…[We wander up the beach a short distance and over the dunes, back into the grasses. There is a building that looks like it’s made right out of the grass around it. It is light green and tan, grass from the field seems to be woven like fabric into the walls. It’s hard to know just what size it is. The shape is irregular with many edges and angular protrusions, like a maple leaf. There seems to be no roof. Walls rise up and dissolve into thin air. Very strange!]
“What a beautiful house! How can those walls dissolve into the air like that? I love the way it looks so natural. The shape is fantastic. It seems so alive.”
Yes. You’re right. The house is alive! Come inside.
[We are now walking to one of the walls and you part the woven material. A large interior space opens to our eyes. It’s an entryway, leading into a hall and a bright open room. I can see beyond out to a small pond. We walk—normally at last—down the hallway into the large, open area. In it there are soft chairs and cushions, and a few low tables.]
“What do you mean, the house is alive?”
We grow our dwellings. Isn’t that a wonderful development in 500 years? It only makes sense, really. The Earth is our Home. Why should it not give birth to the shelters we live in. The living qualities of the houses are very healthy for us. They provide all the heat and cooling we need, plus a fair amount of our food and beverages. They consume all our waste products and in return provide us all this. It is an excellent example of symbiosis.
“The ceiling? It’s all open. I am looking up into the sky. What happens when it rains?”
There actually is a roof. It can appear and disappear at will. Most of the time it is entirely transparent. It lets in plenty of light, but it is impermeable when we need it. It becomes porous when the house cleanses itself periodically. The roof can turn opaque if the sun is too bright, or dappled when this suits our moods. The houses read our moods and emotional needs almost before we know what we’re feeling ourselves. They generate an environment to match us. This is an example of the intelligence of nature, stimulated by conscious intent. From your perspective, I’m sure this seems magical. From ours, we have become quite accustomed to it. This symbiotic natural technology was developed more than two hundred years ago; it has gradually evolved since then to what you see around you now…
Copyright © 2009 by Robert Potter
Letters From 500 