If you're interested in UFOs and ETs, these are useful and important books, and it would be helpful to at least become familiar with the general contents and arguments by reading descriptions, editorial and reader reviews, and discussions on the Internet.
"UFOs: Generals, Pilots and Government Officials Go On the Record", by Leslie Kean. One of the best UFO books in recent years for the open minded general audience.
"UFOs and Nukes", by Robert Hastings, the world's leading authority on the subject (outside of the U.S.G.). It's pointless to speculate about the nature and purpose of the ET presence without understanding the information provided in this book, and other related sources of information about ETs and nuclear weapons.
"UFOs and Government: A Historical Inquiry", by Michael Swords and Robert Powell; and other contributors. This is a huge book, more like a college textbook than a typical popular UFO book--and someday it will certainly be studied by university students learning of this strange era of U.S. history (along with Richard Dolan's 'UFOs and the National Security State' books, et al.). It's rightly regarded by experts in the field as one of the most important UFO books in recent years, if not decades. For better or worse, it may be the last 'pre-Disclosure' book on the subject.
"Triangular UFOs: An Estimate of the Situation", By David Marler. See this post: If You're Interested in Contact, Read This Book: Triangular UFOs
Monday, July 9, 2012
Sunday, July 8, 2012
Watch the Big Triangles
[A continuation of sorts of 'Would They Talk to Us'].
The most compelling evidence that at least one group of ETs intend that we know of their presence, and by implication, that they intend the possibility of Contact, is the behavior of the large triangles.
Two of the events are the Hudson Valley and Belgium sightings, decades ago. Both involved sightings by many witnesses over many days and longer. The Belgium case involved interaction with military aircraft, and amazingly (by the standards of the US Air Force), the Belgium military openly acknowledged the events.
The next (?) major event was Phoenix, witnessed by hundreds of people. Initially ridiculed by the governor of the state, a former Air Force Officer, years later it was confirmed when the governor acknowledged he had in fact personally observed a large triangle, which was (to him) obviously 'not of this earth'. At the risk of stating the blindingly obvious, the appearance occurred when many people were outdoors, looking at the sky to see the Hale-Bopp comet; any ET race would have understood that this would be an ideal time to demonstrate their presence.
Finally, the Stephenville event was not simply an obvious demonstration of intent that humans would know of the ET presence, but may have been a message to the U.S. Government, since the flight path apparently ended near or at the restricted airspace of the President's ranch. While there's no publicly available 'proof' to support this speculation, perhaps the U.S. Government got the message:
{We can do this in 'broad daylight', when the President is at the Ranch, when lots of reporters with lots of cameras are watching. If you continue this policy--and if you continue to believe that the greatest threat to the future of humankind is the truth--too bad. Sooner or later the truth will be known, and if you don't deal with issue, at some point we may--and if you aren't prepared for it, you have only yourselves to blame.}
Was a revised version of a U.S.G. 'UFO Preparedness' plan distributed more widely, at least partly as a result of this event?
The most compelling evidence that at least one group of ETs intend that we know of their presence, and by implication, that they intend the possibility of Contact, is the behavior of the large triangles.
Two of the events are the Hudson Valley and Belgium sightings, decades ago. Both involved sightings by many witnesses over many days and longer. The Belgium case involved interaction with military aircraft, and amazingly (by the standards of the US Air Force), the Belgium military openly acknowledged the events.
The next (?) major event was Phoenix, witnessed by hundreds of people. Initially ridiculed by the governor of the state, a former Air Force Officer, years later it was confirmed when the governor acknowledged he had in fact personally observed a large triangle, which was (to him) obviously 'not of this earth'. At the risk of stating the blindingly obvious, the appearance occurred when many people were outdoors, looking at the sky to see the Hale-Bopp comet; any ET race would have understood that this would be an ideal time to demonstrate their presence.
Finally, the Stephenville event was not simply an obvious demonstration of intent that humans would know of the ET presence, but may have been a message to the U.S. Government, since the flight path apparently ended near or at the restricted airspace of the President's ranch. While there's no publicly available 'proof' to support this speculation, perhaps the U.S. Government got the message:
{We can do this in 'broad daylight', when the President is at the Ranch, when lots of reporters with lots of cameras are watching. If you continue this policy--and if you continue to believe that the greatest threat to the future of humankind is the truth--too bad. Sooner or later the truth will be known, and if you don't deal with issue, at some point we may--and if you aren't prepared for it, you have only yourselves to blame.}
Was a revised version of a U.S.G. 'UFO Preparedness' plan distributed more widely, at least partly as a result of this event?
Would They Talk to Us?
Of course they'll talk to us--they already have, in deeds if not in words. They've made it absolutely clear that they're here; that they intend for us to know of their presence, but are not (yet) forcing the issue of 'acknowledgment'; that they have the technical capability to destroy our civilization, but despite many attempts to 'shoot them down', have refrained from any massive retaliation; and that they are particularly 'concerned' about our nuclear weapons.
Whether or not they've already had limited verbal communications with highly secretive elements of the US and other governments--only the governments and the ETs know--based on publicly available information, it's obvious the governments haven't learned much about how 'Rapidly Evolving Technological Civilizations' survive and prosper.
So, in the context of this blog, the question is, would they respond, and if so how, to the sorts of requests for communications described in 'A Real SETI...'?
In other words, are they willing and able to begin an 'intelligent conversation' with our civilization?
First, are they willing? There are several possible explanations for their clearly demonstrated intent for us to know of their presence, while not forcing the issue. What does this imply about their intentions?
One explanation is that they have no interest in contact in the near term, but are simply 'rattling our cage', either as a scientific experiment conducted on primitives, or simply for 'entertainment'.
Or perhaps, similarly without any intention of near term formal contact, they are gently making it clear to us that there are other far more intelligent and technologically advanced life forms in the Universe, and that we should begin to consider the implications for our possible future(s)--on Earth, and perhaps in space.
Another rather strange explanation is the notion of a 'Vast Malicious Alien Consciousness'. That is, some vast consciousness, responsible for UFOs, fairies, and the whole range of 'paranormal' phenomena, is malicious, but so far incapable of intruding into our 'consensus reality', and is trying to get us to 'acknowledge' it, or 'believe' in it's reality, thus empowering it to do us grievous harm. The (im)plausibility of this argument is discussed in 'Vast Alien Consciousness...'.
Another possible explanation is the premise of this blog--that they have in effect knocked on our door thousands of times, and intend the possibility of contact, but have deferred in a limited way to our systems of 'government', and are waiting for one or more 'sovereign' groups (nations) to take responsibility for beginning a conversation. In other words, they are definitely 'willing' to begin a conversation...
But even if they're 'willing', are they 'able' to have an 'intelligent conversation' with us? In other words, do they have the ability to convey useful information relevant to the future of our civilization?
There are two requirements for such a conversation: first, the cultural understanding and linguistic fluency necessary to communicate, and second, the technical means to interact with our communications systems.
Since they obviously have the ability to create optical signals--lights on their spacecraft, and beams of various kinds--and since detection of optical signals is technically trivial, even for us, clearly they have the technical means to communicate in at least a limited optical Morse code conversation. But unless they have an extraordinary understanding of our civilization, then no 'useful' conversation would be possible.
While they obviously have excellent 'physical intelligence', i.e., they can interact with aircraft, and electronic weapons systems, etc., in a very controlled and rational way, the critical issue is their 'linguistic and cultural intelligence' capability.
At the minimum, if they've had any interest in our civilization--and it's obvious that they have--they will have monitored our radio and TV for decades, and thus should have an excellent understanding of life on Earth. They've also had the capability to deploy probes (invisible or nearly so), capable in principle of physical surveillance of printed materials, and monitoring personal conversations. And in recent years, they certainly have had the capability to monitor (and even interact with) the Internet. At the extreme, they may be intercepting essentially all communications, including classified government traffic, and thus have access not only to what the public knows, but more complete access to the 'secret' activities of governments than any humans, in or out of our governments.
Even if, as 'biologicals', they are not far more 'intelligent' than humans, we know that (if our progress continues) in a few decades, humans will have created cybernetics which will far exceed the practical intelligence of humans. Such an intelligence (with unrestricted access to the Internet, etc.) would have a far better understanding of our civilization than any human; and so it should be obvious--since their technology is 'centuries' if not 'millennia' beyond ours, and since, for an advanced civilization, construction of such a cybernetic intelligence would be a trivial exercise--that, if necessary, they will have such a 'cybernetic intelligence'. And so we should expect--if they were sufficiently interested--that they and/or their cybernetics will have a vastly greater understanding of life on Earth than any intelligence analyst, or any talk show host, reporter, politician, or scientist, etc.
Thus, if they intend the possibility of an 'intelligent' conversation with our civilization, they certainly have the necessary technical ability, and cultural understanding and linguistic fluency.
We know with certainty that at least some of the UFO appearances represent an effort to make their presence known, without 'forcing the issue'. But what we don't know--at least from publicly available sources--is which group or groups of ETs would talk to us? Would one or more groups oppose, and perhaps try to prevent any contact between humankind and the civilizations of the Universe? What do we have to do to begin a conversation? And what would they say?
[Update: If you're interested in this issue ('Would They Talk to Us?') you might also want to read 'Watch the Big Triangles' , and 'If You're Interested in Contact, Read This Book: Triangular UFOs'. The major 'big triangle' events are important demonstrations of the intention of at least one group of ETs to make their presence known. Also, if you're interested in this subject, you might also be interested in 'Contact, Acknowledgment, and Disclosure'.]
Whether or not they've already had limited verbal communications with highly secretive elements of the US and other governments--only the governments and the ETs know--based on publicly available information, it's obvious the governments haven't learned much about how 'Rapidly Evolving Technological Civilizations' survive and prosper.
So, in the context of this blog, the question is, would they respond, and if so how, to the sorts of requests for communications described in 'A Real SETI...'?
In other words, are they willing and able to begin an 'intelligent conversation' with our civilization?
First, are they willing? There are several possible explanations for their clearly demonstrated intent for us to know of their presence, while not forcing the issue. What does this imply about their intentions?
One explanation is that they have no interest in contact in the near term, but are simply 'rattling our cage', either as a scientific experiment conducted on primitives, or simply for 'entertainment'.
Or perhaps, similarly without any intention of near term formal contact, they are gently making it clear to us that there are other far more intelligent and technologically advanced life forms in the Universe, and that we should begin to consider the implications for our possible future(s)--on Earth, and perhaps in space.
Another rather strange explanation is the notion of a 'Vast Malicious Alien Consciousness'. That is, some vast consciousness, responsible for UFOs, fairies, and the whole range of 'paranormal' phenomena, is malicious, but so far incapable of intruding into our 'consensus reality', and is trying to get us to 'acknowledge' it, or 'believe' in it's reality, thus empowering it to do us grievous harm. The (im)plausibility of this argument is discussed in 'Vast Alien Consciousness...'.
Another possible explanation is the premise of this blog--that they have in effect knocked on our door thousands of times, and intend the possibility of contact, but have deferred in a limited way to our systems of 'government', and are waiting for one or more 'sovereign' groups (nations) to take responsibility for beginning a conversation. In other words, they are definitely 'willing' to begin a conversation...
But even if they're 'willing', are they 'able' to have an 'intelligent conversation' with us? In other words, do they have the ability to convey useful information relevant to the future of our civilization?
There are two requirements for such a conversation: first, the cultural understanding and linguistic fluency necessary to communicate, and second, the technical means to interact with our communications systems.
Since they obviously have the ability to create optical signals--lights on their spacecraft, and beams of various kinds--and since detection of optical signals is technically trivial, even for us, clearly they have the technical means to communicate in at least a limited optical Morse code conversation. But unless they have an extraordinary understanding of our civilization, then no 'useful' conversation would be possible.
While they obviously have excellent 'physical intelligence', i.e., they can interact with aircraft, and electronic weapons systems, etc., in a very controlled and rational way, the critical issue is their 'linguistic and cultural intelligence' capability.
At the minimum, if they've had any interest in our civilization--and it's obvious that they have--they will have monitored our radio and TV for decades, and thus should have an excellent understanding of life on Earth. They've also had the capability to deploy probes (invisible or nearly so), capable in principle of physical surveillance of printed materials, and monitoring personal conversations. And in recent years, they certainly have had the capability to monitor (and even interact with) the Internet. At the extreme, they may be intercepting essentially all communications, including classified government traffic, and thus have access not only to what the public knows, but more complete access to the 'secret' activities of governments than any humans, in or out of our governments.
