Ulvin - The Infected Planet

Deep in the heart of outer space, hangs a planet named Ulvin. It is not too unlike many of the planets we have seen in our stories of science fiction. Her people are appropriately known as the Ulvinites. Depending on your definition of what it means to be advanced, you might call them an advanced race, or you might not. They have yet to discover time travel, or make the Star Wars jump to light speed. They do however have a complex social system of government, law and order.

The Ulvinites are a rather complex creature. They are neither warlike, nor peaceful. Many would call them a violent and savage race, but they also exhibit a strong desire for peace. For all of her diversity, culture and governance, a great tragedy has befallen this solitary globe: It has been infected by a great disease.

There is great debate among Ulvin’s people as to how the sickness came to be, when it came and what to call it. Since I have the great privilege of observing them from the outside, I will name the disease, as I am above that particular debate. I have named it Ofraxia. After hearing of their plight, I have rather strong convictions about when it came to be, although, I don’t believe it’s worthwhile at this time to be dragged into that conversation. I am quite certain of how they contracted the disorder, and if time allows, I might go there.

For all that is arguable about Ofraxia, much is known for certain. Ofraxia is a virus which is contracted at birth, and as such, is carried by absolutely every citizen on the planet. Research has not yet shown whether it attacks their young since conception, but once the child is born, there is no hope for escape. The symptoms vary from patient to patient, but the prognosis is always the same - Death.

Some of them are taken rather quickly. Others live long enough to live semi-productive lives, finding work, recreation and even having families of their own. Death itself takes on different forms. Many die from horrible fleshly mutations, which can develop slowly over time, but bring them to the grave quite painfully. A great number of them die suddenly as some component of their body fails to perform its respective function.

Knowing about Ofraxia helps us to understand Ulvin’s commitment to medical care and research. Out of their distress, their political institutions are known to spend as much as 50% of their budget on fighting it. They have made great strides in medical knowledge over the past 1,000 years, even eliminating a few death strains, but have yet to find a cure. It is my understanding that the disease is completely incurable, but I am more than happy to see them try.

It is one thing to look upon Ulvin’s plight as an outsider. It is quite another to walk among them. I am certain that the very first people who were infected knew quite well that they had received a horror. No one remembers the time when it came to be, although there are stories still circulating of that fateful day. There are some who claim to have a written account of the original infestation, but those accounts are so old, that very few trust the source, and believing has become a matter of faith.

In the thousands of years since, living with the disease has become a regular part of life for them, since there is not a single soul who remembers otherwise. They have surrendered to the thought, that this is just the way life was meant to be. They have had no other experience, neither their fathers, not their forefathers before them.

The most peculiar thing about the Ulvinites, is that a great many (in fact, it might accurately be said of all of them) have developed a particular fondness for many of Ofraxia’s symptoms. It is true, that many of its manifestations can be quite pleasurable, if only for a short time. What most of them fail to realize, is how these symptoms work towards their very death. The normalcy of the virus has fooled them into thinking that it isn’t a problem at all.

A small sect among the Ulvinites has been circulating a rumor that a cure has been found. From our perspective, we would think the remedy would be received with open arms. Still, there are three great obstacles which hinder the development of the cure. It’s not a matter of funding, as I have mentioned how they use much of their financial resources in battling the death which awaits them. The established drug companies have little interest in opposing the cure, and government health care bureaucracy has not impeded its promotion either. The greatest opposition to the cure has been the cost of the cure, the normalcy of the disease and the pleasure of some of the symptoms. I will briefly discuss each of these obstacles.

The first hurdle for the cure is the cost. The cure is both free, and costly at the same time. It is an interesting side note that the one who originally gave them the cure, gave up his own life in its discovery. (A cost which few other researchers are willing to pay) This original researcher was very adamant however that the cure be given at no cost to those who are willing to receive it. The cure is thereby dispensed at no charge, other than the patient living a life of thankfulness to the one who gave them the cure. So it is costly in that the patient is required to place their trust in the cure, which is much more expensive than it would initially appear.

The cure isn’t the kind of cure the people of Ulvin are looking for. I have mentioned Ofraxia to be incurable, and it really is, in the sense that death still awaits those who have accepted treatment. The cure merely cancels the disease. It does not negate the consequence of death. Its victims still die, which leads Ulvinites to seriously question whether the cure is any kind of cure at all. It certainly isn’t the kind of medicine their own researchers have been looking for. They would much rather find a pill.

The second hurdle for the cure, is the normalcy of Ofraxia itself. Since everyone in Ulvin has it, they live their lives, not only thinking that it is acceptable, but everything is as it should be. Not one Ulvinite has ever known anyone without the disease. How then could they know any different? Never having known or seen life without the sickness, it has become offensive even to speak of Ofraxia as an ailment. Because of this, many proponents of the cure have been killed, simply for claiming to have found the solution.

Finally, not only have the Ulvinites grown accustomed to the sickness, many have developed a strange fondness for it. The original cure giver says that the symptoms are vile and disgraceful, where many patients have even grown to be proud of the virus they carry. They brag to their friends and enjoy telling heroic stories about the way Ofraxia has shown up in their lives. Their interests are therefore in direct conflict with the cure itself.

When such people are informed with the diagnosis, they respond as one would expect. They may naturally become very agitated and angry. Others grow to be very sad, even depressed. Some have been known to take their own lives. How would you respond if you were informed that the thing you love so much, were in fact a terminal disorder?

If you were an Ulvinite, would you want the cure?

I haven’t told you a story of a civilization who lived a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. This isn’t a made up world likened to Lewis’ Narnia or Tolkien’s Middle Earth. The tale I tell is true. To understand the story I have spun, you may want to read this again, and before you do, here is the key;

Ulvin is earth

Ofraxia is our separation from God

Sin is the symptom

Jesus is both the cure, and the original researcher.