"When you think about it..the universe is about 13.8 billion years old.. Earth 4.5 billion years about how old civilization is? If you take the advent of writing as a measuring point, then the first writing started with the ancient Sumerians, 5500 years ago. So human civilization is just a fraction of the history of the earth. Intelligence and consciousness is a very fleeting concept. Throughout the universe it has rised and been extinguished repetitively. My species has detected only a handful of planets bearing sustained conscious life throughout the universe. One of which is here..Do you want to guess how old my civilization is?" he leaned forward. His handsome face, only inches from mine.
I was still livid from his insult that the human race was "aimless" as he so nicely put it.
I shook my head.
"No."
He looked at me with delight in his eyes.
"Well, I'll tell you anyway. Kommûm, as we call it in our native language, is 50.000 years old. My planet is 30 billion years old. Your human brain wouldn't even comprehend the difference, even if I explained it to you. We might look similar to humans in our shape and form. But we are the most advanced civilization there is. And we looked. We've explored more planets, that you can see stars in the sky."
"If you're so advanced, why are you here?" I retorted, annoyed.
"My civilization is collapsing. Like many empires before on earth, it's nearing its downfall. We are not immune from power struggles. A trait our civilization and yours seem to share. It might be the most consistent trait in intelligent life." he looked saddened. A pain overshadowing his beautiful features.
I've never heard him talk so much before. He was mostly observant until now.
Somehow, the flowers around looked more vibrant. As if opening up to their full glory. I turned around. What was happening to the garden? Every flower, every tree was suddenly in full blossom.
"Beautiful." he said, but he wasn't looking at the flowers. He was looking at me.