Even if, as 'biologicals', they are not far more 'intelligent' than humans, we know that (if our progress continues) in a few decades, humans will have created cybernetics which will far exceed the practical intelligence of humans. Such an intelligence (with unrestricted access to the Internet, etc.) would have a far better understanding of our civilization than any human; and so it should be obvious--since their technology is 'centuries' if not 'millennia' beyond ours, and since, for an advanced civilization, construction of such a cybernetic intelligence would be a trivial exercise--that, if necessary, they will have such a 'cybernetic intelligence'. And so we should expect--if they were sufficiently interested--that they and/or their cybernetics will have a vastly greater understanding of life on Earth than any intelligence analyst, or any talk show host, reporter, politician, or scientist, etc.
Thus, if they intend the possibility of an 'intelligent' conversation with our civilization, they certainly have the necessary technical ability, and cultural understanding and linguistic fluency.
We know with certainty that at least some of the UFO appearances represent an effort to make their presence known, without 'forcing the issue'. But what we don't know--at least from publicly available sources--is which group or groups of ETs would talk to us? Would one or more groups oppose, and perhaps try to prevent any contact between humankind and the civilizations of the Universe? What do we have to do to begin a conversation? And what would they say?
[Update: If you're interested in this issue ('Would They Talk to Us?') you might also want to read 'Watch the Big Triangles' , and 'If You're Interested in Contact, Read This Book: Triangular UFOs'. The major 'big triangle' events are important demonstrations of the intention of at least one group of ETs to make their presence known. Also, if you're interested in this subject, you might also be interested in 'Contact, Acknowledgment, and Disclosure'.]
'Vast Alien Consciousness' and Acknowledgment
One of the more interesting arguments against USG acknowledgment of the ET presence is that the UFO/ET phenomenon represent a vast, powerful, and malicious alien consciousness (VAC) manifesting itself as 'flying saucers', 'alien abductors', fairies, etc., and that by acknowledging the reality of UFOs, this consciousness will be empowered to do us harm.
On the one hand, UFOs clearly represent a 'physical' reality--they emit and reflect light, reflect radar frequencies, interfere with electrical systems, and leave impressions on the ground when landing. On the other hand UFO experiences and related (or apparently related) phenomena often seem like 'paranormal' experiences, i.e., they often involve altered states of consciousness, and/or may seem to occur in a 'non-ordinary' reality, sometimes including strange beings and other anomalous apparently-physical phenomena. At present, we simply don't understand enough about the nature of consciousness and reality to know whether UFOs, etc., are real or simply manifestations of some VAC. Indeed, we don't even know what 'real' means, and whether everything in our reality--the entire Universe--might simply be a manifestation of some VAC.
Thus the issue is not whether UFOs are manifestations of a VAC, but rather whether they are malevolent, etc., and whether acknowledgment will empower them to do us harm.
While some aspects of the UFO phenomenon, etc., seem benevolent, or at least benign or indifferent, some clearly seem malicious or malevolent.
The 'empowerment' argument arises from the notion of the observer effect (in quantum mechanics), and the related notions of the power of intentions, expectations, and beliefs to shape our experiences and reality; or from the folklore notion that "if you don't believe in fairies (etc.), you won't see them, and they can't hurt you"; or perhaps from the psychological notion that expectations and beliefs influence perceptions.
An announcement by the US and/or other nations, or the UN, followed by massive media coverage, would have a dramatic effect on the consciousness of humankind. And certainly more people would see, or believe they had seen UFOs and/or had been 'abducted' or otherwise contacted by ETs, etc.
Indeed, if the President, in an address to the nation, flanked by military officials and leading scientists, declared that fairies were real, then we should expect more people to report seeing fairies.
While an announcement that 'UFOs are real' and the resulting media coverage would certainly have some effects on our experience, there are several problems with the argument that a VAC represents a grave or mortal threat to the United States and other nations.
First, the power of the collective of human consciousness to constrain the VAC interaction with humankind obviously far exceeds that of the alleged VAC. After six decades of UFOs (or thousands of years, as many believe), the VAC is apparently still incapable of significantly influencing our reality.
Second, cultures and civilizations throughout history have recognized (believed in) powerful forces and beings, and while their beliefs have had profound effects on their lives and cultures, so far, apparently, no civilization has been destroyed as a result of acknowledging these forces and beings. Of course it might be argued that never before in human history has the consciousness of the entire human race been affected to the extent possible with modern mass media and worldwide communications. The effect of mass media, however, could work both ways--statements by government officials and others, and media coverage could be used to promote fear, and feelings of helplessness, etc.--thus 'empowering' the VAC--or just the opposite; and thus dramatically influence beliefs and expectations of the world's people, and presumably, the reality they would experience.
For decades, elements of the USG have manipulated by various means and for various reasons, the attitudes and consciousness of the American people, and the USG Psychological Operations elements presumably would recognize the importance of this for managing reactions--for better or worse--to disclosure and contact in general, as well as any real or imagined VAC threat.
Third, since UFOs clearly have the ability to appear to groups of humans, and to cause aircraft, etc., to malfunction, and if they intend to force us to acknowledge them, why haven't they done something dramatic enough--appear over a major city in broad daylight, or cause an aircraft to crash in clear view of multiple witnesses, etc.--to initiate a media frenzy and the resulting change in our awareness?
Fourth, while some people may seek a personal physical or 'mental' interaction between humans and ETs, the purpose of this blog is not to suggest personal interactions, but rather an invitation to a very specific class of possible ET or other intelligences--beings who understand our civilization, are monitoring our communications, and who have simply been waiting for us (one or more governments) to accept responsibility for initiating contact--to communicate with us using our technology, initially with a simple recordable binary 'message'--an appearance, or not--or an optical alphanumeric message.
Of course it might be argued that a public welcome message, or 'request for communication', from a government, and the inevitable coverage in the news media would profoundly affect human consciousness, and as a result, empower a VAC to intrude more forcefully into our reality. But to the extent that our expectations, etc., are controlling the situation, the predominant expectation will be that an intelligence of the sort described above--whether a non-malicious VAC competent in our reality, or a nominal 'physical' biological and/or 'cybernetic' collective--either exists and is willing to contact us, or not.
VAC proponents can argue this endlessly, e.g., that public acknowledgment by a government of even the possibility that ETs are visiting our world will open the door for a whole range of malicious beings, etc., etc. If this is a concern, then the concern might be minimized by first using the 'diplomatic' initiative previously described (A Real SETI and Why It Matters), which will have no effect on the consciousness of the mass of humankind unless and until it succeeds, and the success is announced. Any response to a covert communications effort will not have occurred because of a change in the consciousness of a civilization, since only a handful of people were aware of the effort, but rather will have occurred because some intelligence already has the cultural and linguistic fluency, and the physical and technological competence in our reality to understand and respond to a request for communications from one or more governments, presumably for the reasons suggested elsewhere in this blog.
Finally, while a response to a covert 'request for communications' does not absolutely disprove the malicious-VAC hypothesis--indeed, in the foreseeable future we simply won't know whether UFOs, etc., are manifestations of a VAC far beyond our understanding of reality--it's irrelevant whether the response came from a VAC, ETs, ETs manifested by a VAC, or a superintelligent cosmic chipmunk living in Kansas City--the objective is to determine whether an intelligence is willing and able to communicate with us in our language(s), and whether such an intelligence has and is willing to convey information which may be of critical importance to the well-being and survival of our civilization.
On the one hand, UFOs clearly represent a 'physical' reality--they emit and reflect light, reflect radar frequencies, interfere with electrical systems, and leave impressions on the ground when landing. On the other hand UFO experiences and related (or apparently related) phenomena often seem like 'paranormal' experiences, i.e., they often involve altered states of consciousness, and/or may seem to occur in a 'non-ordinary' reality, sometimes including strange beings and other anomalous apparently-physical phenomena. At present, we simply don't understand enough about the nature of consciousness and reality to know whether UFOs, etc., are real or simply manifestations of some VAC. Indeed, we don't even know what 'real' means, and whether everything in our reality--the entire Universe--might simply be a manifestation of some VAC.
Thus the issue is not whether UFOs are manifestations of a VAC, but rather whether they are malevolent, etc., and whether acknowledgment will empower them to do us harm.
While some aspects of the UFO phenomenon, etc., seem benevolent, or at least benign or indifferent, some clearly seem malicious or malevolent.
The 'empowerment' argument arises from the notion of the observer effect (in quantum mechanics), and the related notions of the power of intentions, expectations, and beliefs to shape our experiences and reality; or from the folklore notion that "if you don't believe in fairies (etc.), you won't see them, and they can't hurt you"; or perhaps from the psychological notion that expectations and beliefs influence perceptions.
An announcement by the US and/or other nations, or the UN, followed by massive media coverage, would have a dramatic effect on the consciousness of humankind. And certainly more people would see, or believe they had seen UFOs and/or had been 'abducted' or otherwise contacted by ETs, etc.
Indeed, if the President, in an address to the nation, flanked by military officials and leading scientists, declared that fairies were real, then we should expect more people to report seeing fairies.
While an announcement that 'UFOs are real' and the resulting media coverage would certainly have some effects on our experience, there are several problems with the argument that a VAC represents a grave or mortal threat to the United States and other nations.
First, the power of the collective of human consciousness to constrain the VAC interaction with humankind obviously far exceeds that of the alleged VAC. After six decades of UFOs (or thousands of years, as many believe), the VAC is apparently still incapable of significantly influencing our reality.
Second, cultures and civilizations throughout history have recognized (believed in) powerful forces and beings, and while their beliefs have had profound effects on their lives and cultures, so far, apparently, no civilization has been destroyed as a result of acknowledging these forces and beings. Of course it might be argued that never before in human history has the consciousness of the entire human race been affected to the extent possible with modern mass media and worldwide communications. The effect of mass media, however, could work both ways--statements by government officials and others, and media coverage could be used to promote fear, and feelings of helplessness, etc.--thus 'empowering' the VAC--or just the opposite; and thus dramatically influence beliefs and expectations of the world's people, and presumably, the reality they would experience.
For decades, elements of the USG have manipulated by various means and for various reasons, the attitudes and consciousness of the American people, and the USG Psychological Operations elements presumably would recognize the importance of this for managing reactions--for better or worse--to disclosure and contact in general, as well as any real or imagined VAC threat.
Third, since UFOs clearly have the ability to appear to groups of humans, and to cause aircraft, etc., to malfunction, and if they intend to force us to acknowledge them, why haven't they done something dramatic enough--appear over a major city in broad daylight, or cause an aircraft to crash in clear view of multiple witnesses, etc.--to initiate a media frenzy and the resulting change in our awareness?
Fourth, while some people may seek a personal physical or 'mental' interaction between humans and ETs, the purpose of this blog is not to suggest personal interactions, but rather an invitation to a very specific class of possible ET or other intelligences--beings who understand our civilization, are monitoring our communications, and who have simply been waiting for us (one or more governments) to accept responsibility for initiating contact--to communicate with us using our technology, initially with a simple recordable binary 'message'--an appearance, or not--or an optical alphanumeric message.
Of course it might be argued that a public welcome message, or 'request for communication', from a government, and the inevitable coverage in the news media would profoundly affect human consciousness, and as a result, empower a VAC to intrude more forcefully into our reality. But to the extent that our expectations, etc., are controlling the situation, the predominant expectation will be that an intelligence of the sort described above--whether a non-malicious VAC competent in our reality, or a nominal 'physical' biological and/or 'cybernetic' collective--either exists and is willing to contact us, or not.
VAC proponents can argue this endlessly, e.g., that public acknowledgment by a government of even the possibility that ETs are visiting our world will open the door for a whole range of malicious beings, etc., etc. If this is a concern, then the concern might be minimized by first using the 'diplomatic' initiative previously described (A Real SETI and Why It Matters), which will have no effect on the consciousness of the mass of humankind unless and until it succeeds, and the success is announced. Any response to a covert communications effort will not have occurred because of a change in the consciousness of a civilization, since only a handful of people were aware of the effort, but rather will have occurred because some intelligence already has the cultural and linguistic fluency, and the physical and technological competence in our reality to understand and respond to a request for communications from one or more governments, presumably for the reasons suggested elsewhere in this blog.
