members and friends their thoughts on what pics to send into space and I had 2 people reply with “Hitler.” I think maybe their brains remember something about Hitler being the first radio signal to broadcast far enough for aliens to maybe pick up on when he did the opening ceremony for the 1936 Olympic games. That’s the only reason I can see to give this monster a way to live on, but I thought it would be better suited to give the men, women, and children an opportunity to be remembered long after the human civilization is dead.
34. The Salem Witch Trials
Another ode to Halloween, I threw this one in because I wanted to reflect how ridiculous and asinine humans can be to one another.
35. Rape
Sorry, folks. Whether we want it to be or not, rape is part of human culture and has been since the beginning. This image depicts the rape of Lucretia.
Lucretia is a legendary figure in the history of the Roman Republic. According to the story, told mainly by the Roman historian Livy and the Greek historian Dionysius of Halicarnassus (who lived in Rome at the time of the Roman Emperor Caesar Agustus), her rape by the king’s son and consequent suicide were the immediate cause of the revolution that overthrew the monarchy and established the Roman Republic.
36. Slavery
Another part of history we would like to forget, but in truth, still takes place today: Human Slavery. I chose this particular one because it depicts women and they are in chains being guarded over a whip-yielding man. This particular photo was taken in Zanzibar.
37. War
Who will win in the great fight of Man vs Man. If the aliens have this, man lost. Since the start of humankind man has found a way to fight one another. Is this how the aliens live? Did one superpower alien colony defeat another in order to get into space?
38. Murder
This particular photograph took place in Iran. I don’t think there needs to be much explanation.
39. Disease
We wish it weren’t so, but man has suffered from disease since he was born. From bubonic plague, to cancer to AIDS, we are susceptible to contracting the preventable, the treatable, and the nothing-you-can-do-about-it diseases that have wiped out so many.
40. Cannibalism
Well documented around the world and throughout history, cannibalism is still “alive” in modern times.
Yesterdays series was so much easier than doing the research for todays installment. I poured over literally thousands of pictures to get the right ones for this set and now my head hurts, my stomach aches, and my heart breaks. Looking forward to the research for tomorrow. In the mean time, everyone have a fun, safe, and spooky Halloween! As for me, Ghouls Night Out with my girl, Sandy Pants.
misslizgooden 