problems. And since there's no pollution of our air or our food, and no tobacco, there isn't much cancer, either. There's little stress, ergo no GI problems. Also there are few serious accidents, no suicide, no crime-voila! Not much need for doctors! But of course there are occasional outbreaks of disease. Most of these run their course without permanent damage, but there are a few nasty afflictions. For these we again have the plants. There is an herb or two for every ailment. You just have to look it up in the library. '
'You have an herb for everything?'
'So do you. For aids, for all the different kinds of cancer, for Parkinson's and alzheimer's, for blocked arteries. Herbs for selective anesthesia. They're all there, in your tropical forests. All you have to do is look for them.'
'Selective anesthesia?'
'If you want to do abdominal surgery, there is something to anesthetize that part of the body. You can watch someone take out your appendix. Or do it yourself, if you wish. And so on. Your chinese have the right idea with their acupuncture.'
'Are there hospitals?'
'More like small clinics. One for each village.'
'What about psychiatry? I suppose you're going to tell me there's no need for it on K-PAX.'
'Why should there be? We don't have religious or sexual or financial problems to tear us apart.'
'All right. But aren't there those who become mentally ill for organic reasons? What do you do with them?'
'Again, these are rare on our PLANET. But such beings are usually not dangerous and are not locked up for the convenience of others. On the contrary, they are well taken care of by everyone else.'
'You mean your mental patients aren't treated with any drugs-herbs-to make them well?'
'Mental illness is often in the eye of the beholder. Too often on this PLANET it refers to those who think and act differently from the majority.'
'But surely there are those who are obviously unable to cope with reality...'
'Reality is what you make it.'
'So no K-PAXians are ever treated for mental problems?'
'Only if they are unhappy, or request it themselves.'
'And how do you know whether they are happy or not?'
'If you don't know that, dr. b, you can't be much of a psychiatrist.'
'All right. You said there are no countries and no governments on K-PAX. I deduce from this that there are no armies or military weapons anywhere on your world-is that right?'
'Heaven forbid.'
'Tell me-what happens if K-PAX is attacked by inhabitants of another planet?'
'A contradiction in terms. Any beings who would destroy another WORLD always destroy themselves first.'
'Then what about your internal affairs? Who keeps order?'
'K-PAX is already orderly.'
'But you also said there are no laws on your planet. Correct?'
'Kee-reck.'
'Without laws, how does one know what is right and what is wrong?'
'The same way human beings do. Your children don't study law, do they? When they make mistakes, these are pointed out to them.'
'Who decides what a 'mistake' is?'
'Everyone knows.'
'How? Who created the original behavior codes?'
'No one. They just became obvious over a period of time.'
'Would you say there is some moral basis for these codes?'
'Depends on your definition of 'moral.' I presume you are thinking about religion.'
'Yes.'
'As I said before, we have no religions on K-PAX, thank god.'
'God?'
'That was a joke.' Prot entered something into his notebook. 'Have you no sense of humor on this PLANET?'
'Then you don't believe in God?'
'The idea was kicked around for a few hundred cycles, but it was soon rejected.'
'Why?'
'Why kid ourselves?'
'But if it gives comfort...'
'A false hope gives only false comfort.'
'Do all K-PAXians share this view?'
'I imagine. It's not something that's discussed very much.'
'Why not?'
'How often do you discuss dragons and unicorns?'
'What sorts of things are discussed on your planet?'
'Information. Ideas.'
'What sorts of ideas?'
'Can one travel forward in time? Is there a fourth spatial dimension? Are there other UNIVERSES? Stuff like that.'
'One more thing before we move on to something else. What happens-I know this is rare-but what happens when someone breaks one of your behavior codes? Refuses to conform?'
'Nothing.'
'Nothing?'
'We reason with him or her.'
'That's all?'
'Yes.'
'What if he kills someone?'
Somewhat agitated: 'Why would any being do a thing like that?'
'But what if someone did?'
'We would try to avoid him or her.'
'But is there no compassion for the person he has killed? Or for his next victim?'
Prot was staring at me, disgustedly it appeared, or perhaps in disbelief. 'You're making a mountain out of a molehill. Beings don't kill other beings on K-PAX. Crime is less popular than sex, even. There's simply no need for it.'
I had a hunch I was on to something here. 'But if someone did commit a crime, shouldn't such a person-uh, being-be locked up for the good of everyone else?'
Prot was clearly becoming irate. 'Let me tell you something, doc,' he almost snarled. 'Most humans subscribe to the policy of 'an eye for an eye, a life for a life.' Many of your religions are famous for this formula, which is well known throughout the UNIVERSE for its stupidity. Your christ and your buddha had a different vision, but nobody paid any attention to them, not even the christians and buddhists. On K-PAX there is no crime, you dig? And if there were, there would be no punishment. Apparently this is impossible for EARTH beings to understand, but it's the secret of life, believe me!' By now prot's eyes were bugging and his breathing was hard. I sensed it was time to end the day's session, if somewhat prematurely.
'I admit you have a point there. And by the way, I'm afraid I'm going to have to cut our session a little short today. I hope you don't mind. I have an important meeting which couldn't be rescheduled. Would it be all right with you if we continue with this next week?'
Calmer now, but not much: 'Perfectly.' Without another word he got up and stalked out.
I sat in my examining room for a few minutes after he had gone, thinking. Until that moment I had seen no evidence of anger, and rarely even a frown, in this patient. Now it appeared that just below the surface lay a seething cauldron, a volcano that could erupt at any time. Had it erupted in the past? Hysterical amnesia sometimes