Finally, while a response to a covert 'request for communications' does not absolutely disprove the malicious-VAC hypothesis--indeed, in the foreseeable future we simply won't know whether UFOs, etc., are manifestations of a VAC far beyond our understanding of reality--it's irrelevant whether the response came from a VAC, ETs, ETs manifested by a VAC, or a superintelligent cosmic chipmunk living in Kansas City--the objective is to determine whether an intelligence is willing and able to communicate with us in our language(s), and whether such an intelligence has and is willing to convey information which may be of critical importance to the well-being and survival of our civilization.
No Nukes
If President Obama and leaders of other nations truly want a world free of nuclear weapons, and since the ETs are certainly 'concerned' about our nuclear weapons, and may likewise want a world free of nuclear weapons, perhaps the President will consider proposing an extraordinary deal: We do the hard part, and the ETs do what would for them be the easy part. For example: We negotiate an agreement among the nations of the world; and the ETs remove all nuclear weapons, significant quantities of fissionable materials, enrichment and reprocessing facilities, nuclear waste, and nuclear power plants; and they provide a watt-for-watt, safe and 'environmentally friendly' technology--which we can manufacture--to replace our nuclear plants, and they provide their advanced capabilities for monitoring compliance, and addressing any threats from non-cooperating nations (if any). Impossible perhaps--they may not have the slightest interest in helping us, with information or technology--but isn't it worth asking? Of course, the decision to disclose what the USG knows about the ET presence, and an attempt to initiate contact (if USG is not already in contact with the ETs) might be the most difficult decision a US President has ever made. But there are more difficult decisions, given our huge arsenals of nuclear weapons, and the suicidally stupid policy of 'Mutual Assured Destruction'.
Saturday, July 7, 2012
Sample Message for 'Diplomatic' Contact
July 2023: If you want to initiate Contact now, see Extraterrestrial Contact 2023
{FEB 2017: Barring certain unusual (and perhaps rather extreme) efforts to establish credibility, the CD (Covert Diplomatic) option may no longer be available to the U.S.]
This is a sample message for the 'diplomatic' contact effort by a single nation, as suggested in A Real SETI and Why It Matters. 'Common courtesy' is important, but in this situation, human diplobabble is inappropriate, and might be regarded as willfully stupid, if not gratuitously insulting to any intelligent life forms who understand our civilization, and the history of the U.S.G., et al., and UFOs.
{Begin message}
I am requesting information concerning the possibility of initially confidential electronic communications, using our technology--or technology which you might provide and which can interface with our systems--between the U.S.G. (and presumably eventually other governments or the U.N.), and the advanced technological civilizations which are currently interacting with our civilization.
I ask that you reply in optical Morse Code to the persons or system transmitting this message.
I ask that you refrain from potentially harmful physical or mental interaction with any persons involved in the transmission of this message.
If you cannot now, but may in the near future, provide a substantive response to this message, I ask that, if possible, you acknowledge receipt of this message.
If you respond to this message, I will, within one day, deliver this message--and a notification that a response was received--to the members of the United Nations Security Council; and I will deliver your response within one day of their acceptance of full responsibility for the receipt of same.
If you respond, this message and your response will be made available to the people of our world within thirty days of your response, by the U.S.G., if not by the U.N. As you understand, it is certain that some nations--but not the U.S.--will severely limit, by various means, the public availability of your communications.
Thank you.
/signed/ [the nation's President and/or Prime Minister]
{End Message}
A Real SETI and Why It Matters
April 2024: If you want to initiate Contact now, see Extraterrestrial Contact 2023
Are we alone in the Universe?
After fifty years of SETI, scientists are still discussing the Drake Equation, and asking "Where are they?"
Do we really want to know if we're alone in the Universe? Or are we only interested in 'safe' aliens--primitive life in our solar system, or intelligent life too far away to have a useful conversation, or for them to do us harm?
If ETs, with knowledge and technology beyond our understanding, were already visiting our world, would we want to know? Certainly, for their own reasons, governments and scientists might want to know; but would they want the public to know?
Would we want to talk to the ETs?
SETI researchers and other scientists will argue that there's no evidence of an ETI visiting our world. And even if they were here, and had something to say to us, why haven't they simply said it? Why don't they 'land on the White House lawn'?
If even a small percentage of the UFO reports represent an ETI visiting our world (NOV 2017: they do), then perhaps the simplest (and most obvious) of many possible explanations is that, from their perspective, they've knocked on our door, thousands of times, and they're waiting for us to answer.
They might know from long experience that a dramatic and unexpected appearance or message could would cause a major disruption to our civilization; and that contact is always enormously difficult for a civilization, and can be a disaster if unwelcome. And so they continue to make their presence known, in carefully limited appearances around the world, and wait for us to say we're ready: for those who speak for the people of our world--one or more governments, or the UN--to ask them to make their presence known so that we can begin discussions of the possibility of contact.
While this explanation might seem ridiculously improbable, it's certainly easy to test. If ETs were monitoring our communications, a simple statement from the US or another government, or the UN, reported by the media, might would be sufficient to elicit a message or undeniable appearance.
Last year (2009), in a joint US-Australian effort, NASA transmitted the messages collected in the "Hello From Earth" project to Gliese 581d, some 20 light-years away. A quote from the project website: "Will we get an answer? No-one really knows. So why not send a message and find out?"
So why not send a message and find out whether the folks from Gliese 581d, or anywhere else, are already here and willing to talk to us?
Would NASA and CSIRO (Australia's Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation), or any nation's space agency, welcome a simple appearance--an undeniable demonstration of presence--or perhaps a message from any ETs who might already be visiting our world?
Would UNESCO and IAU (the International Astronomical Union), cosponsors of the 2009 International Year of Astronomy, and representing governments and scientists around the world, welcome such an appearance or message?
The answers to this simple question, from the governments and scientists of our world, would not only be a message to any ETs who might be listening, but would also be profound statements of the character of our civilization at this point in our history.
To minimize any uncertainty about how ETs might respond, the date, time, location, and nature of the requested appearance or message might be specified, and the event, or non-event, could be recorded, or even broadcast live.
Of course, the UN and the national governments might prefer, at least initially, to announce the presence of, and deliver any message from an ETI in their own way, rather than invite the ETs to communicate directly with the public.
So, perhaps scientists (e.g., the IAA SETI Post-Detection Taskgroup) and government officials of one or more nations would consider another approach.
If ETs understood our civilization (they do), and intend the possibility of an eventual constructive relationship (they do), then any 'well intended' ETs will refuse a request for secret communications with any one nation, to avoid the inevitable anger and resentment of other nations. On the other hand, perhaps they would would respond to an open request (announced in the media), or even a secret request from the leader(s) of one or more nations, for (briefly!) secret or 'diplomatic' communications, if the nation(s) promised to quickly* share the message and any ET response with the UN, or perhaps the UN Security Council. [*E.g., notification of receipt within hours; message content within hours of request from U.N./U.N.S.C.] If the ETs regarded the promise as credible, perhaps they would provide useful information regarding their purpose, the possibility of 'diplomatic' and/or open contact, and the nature of the information they might be willing to share.
Such an effort could be undertaken by the US or another government, using an existing communications capability, or something as simple as an optical (International Morse Code) messaging system (a bright signaling light) to transmit a message, cameras to record any response, surrounded by a circle of strobes or spotlights, bright enough to be easily seen from space, to 'advertise' the system. If successful, it would allow scientists and government officials from several nations to secretly discuss the issue, and then to assemble a larger group of scientists, politicians, religious leaders, and others for further discussions--still in secret--and finally, to inform the public.
However unlikely (not!) it might seem that such efforts would succeed, both (open and covert) are simple, cheap, and could be done now. Of course the consequences for humankind, if successful, would be enormous.
Even if we somehow could choose to initiate contact now with an advanced ETI, why would we? Why would we choose--other than curiosity--to begin a process which might will be the most difficult, disruptive, and even destructive experience in human history?
For the scientists and others discussing Global Warming, the continued destruction of our living planet, the dangers of nuclear weapons, genetic engineering, nanotechnology, and artificial intelligence--for those who wonder if our civilization will survive the coming years and decades--the answer should be obvious: Would any rational civilization ignore the possibility, however slight, of learning about life in the Universe, and the experiences of other rapidly evolving technological civilizations?
From the perspective of those who may know the stories of countless civilizations like ours, do we have a bright and prosperous future, or are we marching mindlessly toward an apocalyptic cliffside? Do most civilizations like ours survive, or almost none? What happened to all the others?
If we aren't curious enough to even ask "Who are you, and what do you want?", then perhaps the scientists and governments will consider a different sort of request for communication. For example: If you have something to say to us that you believe, years from now, we're likely to desperately wish we had heard now, then please say it now.
What if the ETs told us that, as some people already know, our attitudes and beliefs, and the institutions of our civilization are simply incompatible with the technologies we already have and will soon create, and the harm we have already done and continue to do to the Earth? What if they told us that life, as those alive today in the US and many other nations have known it, at least in some critical respects, is coming to an end (it is), one way or another, and soon; and that our only choice is how to manage almost unimaginably difficult changes?
Do we even have the ability as a civilization to voluntarily make major changes in our way of life? Would it be worth the effort to survive? Would we regret ever having asked about the experiences of other civilizations, and what they portend for the future of humankind?
So far, for better or worse, the answer from the governments, most of the scientists, and perhaps most of humankind, seems to be that ignorance is bliss, and we'd rather not know if ETs are visiting our world, much less ask them about the lessons we might learn from past civilizations.
And yet, if intelligent spacefaring life is abundant in the Universe, and contact is a common but not inevitable experience, isn't it worth wondering about the others--faraway and perhaps long ago--who might have made the same choice we're making? What became of them, and their hopes and their dreams and their fears for the future of their worlds and their people?
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Truth and Freedom
Inscribed on a wall in the headquarters of a leading UFO research organization is the ancient prophecy: "And Ye Shall Know the Truth and the Truth Shall Make You Free." Perhaps the irony of this statement--in light of their policy with regard to sharing their research with the public--is lost on the researchers? Does the strength of a nation truly arise from the ignorance of its people?
The fact that humans can and do to some extent influence the reality they experience--even perhaps to the extreme, as Jesus suggested, that by some 'faith' humans might 'move mountains'--certainly does not by itself lead to 'freedom' or 'peace on earth' for anyone, but simply leads to another realm of possible cooperation and conflict, and at its worst, 'psychic warfare'. What does this have to do with UFOs? How could an understanding of psychic research profit humankind? And what 'truth', if any, could possibly make us 'free'?
The relevance of UFOs, of course, is that advanced spacefaring races will have a vastly greater understanding than we do of the fundamental nature of, and relationship between, consciousness and 'reality', and they almost certainly know how such an understanding (or lack of understanding) by a rapidly evolving technological civilization is related to the likelihood such a civilization will survive and prosper.
An acceptance of the reality of psychic phenomena would free the scientific community and others from the oppressive constraints of the theology of scientific materialism, and lead to a dramatic increase in efforts to understand consciousness, reality, and the scientific basis of spirituality. And that understanding, for those religious believers willing to reconsider some of their beliefs, would free them from the oppressive constraints of the myriad inconsistent highly elaborated religious theologies.
And that freedom, together with an emerging scientific understanding of consciousness and spirituality, arising from efforts to understand various mystical and religious beliefs, Near Death Experiences, reincarnation research, psychic research, various forms of faith and 'energy' healing, and various interpretations of quantum mechanics, etc., could lead to an extraordinary new understanding of our true nature, our connection to each other--perhaps that in a fundamental sense we are all part of a vast consciousness many call 'God'--and a new freedom and not only understanding, but awareness of our responsibility to one another--a new era for humankind, and perhaps 'peace on earth' for those who want it.
One remarkable implication of some explanations of the 'Law of Attraction' is that humans live to some extent in separate realities, or 'multiverses', and by their thoughts and intentions, choose or 'attract' their experiences, or at a more fundamental level, 'create' their reality. It's not clear exactly what influence various elements of consciousness--the 'soul', the 'subconscious', and the normal waking consciousness--have on events, much less how to characterize a thought or any form of consciousness, or how the multitude of realities might interact, and exactly what 'objective' influences constrain this freedom, etc. But, if humans exist, at least to some extent, in their own realities--and are free to construct those realities--then this 'truth' would certainly offer those who thoroughly understood it a degree of freedom far beyond what is implied in either the scientific materialist or in most religious perspectives on reality.
Perhaps the UFO researchers will take the time to ponder the inscription on their wall, and consider that it might be more than simply a clever saying...and ask themselves whether we're really more likely to survive and prosper, as a 'free' nation, in the coming years and decades, by ignoring the possibility of learning more about the true nature of our existence, and the experiences of other rapidly evolving technological civilizations.
The fact that humans can and do to some extent influence the reality they experience--even perhaps to the extreme, as Jesus suggested, that by some 'faith' humans might 'move mountains'--certainly does not by itself lead to 'freedom' or 'peace on earth' for anyone, but simply leads to another realm of possible cooperation and conflict, and at its worst, 'psychic warfare'. What does this have to do with UFOs? How could an understanding of psychic research profit humankind? And what 'truth', if any, could possibly make us 'free'?
The relevance of UFOs, of course, is that advanced spacefaring races will have a vastly greater understanding than we do of the fundamental nature of, and relationship between, consciousness and 'reality', and they almost certainly know how such an understanding (or lack of understanding) by a rapidly evolving technological civilization is related to the likelihood such a civilization will survive and prosper.
An acceptance of the reality of psychic phenomena would free the scientific community and others from the oppressive constraints of the theology of scientific materialism, and lead to a dramatic increase in efforts to understand consciousness, reality, and the scientific basis of spirituality. And that understanding, for those religious believers willing to reconsider some of their beliefs, would free them from the oppressive constraints of the myriad inconsistent highly elaborated religious theologies.
And that freedom, together with an emerging scientific understanding of consciousness and spirituality, arising from efforts to understand various mystical and religious beliefs, Near Death Experiences, reincarnation research, psychic research, various forms of faith and 'energy' healing, and various interpretations of quantum mechanics, etc., could lead to an extraordinary new understanding of our true nature, our connection to each other--perhaps that in a fundamental sense we are all part of a vast consciousness many call 'God'--and a new freedom and not only understanding, but awareness of our responsibility to one another--a new era for humankind, and perhaps 'peace on earth' for those who want it.
One remarkable implication of some explanations of the 'Law of Attraction' is that humans live to some extent in separate realities, or 'multiverses', and by their thoughts and intentions, choose or 'attract' their experiences, or at a more fundamental level, 'create' their reality. It's not clear exactly what influence various elements of consciousness--the 'soul', the 'subconscious', and the normal waking consciousness--have on events, much less how to characterize a thought or any form of consciousness, or how the multitude of realities might interact, and exactly what 'objective' influences constrain this freedom, etc. But, if humans exist, at least to some extent, in their own realities--and are free to construct those realities--then this 'truth' would certainly offer those who thoroughly understood it a degree of freedom far beyond what is implied in either the scientific materialist or in most religious perspectives on reality.
Perhaps the UFO researchers will take the time to ponder the inscription on their wall, and consider that it might be more than simply a clever saying...and ask themselves whether we're really more likely to survive and prosper, as a 'free' nation, in the coming years and decades, by ignoring the possibility of learning more about the true nature of our existence, and the experiences of other rapidly evolving technological civilizations.
Reverse Engineering
So a flying saucer crashed at Roswell (or perhaps lots of saucers in lots of places), the US Government recovered the wreckage, and has 'reverse engineered' the saucers to create their own saucers, and magical sources of 'free' energy which could create energy independence for the US, etc. And much of modern technology was actually developed by reverse engineering crash debris, and we actually have the ability to 'take ET home' (i.e., travel among the stars). Or so the story goes...
The notion that much of modern technology is reverse engineered from ET technology is absurd to anyone familiar with the history of science and technology. Where are the huge discontinuities in progress that such a claim implies? And why would anyone make these claims? While it may simply be an entertaining story, perhaps intended to earn money for the storytellers, a disinformation operation, or a honeypot intended for foreign intelligence services, perhaps a better explanation is that it conveys the message that UFO secrecy and the heroic efforts of the USG to sustain it have brought the US great benefits; and the ET technology and capabilities aren't really that mysterious or advanced, and shouldn't really frighten anyone; and we should trust the government's policy, and support the continuing secrecy. At the worst, this argument might have been used to badger USG officials into supporting the UFO 'cover-up'. Clearly such an argument, at least in the present day, is not intended for those familiar with the behavior of UFOs and the history of human technology.
It's certainly understandable that the military would regard the possibility of creating their own flying saucers, etc., based at least partly on reverse engineering ET technology, as of supreme importance to the national security of the US. And the possibility that the Soviets (or now, the Russians or Chinese, etc.) might have similar debris, and might use it to create weapons systems far superior to USG's would have been a nightmare to the US military. Perhaps these concerns would have been enough to justify, for at least some National Security officials, over 60 years of psychological operations conducted against the American people to suppress not only the details of the alleged crash(es) and engineering efforts, but even the reality of UFOs and the ET presence.
Perhaps the US has learned a bit about materials, energy, etc., and perhaps even has primitive 'anti-gravity' systems. Attempts to understand the relationship between electromagnetism (et al.) and gravity, e.g., predate the modern UFO era, as do various designs involving circular or rotating electromagnetic devices claimed to have gravitic effects. But has the US created anything with capabilities approaching those of UFOs?
There are several problems with the idea of reverse engineering ET technology.
The first problem is that the human race couldn't natively reverse engineer so much as a toilet on a starship--not for a billion or even a trillion dollars. Perhaps for a billion dollars, the military industrial complex could create a genuine 'reverse-engineered UFO toilet seat', and sit on it, and declare success, and make some money for taxpayers by putting it in an amusement park and charging visitors to sit on it. But the human race does not have the scientific knowledge, and not in the wildest dreams of any rational person do we have the native engineering capabilities to design, build, test, or operate a system with anything close to the capabilities of flying saucers.
A simple thought experiment, for those familiar with the performance characteristics of flying saucers, might help to understand this better...
A fully loaded F-22 accidentally flies through a time warp and crashes in the New Mexico desert in 1947. Can the US reverse engineer the technology and change the course of history?
The military officials (in 1947) can see that it's a jet airplane, with missiles [,rockets 8/12/2018, ] and bombs--and a really nice gun!--and the labels are in English. But the performance and weapons are obviously far superior to the F-80, etc. Now consider the thousands of parts, millions of design decisions, all the supporting technologies (communications, maintenance systems, refueling tankers, GPS, etc.), all the science--aerodynamics of supersonic flight, materials science, electronics, etc.--and all the manufacturing infrastructure and other requirements. How long will it take the US (or any other nation) to create these?
Without the cybernetics, humans can't design, build, or test an F-22. Even worse, humans don't (directly) fly F-22s--the cybernetics does. And the cybernetics of an F-22 and supporting systems simply could not be created, even if they could be understood, in 1947--or even in 1977. By 1997 scientists and engineers might have begun to understand, and perhaps even recreate the cybernetics...but so what? By 1997, the actual F-22 (in our 'timeline') was already under development. Perhaps the military will have learned a few things in six decades from studying the crashed F-22, but the F-22 is a child's toy compared to a flying saucer, and there is exactly no possibility we have natively reverse-engineered the complex systems of a far post-'Singularity' civilization.
Secondly, why did the saucer crash at Roswell? Is it even a real flying saucer? Why did the ETs permit us to have these materials? They know that humans, including the Americans, are violent and irrational, and the US military is and likely will be extremely hostile to the ET presence. Unless the ETs are incompetent or complete idiots, they would not have permitted the US to have materials which might allow us to develop capabilities which seriously threaten their activities here or elsewhere. And, as their interaction with our nuclear weapons shows, they aren't idiots, and they aren't incompetent, and they will not permit anything resembling the current human race to develop any threat which they cannot manage.
They may also know something which the National Security element of the USG doesn't seem to know, or perhaps even care about: that if we continue on our current path, we won't survive long enough to create anything useful from the crash debris. In other words, civilizations which reach our level of technological development--without a proportionate understanding of consciousness, spirituality, and the nature of our existence--will almost inevitably fail...and that at this point, only an experience as wrenching as contact could cause us to change our course of development.
And even if the US could achieve aerospace supremacy with respect to other nations, times have changed, and there are many critical threats other than Soviet bombers of 1947 (and a few years later, nuclear armed missiles)--for example, biological and cybernetic threats, either of which could be fatal to the United States. And thus even the extreme possibility--absolute aerospace supremacy, etc.--while a huge strategic advantage, can no longer ensure our survival.
Moreover, if we survive the next few years, humankind will eventually acknowledge the ET presence. Even if the US will have meanwhile created wondrous new energy technologies, imagining that the US and its corporations will become enormously wealthy at the expense of other nations, does anyone imagine that other nations will tolerate this without demanding the ETs provide them with equal or better technology?
If the ETs simply plan to eat the human race on Thanksgiving Day 2012, or have some other malevolent purpose, then they won't care what the human race does, as long as we don't exterminate ourselves, spoiling their dinner plans.
But if they have the slightest interest in the possibility of a constructive long-term relationship, then they won't begin it by contributing to the wealth and power of one nation at the expense of all the others, and thus infuriating most of the human race.
In perhaps the worst case, the US would have used reverse engineered technology to kill people in other nations in one or more of our wars. The ET presence becomes known someday, and the people of the other nations are outraged, demanding not only compensatory, but punitive damages, and the ETs feel obliged to comply, to the great detriment of the US. Even if the USG was foolish enough to make this mistake, the ETs, unless they're idiots or don't care about a possible future relationship with humankind, wouldn't allow such a situation to develop in the first place.
Finally, there is no 'free energy' and never will be. There are better technologies for producing energy than are commonly used today, and such technologies will certainly have significant economic impacts--on the petroleum industry, e.g. But in our society, governments will regulate and tax any new energy source, and global corporations, e.g., the major oil companies ('energy' companies), will continue to make large profits through investments, acquisitions, and political influence.
Obviously there are many reasons why the USG might want to continue the UFO/ET secrecy. But if, however improbably, the possibility of reverse engineering recovered ET technology is still one of those reasons, does the intelligence and analysis really support this argument?
The notion that much of modern technology is reverse engineered from ET technology is absurd to anyone familiar with the history of science and technology. Where are the huge discontinuities in progress that such a claim implies? And why would anyone make these claims? While it may simply be an entertaining story, perhaps intended to earn money for the storytellers, a disinformation operation, or a honeypot intended for foreign intelligence services, perhaps a better explanation is that it conveys the message that UFO secrecy and the heroic efforts of the USG to sustain it have brought the US great benefits; and the ET technology and capabilities aren't really that mysterious or advanced, and shouldn't really frighten anyone; and we should trust the government's policy, and support the continuing secrecy. At the worst, this argument might have been used to badger USG officials into supporting the UFO 'cover-up'. Clearly such an argument, at least in the present day, is not intended for those familiar with the behavior of UFOs and the history of human technology.
It's certainly understandable that the military would regard the possibility of creating their own flying saucers, etc., based at least partly on reverse engineering ET technology, as of supreme importance to the national security of the US. And the possibility that the Soviets (or now, the Russians or Chinese, etc.) might have similar debris, and might use it to create weapons systems far superior to USG's would have been a nightmare to the US military. Perhaps these concerns would have been enough to justify, for at least some National Security officials, over 60 years of psychological operations conducted against the American people to suppress not only the details of the alleged crash(es) and engineering efforts, but even the reality of UFOs and the ET presence.
Perhaps the US has learned a bit about materials, energy, etc., and perhaps even has primitive 'anti-gravity' systems. Attempts to understand the relationship between electromagnetism (et al.) and gravity, e.g., predate the modern UFO era, as do various designs involving circular or rotating electromagnetic devices claimed to have gravitic effects. But has the US created anything with capabilities approaching those of UFOs?
There are several problems with the idea of reverse engineering ET technology.
The first problem is that the human race couldn't natively reverse engineer so much as a toilet on a starship--not for a billion or even a trillion dollars. Perhaps for a billion dollars, the military industrial complex could create a genuine 'reverse-engineered UFO toilet seat', and sit on it, and declare success, and make some money for taxpayers by putting it in an amusement park and charging visitors to sit on it. But the human race does not have the scientific knowledge, and not in the wildest dreams of any rational person do we have the native engineering capabilities to design, build, test, or operate a system with anything close to the capabilities of flying saucers.
A simple thought experiment, for those familiar with the performance characteristics of flying saucers, might help to understand this better...
A fully loaded F-22 accidentally flies through a time warp and crashes in the New Mexico desert in 1947. Can the US reverse engineer the technology and change the course of history?
The military officials (in 1947) can see that it's a jet airplane, with missiles [,
Without the cybernetics, humans can't design, build, or test an F-22. Even worse, humans don't (directly) fly F-22s--the cybernetics does. And the cybernetics of an F-22 and supporting systems simply could not be created, even if they could be understood, in 1947--or even in 1977. By 1997 scientists and engineers might have begun to understand, and perhaps even recreate the cybernetics...but so what? By 1997, the actual F-22 (in our 'timeline') was already under development. Perhaps the military will have learned a few things in six decades from studying the crashed F-22, but the F-22 is a child's toy compared to a flying saucer, and there is exactly no possibility we have natively reverse-engineered the complex systems of a far post-'Singularity' civilization.
Secondly, why did the saucer crash at Roswell? Is it even a real flying saucer? Why did the ETs permit us to have these materials? They know that humans, including the Americans, are violent and irrational, and the US military is and likely will be extremely hostile to the ET presence. Unless the ETs are incompetent or complete idiots, they would not have permitted the US to have materials which might allow us to develop capabilities which seriously threaten their activities here or elsewhere. And, as their interaction with our nuclear weapons shows, they aren't idiots, and they aren't incompetent, and they will not permit anything resembling the current human race to develop any threat which they cannot manage.
They may also know something which the National Security element of the USG doesn't seem to know, or perhaps even care about: that if we continue on our current path, we won't survive long enough to create anything useful from the crash debris. In other words, civilizations which reach our level of technological development--without a proportionate understanding of consciousness, spirituality, and the nature of our existence--will almost inevitably fail...and that at this point, only an experience as wrenching as contact could cause us to change our course of development.
And even if the US could achieve aerospace supremacy with respect to other nations, times have changed, and there are many critical threats other than Soviet bombers of 1947 (and a few years later, nuclear armed missiles)--for example, biological and cybernetic threats, either of which could be fatal to the United States. And thus even the extreme possibility--absolute aerospace supremacy, etc.--while a huge strategic advantage, can no longer ensure our survival.
Moreover, if we survive the next few years, humankind will eventually acknowledge the ET presence. Even if the US will have meanwhile created wondrous new energy technologies, imagining that the US and its corporations will become enormously wealthy at the expense of other nations, does anyone imagine that other nations will tolerate this without demanding the ETs provide them with equal or better technology?
If the ETs simply plan to eat the human race on Thanksgiving Day 2012, or have some other malevolent purpose, then they won't care what the human race does, as long as we don't exterminate ourselves, spoiling their dinner plans.
But if they have the slightest interest in the possibility of a constructive long-term relationship, then they won't begin it by contributing to the wealth and power of one nation at the expense of all the others, and thus infuriating most of the human race.
In perhaps the worst case, the US would have used reverse engineered technology to kill people in other nations in one or more of our wars. The ET presence becomes known someday, and the people of the other nations are outraged, demanding not only compensatory, but punitive damages, and the ETs feel obliged to comply, to the great detriment of the US. Even if the USG was foolish enough to make this mistake, the ETs, unless they're idiots or don't care about a possible future relationship with humankind, wouldn't allow such a situation to develop in the first place.
Finally, there is no 'free energy' and never will be. There are better technologies for producing energy than are commonly used today, and such technologies will certainly have significant economic impacts--on the petroleum industry, e.g. But in our society, governments will regulate and tax any new energy source, and global corporations, e.g., the major oil companies ('energy' companies), will continue to make large profits through investments, acquisitions, and political influence.
Obviously there are many reasons why the USG might want to continue the UFO/ET secrecy. But if, however improbably, the possibility of reverse engineering recovered ET technology is still one of those reasons, does the intelligence and analysis really support this argument?
Spirituality & the Transhumanists
If, in fact, thoughts and intentions can profoundly affect the reality we experience, why isn't this obvious to everyone, especially scientists? The simple explanation is that not only is the link between cause and effect obscure compared to common physical experiences, but the principle is heretical to materialist science. But there may be another explanation, at another level, for the attitudes and understandings of humans throughout history.
Perhaps the transhumanists, and the scientists and others wondering whether the Universe might actually be a sort of 'computer simulation', would consider the similarities between their ideas and the ideas of those attempting to construct a scientific understanding of spirituality and human existence. On the one hand, consider life as one of a series of learning experiences for a spiritual being; and on the other, consider a 'transhumanist' future in which humans can choose to experience extraordinary time-compressed multiplayer 'virtual reality' 'computer' simulations--to experience, and remember (with their super-enhanced transhumanist intelligence) an entire simulated 'lifetime' on any given Saturday evening.
For some lives, the spiritual being, for whatever reason(s), experiences a life in which the physical being has no knowledge of the fundamental facts of their existence. And thus while their consciousness, combined with whatever other factors, is creating their daily experience, they have little or no awareness of this fact. And in other lives, the spiritual being, similarly for whatever reason(s), experiences a physical existence in which they, to some extent at least, remember who they are, and understand that their consciousness can profoundly influence the reality they experience. Who or what determines the extent to which the physical being will be aware of their true nature? And why?
And for the transhumanists: "Life on Earth--The Game So Real, You'll Forget Who You Are." In some optimistic transhumanist future, would you play this game? (Are 'you', a spiritual being, already playing this game, and have you, the human, forgotten who 'you' are?) In one modern concept of spirituality, there is no after-death judgment from a vengeful, arbitrary, and irrational deity, but rather unconditional love, and a complete review of the life experience. When a 'player's' life ends in the LOE game, you're back sitting on your living room couch with your beer (?) and bag of potato chips. With your cybernetically enhanced intelligence, you can review the entire experience in minutes, and perhaps spend days or even years reflecting on what you learned; and because your transhumanist mind is linked to the larger collective intelligence of not only the game 'creator', but the other players, your experience is now a part of the collective.
Could the experience of such a game be so compelling that you would actually choose to experience not just the joy and pleasure, but pain and sorrow and perhaps horrors as well, rather than sit around bored on your transhumanist couch? Or more to the point, can you imagine choosing to have an experience in which you don't even remember who you are, and have forgotten that you, the player, have the power to change the experience simply by remembering who you really are, and learning to control your consciousness? Or would the 'creator' have established certain requirements for the minimum level of experience, or mastery at the 'beginners' level, before progressing to the 'advanced' level?
In one spiritual perspective on life, the imperative seems to be to experience all the possibilities of existence, akin to Q's suggestion to Picard in the final Star Trek Next Generation: '...the unknown possibilities of existence...'. Similarly, some folks play computer games for the 'experience'--even 'bad' experiences.
And some folks play computer games not just for the experience, but to try to 'master' or 'win' the game; and in some sense, learning how to 'control' the game might be seen as simply another step in experiencing all the possibilities. Is the spiritual analogy a sequence of lives which lead to a conscious understanding of spiritual truths and the nature of our existence, and eventually the understanding that we are controlling the game, consciously or unconsciously, and can and do create the reality we experience?
Or in another analogy, as some have wondered for millennia, is life a dream of sorts, mostly simply experienced and beyond our control, but for some folks in some dreams (lives), a 'lucid' dream in which the dreamer not only becomes aware that they are dreaming, but that they can consciously control the experience?
For the scientists and transhumanists, did you, the spiritual being, choose a life in which you, the human, would completely forget who you are, simply because the experience is so compelling for a spiritual being and you don't care about 'mastering' the game, or perhaps so you would have another lifetime of experience, before choosing a life in which you remember who you are, dimly or perhaps quite clearly, and remember that, at least to some extent, you are actually creating the reality you experience? Or did you intend--or does it even matter what you intended, since it's all about the learning experience--that you would have the freedom in this life to choose: either live your life, simply for the experience, choosing to believe some religious or scientific theology, ignorant of who and what you are; or take the next step in consciousness and spiritual evolution, remember who you are, and begin to explore a new realm of 'unknown possibilities'? Or, to put it another way (to paraphrase a thoughtful commenter in a discussion of the simulation idea), would you want to know the 'cheat codes' to the LOE game?
So what did you, the spiritual being, intend for you in this life? In the concept of the 'Law of Attraction', etc., the answer is simple: if you find these concepts absurd or offensive or 'evil', because of your religious or scientific theology or whatever reasons, then they are 'evil' or wrong for you. But if you're simply skeptical, even extremely so, but nonetheless interested or even fascinated, then the implication is that perhaps you should explore the possibility. And a few would have a joyous sense that at some level they always knew these truths, and always intended to remember them, and have finally found what they were looking for, etc.
Perhaps the transhumanists, and the scientists and others wondering whether the Universe might actually be a sort of 'computer simulation', would consider the similarities between their ideas and the ideas of those attempting to construct a scientific understanding of spirituality and human existence. On the one hand, consider life as one of a series of learning experiences for a spiritual being; and on the other, consider a 'transhumanist' future in which humans can choose to experience extraordinary time-compressed multiplayer 'virtual reality' 'computer' simulations--to experience, and remember (with their super-enhanced transhumanist intelligence) an entire simulated 'lifetime' on any given Saturday evening.
For some lives, the spiritual being, for whatever reason(s), experiences a life in which the physical being has no knowledge of the fundamental facts of their existence. And thus while their consciousness, combined with whatever other factors, is creating their daily experience, they have little or no awareness of this fact. And in other lives, the spiritual being, similarly for whatever reason(s), experiences a physical existence in which they, to some extent at least, remember who they are, and understand that their consciousness can profoundly influence the reality they experience. Who or what determines the extent to which the physical being will be aware of their true nature? And why?
And for the transhumanists: "Life on Earth--The Game So Real, You'll Forget Who You Are." In some optimistic transhumanist future, would you play this game? (Are 'you', a spiritual being, already playing this game, and have you, the human, forgotten who 'you' are?) In one modern concept of spirituality, there is no after-death judgment from a vengeful, arbitrary, and irrational deity, but rather unconditional love, and a complete review of the life experience. When a 'player's' life ends in the LOE game, you're back sitting on your living room couch with your beer (?) and bag of potato chips. With your cybernetically enhanced intelligence, you can review the entire experience in minutes, and perhaps spend days or even years reflecting on what you learned; and because your transhumanist mind is linked to the larger collective intelligence of not only the game 'creator', but the other players, your experience is now a part of the collective.
Could the experience of such a game be so compelling that you would actually choose to experience not just the joy and pleasure, but pain and sorrow and perhaps horrors as well, rather than sit around bored on your transhumanist couch? Or more to the point, can you imagine choosing to have an experience in which you don't even remember who you are, and have forgotten that you, the player, have the power to change the experience simply by remembering who you really are, and learning to control your consciousness? Or would the 'creator' have established certain requirements for the minimum level of experience, or mastery at the 'beginners' level, before progressing to the 'advanced' level?
In one spiritual perspective on life, the imperative seems to be to experience all the possibilities of existence, akin to Q's suggestion to Picard in the final Star Trek Next Generation: '...the unknown possibilities of existence...'. Similarly, some folks play computer games for the 'experience'--even 'bad' experiences.
And some folks play computer games not just for the experience, but to try to 'master' or 'win' the game; and in some sense, learning how to 'control' the game might be seen as simply another step in experiencing all the possibilities. Is the spiritual analogy a sequence of lives which lead to a conscious understanding of spiritual truths and the nature of our existence, and eventually the understanding that we are controlling the game, consciously or unconsciously, and can and do create the reality we experience?
Or in another analogy, as some have wondered for millennia, is life a dream of sorts, mostly simply experienced and beyond our control, but for some folks in some dreams (lives), a 'lucid' dream in which the dreamer not only becomes aware that they are dreaming, but that they can consciously control the experience?
For the scientists and transhumanists, did you, the spiritual being, choose a life in which you, the human, would completely forget who you are, simply because the experience is so compelling for a spiritual being and you don't care about 'mastering' the game, or perhaps so you would have another lifetime of experience, before choosing a life in which you remember who you are, dimly or perhaps quite clearly, and remember that, at least to some extent, you are actually creating the reality you experience? Or did you intend--or does it even matter what you intended, since it's all about the learning experience--that you would have the freedom in this life to choose: either live your life, simply for the experience, choosing to believe some religious or scientific theology, ignorant of who and what you are; or take the next step in consciousness and spiritual evolution, remember who you are, and begin to explore a new realm of 'unknown possibilities'? Or, to put it another way (to paraphrase a thoughtful commenter in a discussion of the simulation idea), would you want to know the 'cheat codes' to the LOE game?
So what did you, the spiritual being, intend for you in this life? In the concept of the 'Law of Attraction', etc., the answer is simple: if you find these concepts absurd or offensive or 'evil', because of your religious or scientific theology or whatever reasons, then they are 'evil' or wrong for you. But if you're simply skeptical, even extremely so, but nonetheless interested or even fascinated, then the implication is that perhaps you should explore the possibility. And a few would have a joyous sense that at some level they always knew these truths, and always intended to remember them, and have finally found what they were looking for, etc.
Monday, July 2, 2012
Intentions and the 'Law of Attraction'
The effect seen in REG (Random Event Generator) and other intention experiments is usually so small, that there might seem no basis for the extraordinary claim that intentions can actually influence significant events in the physical reality we experience, as suggested in the 'Law of Attraction' and related concepts. There are however several key differences between most REG experiments and the LOA idea.
1. Time. LOA might require repeatedly focusing on something over hours, days, weeks, or months, whereas a REG is usually expected to respond more or less now.
2. Specificity of Result. A REG is usually expected to do something simple and specific, but rather general LOA intentions might in principle be 'manifested' in an infinite number of ways.
3. Focus of Intention. Instead of focusing only on a REG or roulette ball, etc., LOA intentions are addressed to the entire 'Universe' (or 'God', etc.). Is it possible that consciousness can slightly influence arbitrarily small or large physical systems, without regard to conventional understandings of 'force' or 'power' or 'energy'?
4. Believability and Expectation. Our consciousness and/or the rules of our reality seem to prefer (however this might be described) that we experience a more-or-less materialistic, classical mechanics sort of world. From birth, most humans are programmed to believe that thoughts have no effect on physical reality and that 'magic' or 'miracles' are 'impossible' or at least extremely rare; and to the extent that beliefs influence perception and experience, we won't experience 'impossible' events. While a REG producing visibly, rather than merely statistically significant anomalous results, or levitation, etc., are clearly out of character in our consensus reality, the results of LOA intentions can never be shown, from a 'scientific' or materialist perspective, to be magical or impossible.
Two approaches might be used to test the ideas that intentions influence events in our lives. Presumably both approaches have already been described, if not actually undertaken as experiments; links to online articles describing such efforts are welcomed.
The subjective psychological approach might involve constructing a simple explanation of how intentions might influence events in our lives, along with appropriate mental exercises, and testing on a group of interested volunteers for several weeks or months. Questionnaires could used to explore the attitudes, beliefs, and sense of well-being, etc., before and after the experiment. Would a change in attitudes or sense of well-being, etc., be seen in any of the participants?
Another approach might be to construct a real or virtual large REG array connected to a computer simulation or 'lifelike' game, without the normal user inputs from a keyboard, mouse, or game controller. The array elements would be used as a substitute for the pseudorandom or actually random data used in a control version of the experiment. The simulations or games would be run for at least hours or days, perhaps longer, and intentions would be directed toward general results, and to the array as a whole rather than a single REG. Even if the intended outcome is specific in one sense, e.g., that in a simulation of a sporting event a particular team is intended to win, the complexity of the game, with inputs from many REGs, and the many possible scores, etc., would allow many possible paths to achieve the result.
This experiment differs from normal REG intention experiments by several of the criteria which distinguish them from the LOA idea:
1. Time--It's played over hours or days.
2. Specificity of Result--Rather than intending a specific result from a REG, i.e., higher or lower, a more general result is intended. In a competitive game simulation, a team or player might be intended to win, but without specifying how, or by what score, etc. In 'lifelike' simulations, various 'life' events might be intended, without specifying how they might be achieved or occur, or the details of the outcome. In a graphic image creation program, either a particular pattern might be intended, without regard to size, color, etc.; or the created pattern might be intended to be more attractive or interesting, and results might be judged by third parties compared to images created by random or pseudorandom inputs.
3. Focus of Intention--Intentions would be focused on an entire array of REGs rather than a single REG, and thus the collective behavior of the array determines the outcome.
4. Believability and Expectation--With millions or billions of REG values processed, it would be nearly impossible to show how the desired outcome occurred, or that anything strange happened, except that the results appear to be different from those of the control versions.
Thus the experiment would be at least a slightly better analog to the LOA concept than current single REG experiments.
While a large REG array--hundreds of REGs--on a chip would be enormously expensive to create, perhaps a prototype version with fewer REGs, constructed on a circuit board, using an attached computer to handle some of the processing, might be constructed for hundreds or a few thousand dollars.
A simpler, and much less expensive approach might be to construct a REG with a much higher output than the common 200 bits per second, and create virtual array with time division of the output. Perhaps the theorists could comment on whether there's likely to be any practical difference between a virtual array in which each REG exists only in brief moments of time, as opposed to an actual array in which each REG has a 'real', continuous existence.
The computer game or simulation controlled by the array might also be expensive to create, unless it could be undertaken as an open-source project.
Would any effect be seen? If so, could such a system be used to explore the effectiveness of various LOA ideas and approaches? Could it be used as a training device?
If experiments showed consistently significant and interesting effects, then a variety of commercial products might eventually be constructed and sold, both for research, and as consumer products. In the (perhaps near) future, as interaction of consciousness and reality is accepted by scientists and the public, perhaps such devices or systems could be marketed to the general public, for entertainment and education, etc.
1. Time. LOA might require repeatedly focusing on something over hours, days, weeks, or months, whereas a REG is usually expected to respond more or less now.
2. Specificity of Result. A REG is usually expected to do something simple and specific, but rather general LOA intentions might in principle be 'manifested' in an infinite number of ways.
3. Focus of Intention. Instead of focusing only on a REG or roulette ball, etc., LOA intentions are addressed to the entire 'Universe' (or 'God', etc.). Is it possible that consciousness can slightly influence arbitrarily small or large physical systems, without regard to conventional understandings of 'force' or 'power' or 'energy'?
4. Believability and Expectation. Our consciousness and/or the rules of our reality seem to prefer (however this might be described) that we experience a more-or-less materialistic, classical mechanics sort of world. From birth, most humans are programmed to believe that thoughts have no effect on physical reality and that 'magic' or 'miracles' are 'impossible' or at least extremely rare; and to the extent that beliefs influence perception and experience, we won't experience 'impossible' events. While a REG producing visibly, rather than merely statistically significant anomalous results, or levitation, etc., are clearly out of character in our consensus reality, the results of LOA intentions can never be shown, from a 'scientific' or materialist perspective, to be magical or impossible.
Two approaches might be used to test the ideas that intentions influence events in our lives. Presumably both approaches have already been described, if not actually undertaken as experiments; links to online articles describing such efforts are welcomed.
The subjective psychological approach might involve constructing a simple explanation of how intentions might influence events in our lives, along with appropriate mental exercises, and testing on a group of interested volunteers for several weeks or months. Questionnaires could used to explore the attitudes, beliefs, and sense of well-being, etc., before and after the experiment. Would a change in attitudes or sense of well-being, etc., be seen in any of the participants?
Another approach might be to construct a real or virtual large REG array connected to a computer simulation or 'lifelike' game, without the normal user inputs from a keyboard, mouse, or game controller. The array elements would be used as a substitute for the pseudorandom or actually random data used in a control version of the experiment. The simulations or games would be run for at least hours or days, perhaps longer, and intentions would be directed toward general results, and to the array as a whole rather than a single REG. Even if the intended outcome is specific in one sense, e.g., that in a simulation of a sporting event a particular team is intended to win, the complexity of the game, with inputs from many REGs, and the many possible scores, etc., would allow many possible paths to achieve the result.
This experiment differs from normal REG intention experiments by several of the criteria which distinguish them from the LOA idea:
1. Time--It's played over hours or days.
2. Specificity of Result--Rather than intending a specific result from a REG, i.e., higher or lower, a more general result is intended. In a competitive game simulation, a team or player might be intended to win, but without specifying how, or by what score, etc. In 'lifelike' simulations, various 'life' events might be intended, without specifying how they might be achieved or occur, or the details of the outcome. In a graphic image creation program, either a particular pattern might be intended, without regard to size, color, etc.; or the created pattern might be intended to be more attractive or interesting, and results might be judged by third parties compared to images created by random or pseudorandom inputs.
3. Focus of Intention--Intentions would be focused on an entire array of REGs rather than a single REG, and thus the collective behavior of the array determines the outcome.
4. Believability and Expectation--With millions or billions of REG values processed, it would be nearly impossible to show how the desired outcome occurred, or that anything strange happened, except that the results appear to be different from those of the control versions.
Thus the experiment would be at least a slightly better analog to the LOA concept than current single REG experiments.
While a large REG array--hundreds of REGs--on a chip would be enormously expensive to create, perhaps a prototype version with fewer REGs, constructed on a circuit board, using an attached computer to handle some of the processing, might be constructed for hundreds or a few thousand dollars.
A simpler, and much less expensive approach might be to construct a REG with a much higher output than the common 200 bits per second, and create virtual array with time division of the output. Perhaps the theorists could comment on whether there's likely to be any practical difference between a virtual array in which each REG exists only in brief moments of time, as opposed to an actual array in which each REG has a 'real', continuous existence.
The computer game or simulation controlled by the array might also be expensive to create, unless it could be undertaken as an open-source project.
Would any effect be seen? If so, could such a system be used to explore the effectiveness of various LOA ideas and approaches? Could it be used as a training device?
If experiments showed consistently significant and interesting effects, then a variety of commercial products might eventually be constructed and sold, both for research, and as consumer products. In the (perhaps near) future, as interaction of consciousness and reality is accepted by scientists and the public, perhaps such devices or systems could be marketed to the general public, for entertainment and education, etc.
Simple Online Psi Experiment
Could a simple online, open source, REG (Random Event Generator) experiment change the attitudes of the media, public, and most scientists toward psi research?
Such an experiment might consist primarily of a web page with two windows: one displaying an image or series of images (photos, graphics, words, etc.) intended to evoke emotional responses from the users; and another showing a webcam view or photograph of the REG. The website visitors would be invited to view the image and 'convey' to the REG their thoughts and feelings in response to the image(s). A third window might be included with a numerical or graphical representation of the REG output.
The experiment would not test individuals, but rather the collective influence of all users logged on at a particular time.
The experiment might be run continuously; or only for a minute or so several times an hour, with blank windows and a countdown clock displaying the time left before the next run. The details of each test--image sequence and timings--might be specified in a schedule file read by the web page software; and every few hours, or day, the data would be available for download: image sets, the schedule file, and REG output stream.
In a sense this is a simplified variant of the GCP (Global Consciousness Project), using a single REG and artificial stimuli rather than real world events, adding the request to intentionally convey to the REG the viewer's response to the stimuli, and the element of (from the perspective of the REG) 'the sense of being stared at'. In another sense, it would be somewhat analogous to the common human experience of a crowd reacting to a speaker or performer.
If this were undertaken as a cooperative effort by the larger community of REG and other researchers, with many contributors, then it might be relatively easy to assemble a collection of links to open source statistical software; introductions to statistics for REG analysis (perhaps including video tutorials); step-by-step explanations for analysis of the data, explained if possible at a high school level; and other online resources.
Users and other interested parties--skeptics and 'believers' alike--could be encouraged to do their own statistical analysis, and to discuss the results in a forum. Professional statisticians might use their own software and methods (including the many already in use for GCP), but 'amateurs' (especially students) could participate if open source spreadsheet or other methods were made available for download on the website. Others might submit sets of images, or choose from the images already available on a download page, and specify their own image sequences and timings for a test run--dozens of different versions of the experiment could be run and analyzed in a few days or weeks.
Thus a high school or college class, for example, might contact the experiment administrator to submit or choose a set of images, and specify the sequence and timings to run their own test; then download the data, and use the various open source methods (linked to on the website) to do their analysis in time for their next class. And the design of the experiment would be simple enough that anyone seriously interested in the results--e.g., any university or research organization--could repeat the experiment by building or buying a REG, and running the experiment on their own web server.
Such an experiment would not be intended as pioneering psi research (although in some sense it might be), nor would it be intended to 'prove' anything; but rather as a very simple, open, and public experiment attempting to find a way to demonstrate what has already been proven repeatedly in decades of REG and other psi research--a demonstration that, except for the details of the REG design and statistical methods, could be easily understood by the news media and the public. And unlike experiments conducted in a laboratory and eventually described in a peer reviewed journal, it would be conducted in full view of the public, with results made available on a daily basis. Whatever the virtues of the peer review system, in the matter of psi research it has simply served to suppress research and maintain the current materialist theology of science.
In a sense, it would be more of a 'public relations' or educational project than a research project, and could be used to involve and engage a much larger audience--interested amateurs, especially college and even high school students, and the news media--and thus, in effect, to bypass the 'experts' whose opinions have so powerfully limited public acceptance and understanding, and funding for consciousness research.
Such an experiment might consist primarily of a web page with two windows: one displaying an image or series of images (photos, graphics, words, etc.) intended to evoke emotional responses from the users; and another showing a webcam view or photograph of the REG. The website visitors would be invited to view the image and 'convey' to the REG their thoughts and feelings in response to the image(s). A third window might be included with a numerical or graphical representation of the REG output.
The experiment would not test individuals, but rather the collective influence of all users logged on at a particular time.
The experiment might be run continuously; or only for a minute or so several times an hour, with blank windows and a countdown clock displaying the time left before the next run. The details of each test--image sequence and timings--might be specified in a schedule file read by the web page software; and every few hours, or day, the data would be available for download: image sets, the schedule file, and REG output stream.
In a sense this is a simplified variant of the GCP (Global Consciousness Project), using a single REG and artificial stimuli rather than real world events, adding the request to intentionally convey to the REG the viewer's response to the stimuli, and the element of (from the perspective of the REG) 'the sense of being stared at'. In another sense, it would be somewhat analogous to the common human experience of a crowd reacting to a speaker or performer.
If this were undertaken as a cooperative effort by the larger community of REG and other researchers, with many contributors, then it might be relatively easy to assemble a collection of links to open source statistical software; introductions to statistics for REG analysis (perhaps including video tutorials); step-by-step explanations for analysis of the data, explained if possible at a high school level; and other online resources.
Users and other interested parties--skeptics and 'believers' alike--could be encouraged to do their own statistical analysis, and to discuss the results in a forum. Professional statisticians might use their own software and methods (including the many already in use for GCP), but 'amateurs' (especially students) could participate if open source spreadsheet or other methods were made available for download on the website. Others might submit sets of images, or choose from the images already available on a download page, and specify their own image sequences and timings for a test run--dozens of different versions of the experiment could be run and analyzed in a few days or weeks.
Thus a high school or college class, for example, might contact the experiment administrator to submit or choose a set of images, and specify the sequence and timings to run their own test; then download the data, and use the various open source methods (linked to on the website) to do their analysis in time for their next class. And the design of the experiment would be simple enough that anyone seriously interested in the results--e.g., any university or research organization--could repeat the experiment by building or buying a REG, and running the experiment on their own web server.
Such an experiment would not be intended as pioneering psi research (although in some sense it might be), nor would it be intended to 'prove' anything; but rather as a very simple, open, and public experiment attempting to find a way to demonstrate what has already been proven repeatedly in decades of REG and other psi research--a demonstration that, except for the details of the REG design and statistical methods, could be easily understood by the news media and the public. And unlike experiments conducted in a laboratory and eventually described in a peer reviewed journal, it would be conducted in full view of the public, with results made available on a daily basis. Whatever the virtues of the peer review system, in the matter of psi research it has simply served to suppress research and maintain the current materialist theology of science.
In a sense, it would be more of a 'public relations' or educational project than a research project, and could be used to involve and engage a much larger audience--interested amateurs, especially college and even high school students, and the news media--and thus, in effect, to bypass the 'experts' whose opinions have so powerfully limited public acceptance and understanding, and funding for consciousness research.
Sunday, July 1, 2012
UFOs and the Psychic ET Pseudoscientists
For decades the scientists of our world have rejected and ridiculed claims of psychic phenomena and the UFO/ET presence, often characterizing the researchers in these areas as "pseudoscientists". This ridicule has very effectively suppressed research into the fundamental nature of consciousness and reality, and the facts of life in the Universe. Is it possible that knowledge of these matters is vital not only to our well-being, but the survival of our civilization in the coming years and decades?
We already know from Remote Viewing (RV) and Random Event Generator (REG) experiments, and decades of other research into psychic phenomena, that human consciousness transcends what we experience as space and time, and can directly affect what we experience as physical reality, i.e., matter and energy. Human psychic abilities are normally minimal--necessarily so, or our reality could not survive the effects of our chaotic and destructive thoughts--and psychic phenomena are not as significant per se, as they are as 'glitches in the matrix'--hints of the underlying nature of our reality.
A better understanding of these phenomena, combined with efforts to reconcile research into Near Death Experiences, reincarnation (e.g., past-life memories of young children), mediums, the nature of the placebo effect and its relationship to faith and energy healing, various interpretations of quantum mechanics and consciousness, and religious, spiritual, and mystical beliefs could lead to an extraordinary new understanding of the nature of our existence, and a dramatic change in the attitudes and consciousness of humankind. Such a change would not only affect our choices and actions, and our sense of well-being, but if our thoughts, intentions, prayers, beliefs, and expectations, even if primarily at some level much deeper than our normal consciousness, are creating or even slightly influencing our reality (or selecting versions of a multiverse), then the consciousness and spirituality of a race could be a critical factor in determining the fate of their civilization.
Elements of the US Government thoroughly understand the facts (but not the physics or metaphysics) of basic psychic phenomena, and should understand the potential national security implications of advanced research in this area for other than military and intelligence uses, and perhaps will consider not only funding such research--covertly, if necessary--but promoting a public understanding of the findings. If human thoughts (intentions, prayers, beliefs, expectations, etc.) can influence a REG, what are the effects of human thoughts (etc.), whether by individuals or groups, directed not to a single REG, but rather to the entire world or Universe, over long periods of time, and with respect not simply to changing a number, but rather to more general outcomes?
The skeptics who are truly curious might look at the RV and REG research, or take an RV course, or buy or build a REG and do some simple experiments, or review the latest medium and NDE research, etc. The 'pseudoskeptics' can simply ignore the issue of consciousness for now, but they won't be able to understand the UFO/ET situation, or one of the major implications of contact. Any advanced technological civilization visiting our world (and their 'technology') will have not only a vastly greater understanding of physics, but of metaphysics and consciousness as well, and they will certainly be using this knowledge for their purposes here, in ways that most humans cannot imagine, much less understand.
Humans have long interacted with strange beings from countless other realms, such as angels, fairies, ghosts, etc. These interactions sometimes have profound, even life-changing, psychological and even physical effects on those who encounter them. The 'alien abductors', e.g., and other strange beings sometimes associated with UFOs, whatever their nature, and whatever their relationship, if any, to the advanced 'biological' and/or 'cybernetic' ETs in UFOs, are certainly of scientific interest, and to the extent they are a problem, we should try to understand and deal with them accordingly, as a function of our consciousness rather than as nominal 'physical' life forms. But none of them have the persistent presence or competence in our consensus physical reality to understand, much less to discuss in detail, the extraordinarily complex issues faced by our civilization.
On the other hand, at least some of the ETs in UFOs--whatever the nature of their consciousness, however physically 'real' they might seem in-person, and wherever they come from in space or time or beyond--clearly have the competence to interact intelligently with our technology. And some may have not only the cultural and linguistic fluency to discuss complex social, technological, and scientific issues, but also the knowledge of the experiences of other rapidly evolving technological civilizations--knowledge that might be critically important to our civilization. If we asked, would they tell us the story of life in the Universe?
For decades the ETs have been making their presence known, dramatically to the US and other governments, and very carefully to people around the world--tens of thousands of carefully limited appearances, day after day, year after year, for over sixty years. They've bluntly conveyed, in deeds and perhaps in words, their concerns about nuclear weapons to the US and other governments, and they've clearly demonstrated they have the means to disable or destroy our weapons systems, and thus any or all aspects of our technological civilization. Yet whatever the loss of life on both sides due to accidents or hostility, they have refrained from any major actions which would terrorize or seriously disrupt our civilization. For over sixty years life on earth has continued as usual: wars, revolutions, terrorism, elections, continued destruction of the environment, accumulation of vast nuclear arsenals capable of destroying our civilization, amazing technological progress, moon landings, visits by robotic explorers to other planets of the solar system, SETI, endless discussions of the Fermi Paradox and Drake Equation, attempts by the US, et al., to shoot down UFOs, and more.
The USG has used denial, ridicule, disinformation, manipulation of the media, harassment and intimidation of witnesses and researchers, and more, to prevent the American people from knowing the facts of the ET presence. This policy has been supported, wittingly or unwittingly, by every US president, and every US Congress since 1947; with a few exceptions, by scientists, scientific institutions, organizations, and universities, and major news organizations; and by the governments of our world, and the UN. Despite the limited releases of information recently by the UK and France, et al., and years ago in the US Blue Book files, etc., no government will directly state what they have long known.
There are many interpretations of the ET agenda, some 'positive', and some extremely 'negative', but one of the simplest consistent with publicly available information, is that they're monitoring an emerging technological civilization, in preparation for possible eventual open 'contact'. There are many possible criteria for determining when a civilization is ready for contact, but the simplest is: a civilization is ready when the government and/or the people say they're ready.
It's obvious from the continuing efforts of the ETs to carefully make their presence known that they have something important to say to the people of our world, not just to the governments. There are two reasons why the ETs would have thus far deferred to our wishes, and why efforts such as IETI (Invitation to Extraterrestrial Intelligence) have failed to initiate open contact between civilizations. The first is that the ETs understand that a dramatic and unexpected appearance could cause enormous problems on the Earth--even if largely as a result of malicious or incompetent actions of governments and other groups--and they have a 'moral' or 'legal' responsibility for the consequences of their actions (i.e., 'You break it, you own it'). And, as a practical matter, they don't want to have to manage a collapsing civilization of hysterical primitives. Secondly, if they're hoping to establish a long-term, cooperative relationship, then they don't want to begin the relationship by doing something that might cause enormous harm to, or at the very least infuriate, most of the human race. This would further imply that they would not assist one group or nation at the expense of another.
Even if they're willing to help, with information, or perhaps under some circumstances, even with technology, their experience has certainly shown that you can't help a civilization that doesn't want to be helped. And until the governments acknowledge their presence, and we begin serious, open discussions of the implications of contact, the ETs may simply continue the pattern of 'deniable' appearances. Or perhaps they'll make their presence known tomorrow, regardless of our wishes...
Should we ask them who they are, and why they're here? Should we ask them about life in the Universe, and the experiences--and perhaps the apocalyptic mistakes--of other rapidly evolving 'pre-Singularity' civilizations? From their perspective, do we have bright future of peace, freedom, and prosperity? Or something very different? Is it possible that civilizations which reach our stage of technological development, but are still so hysterical and irrational that they would rather die than know the truth will often get their wish?
Even the certain knowledge of an ET presence, without any real contact, would be difficult for our civilization; and contact and the consequences will likely be the most difficult experience in human history. What if we learned that the institutions, technological infrastructure, attitudes, beliefs, and consciousness of some nations or perhaps all of human civilization are simply incompatible with the harm we have already done, and continue to do to the planet, and the dangerous technologies we already have, and those we will soon develop? Would it be worth the effort to survive?
The position of the US and other governments of our world is that the expected costs of acknowledgment, which would naturally lead to discussions of contact, outweigh the expected benefits of possible contact. For better or worse, this implies that the governments of the US, UK, France, etc., and the UN, regard the extreme worst case outcome of this policy as acceptable, i.e., even if the survival of our civilization might depend on information that the ETs would be willing to provide, that the cost of survival would not be worth the 'benefit'.
It might seem reasonable for governments, scientists, and the news media, etc., to believe that contact--or even acknowledgment of an ET presence--is an unacceptable risk to our civilization, and the delusion must be perpetuated, and thus no discussion of the ET presence is acceptable. Some might argue that the USG and other governments already know the whole story of life in the Universe, and all the lessons to be learned from past civilizations, and have quite reasonably decided to keep the information secret, and that scientists and the news media should respect their decision, and actively or passively support the coverup. In fact, whatever MAJIC (or whatever the USG UFO Control group is called) and perhaps elements of a few other governments might know, the current financial crisis, and other experiences and unaddressed critical vulnerabilities of our civilization show that the governments don't even understand the lessons to be learned from our own history, much less the history of the Universe.
Is it possible that the policies of the world's governments, and thus the attitudes of the scientists and news media, are based on a flawed intelligence assessment regarding the long term costs and benefits of acknowledgment and efforts to contact the ETs? If the ETs have been dealing with evolving technological civilizations for eons, and not only understand our civilization better than we do, but also understand the experiences of countless other civilizations, they should be able to first answer a simple question: Do you have something to say to us, that, based on the experiences of other civilizations, years from now we'll likely desperately wish we had heard now?
Of course, they might not reply, or tell us anything useful, and we might not trust them, and what they tell us might be unbearable, etc. But why aren't the scientists and others who claim to be concerned about the future of humankind discussing whether, as a civilization, we should be asking the ETs this question?
Of course the UFO skeptics, and others, might ask "Why should we waste our time discussing this issue?" and repeat the absurd argument: "There's no evidence that ETs are visiting our world! The governments aren't hiding anything! Give us evidence! We want evidence!"
Actually, the publicly available evidence, if separated from the mountains of nonsense and disinformation, shows beyond a reasonable doubt of any rational person that another intelligence is visiting our world. But, the skeptics want 'extraordinary proof' to justify the 'extraordinary claim' of an ET presence.
If the governments won't provide the evidence, perhaps the ETs are monitoring our communications and would be happy to provide 'extraordinary proof'. Would skeptics welcome undeniable proof that ETs are visiting our world--an optical message or appearance that could be seen and documented by millions of people? The skeptics don't have to say they believe ETs are here--indeed, they can ridicule the notion--but rather, simply say that if ETs are here, that we'd like to hear from them. In other words, do the skeptics really want evidence, or are they simply, in fact or in effect, and for whatever reasons, supporting the governments' policies of suppressing the truth?
Would an open invitation from the SETI Institute be sufficient to convince the ETs to make an undeniable, or significantly less-deniable, demonstration of their presence? Not likely, since the Institute doesn't speak for the USG, but surely this would be an important statement of principle: the SETI Institute, openly and vocally skeptical about UFOs and ETs, would surely welcome a message from ETs 25 light years away; but would the Institute welcome an open and public message from ETs 25 miles away? If not, why not?
Would an open invitation from NASA be sufficient to convince the ETs to make an undeniable demonstration of their presence? Such an invitation would make it clear to the ETs that the government, acting on behalf of the people of one nation, is ready to acknowledge--and begin open discussions of the implications of--the ET presence. The news media could ask a NASA spokesperson; or perhaps Larry King, e.g., could invite UFO researchers, and spokespersons from NASA and the SETI Institute, and ask them this question. Or anyone (skeptics, UFO researchers, and perhaps even ETs) can contact the NASA experts on UFOs and ETs at NASA's "Ask an Astrobiologist" site. Of course NASA has repeatedly assured the public that there's absolutely no evidence that ETs are visiting our world... So, speaking for the government and people of the US, would NASA welcome an open and public message to the American people, or at least, an undeniable demonstration of presence, from any ETs who might be visiting our world? If not, why not?
Or perhaps the ETs are waiting for a statement, not from one nation, but from most or all of the nations of the world... This year astronomers and others around the world will celebrate the 2009 International Year of Astronomy, and the 400th anniversary of Galileo's first astronomical observations with a telescope. What a perfect occasion to celebrate the purpose and faith of the institution of science in general, and astronomy in particular, and take what might be the first step to one of the greatest scientific 'discoveries' of all time... Or not. Would the cosponsors of the IYA--UNESCO, representing the governments of the world, and IAU, representing the astronomers of the world--welcome an open and public message from any ETs who might be visiting our world? If not, why not?
Is it possible that in the matter of UFOs and ETs, the scientists, while they celebrate Galileo, are actually honoring--in a much 'kinder and gentler' career-destroying way of course--the faith in ignorance of those who persecuted the early astronomers? Of course, the Inquisitors no doubt had what they considered to be good reasons, and the scientists certainly have theirs.
Even as a thought experiment, the likely answers might help any honest skeptic understand the situation. And if the news media would actually ask these questions of the SETI Institute, NASA, IYA, and UNESCO, and some of the world's leading scientists, etc., then the answers would be profound statements of the nature and faith of the human race at this point in our history.
And any reasonable person would understand that there is no 'UFO Debate', and indeed, there never was, except between and among UFO researchers. And any reasonable scientist would understand that there is no Fermi 'Paradox' and never was--only a question to which elements of the US Government already knew the answer. And they would know what the ETs know: as long as the governments, scientists, and news media stand together in promoting this delusion, then humankind is not ready to hear what the ETs have to say to us.
Perhaps some of the scientists and others concerned with the continued destruction of our living planet, global warming, nuclear weapons, genetic engineering, synthetic life, replicant nanotechnology, and artificial intelligence, etc., will reconsider: Do you really believe our civilization is more likely to survive and prosper by ignoring any possibility of learning about life in the Universe, and the experiences of other rapidly evolving technological civilizations?
Because of the extreme secrecy and remarkably effective disinformation campaign, etc., it's impossible for the public to know what the various ET groups intend, what the USG knows, and what the USG regards as the most serious problems arising from various degrees of contact (ranging from acknowledgment to open, unrestricted communications). And so it's impossible for those interested in this issue, except in a highly speculative and thus largely useless way, to comment on the reasons for the continuing secrecy. Perhaps MAJIC will reconsider its longstanding policy, and make the basic facts available to a larger audience in the USG, and even to a few members of the public, and invite comment on the most critical aspects of this issue. Even the national security elements of the USG should be able to understand the risks of a 'Really Big Intelligence Failure' with respect to the technological, environmental, and other issues the US will face in the next few years and decades.
If the United States cannot lead the world, then, in time, some other nation will. While a 'Message to ETs Visiting Our World' from astronomers in Russia, China, or some other nation might have little practical significance, it would certainly be an enormously important and historic symbolic gesture--the first nation on earth to openly reach out to those visiting our world, and the dawn of a new era for humankind.
But for now, we'll be 'boldly going nowhere', our heads buried happily in the sands of blissful ignorance, trusting that our best hope for the future is to ignore any possibility of learning from the past. And we won't be reading "Seven Common Mistakes of Evolving Technological Civilizations--And How Your Civilization Can Avoid Them", whatever it's called, or even know whether it exists; but if it does exist, perhaps we'll have our own page someday, or we already do, and other, more curious and courageous civilizations will learn from our experiences, and perhaps from our mistakes. And we won't know whether contact, from the ETs' perspective, will likely mark--in some sense at least--the beginning of the end of our civilization, or simply the end of the beginning of the story of humankind. Or both.
We already know from Remote Viewing (RV) and Random Event Generator (REG) experiments, and decades of other research into psychic phenomena, that human consciousness transcends what we experience as space and time, and can directly affect what we experience as physical reality, i.e., matter and energy. Human psychic abilities are normally minimal--necessarily so, or our reality could not survive the effects of our chaotic and destructive thoughts--and psychic phenomena are not as significant per se, as they are as 'glitches in the matrix'--hints of the underlying nature of our reality.
A better understanding of these phenomena, combined with efforts to reconcile research into Near Death Experiences, reincarnation (e.g., past-life memories of young children), mediums, the nature of the placebo effect and its relationship to faith and energy healing, various interpretations of quantum mechanics and consciousness, and religious, spiritual, and mystical beliefs could lead to an extraordinary new understanding of the nature of our existence, and a dramatic change in the attitudes and consciousness of humankind. Such a change would not only affect our choices and actions, and our sense of well-being, but if our thoughts, intentions, prayers, beliefs, and expectations, even if primarily at some level much deeper than our normal consciousness, are creating or even slightly influencing our reality (or selecting versions of a multiverse), then the consciousness and spirituality of a race could be a critical factor in determining the fate of their civilization.
Elements of the US Government thoroughly understand the facts (but not the physics or metaphysics) of basic psychic phenomena, and should understand the potential national security implications of advanced research in this area for other than military and intelligence uses, and perhaps will consider not only funding such research--covertly, if necessary--but promoting a public understanding of the findings. If human thoughts (intentions, prayers, beliefs, expectations, etc.) can influence a REG, what are the effects of human thoughts (etc.), whether by individuals or groups, directed not to a single REG, but rather to the entire world or Universe, over long periods of time, and with respect not simply to changing a number, but rather to more general outcomes?
The skeptics who are truly curious might look at the RV and REG research, or take an RV course, or buy or build a REG and do some simple experiments, or review the latest medium and NDE research, etc. The 'pseudoskeptics' can simply ignore the issue of consciousness for now, but they won't be able to understand the UFO/ET situation, or one of the major implications of contact. Any advanced technological civilization visiting our world (and their 'technology') will have not only a vastly greater understanding of physics, but of metaphysics and consciousness as well, and they will certainly be using this knowledge for their purposes here, in ways that most humans cannot imagine, much less understand.
Humans have long interacted with strange beings from countless other realms, such as angels, fairies, ghosts, etc. These interactions sometimes have profound, even life-changing, psychological and even physical effects on those who encounter them. The 'alien abductors', e.g., and other strange beings sometimes associated with UFOs, whatever their nature, and whatever their relationship, if any, to the advanced 'biological' and/or 'cybernetic' ETs in UFOs, are certainly of scientific interest, and to the extent they are a problem, we should try to understand and deal with them accordingly, as a function of our consciousness rather than as nominal 'physical' life forms. But none of them have the persistent presence or competence in our consensus physical reality to understand, much less to discuss in detail, the extraordinarily complex issues faced by our civilization.
On the other hand, at least some of the ETs in UFOs--whatever the nature of their consciousness, however physically 'real' they might seem in-person, and wherever they come from in space or time or beyond--clearly have the competence to interact intelligently with our technology. And some may have not only the cultural and linguistic fluency to discuss complex social, technological, and scientific issues, but also the knowledge of the experiences of other rapidly evolving technological civilizations--knowledge that might be critically important to our civilization. If we asked, would they tell us the story of life in the Universe?
For decades the ETs have been making their presence known, dramatically to the US and other governments, and very carefully to people around the world--tens of thousands of carefully limited appearances, day after day, year after year, for over sixty years. They've bluntly conveyed, in deeds and perhaps in words, their concerns about nuclear weapons to the US and other governments, and they've clearly demonstrated they have the means to disable or destroy our weapons systems, and thus any or all aspects of our technological civilization. Yet whatever the loss of life on both sides due to accidents or hostility, they have refrained from any major actions which would terrorize or seriously disrupt our civilization. For over sixty years life on earth has continued as usual: wars, revolutions, terrorism, elections, continued destruction of the environment, accumulation of vast nuclear arsenals capable of destroying our civilization, amazing technological progress, moon landings, visits by robotic explorers to other planets of the solar system, SETI, endless discussions of the Fermi Paradox and Drake Equation, attempts by the US, et al., to shoot down UFOs, and more.
The USG has used denial, ridicule, disinformation, manipulation of the media, harassment and intimidation of witnesses and researchers, and more, to prevent the American people from knowing the facts of the ET presence. This policy has been supported, wittingly or unwittingly, by every US president, and every US Congress since 1947; with a few exceptions, by scientists, scientific institutions, organizations, and universities, and major news organizations; and by the governments of our world, and the UN. Despite the limited releases of information recently by the UK and France, et al., and years ago in the US Blue Book files, etc., no government will directly state what they have long known.
There are many interpretations of the ET agenda, some 'positive', and some extremely 'negative', but one of the simplest consistent with publicly available information, is that they're monitoring an emerging technological civilization, in preparation for possible eventual open 'contact'. There are many possible criteria for determining when a civilization is ready for contact, but the simplest is: a civilization is ready when the government and/or the people say they're ready.
It's obvious from the continuing efforts of the ETs to carefully make their presence known that they have something important to say to the people of our world, not just to the governments. There are two reasons why the ETs would have thus far deferred to our wishes, and why efforts such as IETI (Invitation to Extraterrestrial Intelligence) have failed to initiate open contact between civilizations. The first is that the ETs understand that a dramatic and unexpected appearance could cause enormous problems on the Earth--even if largely as a result of malicious or incompetent actions of governments and other groups--and they have a 'moral' or 'legal' responsibility for the consequences of their actions (i.e., 'You break it, you own it'). And, as a practical matter, they don't want to have to manage a collapsing civilization of hysterical primitives. Secondly, if they're hoping to establish a long-term, cooperative relationship, then they don't want to begin the relationship by doing something that might cause enormous harm to, or at the very least infuriate, most of the human race. This would further imply that they would not assist one group or nation at the expense of another.
Even if they're willing to help, with information, or perhaps under some circumstances, even with technology, their experience has certainly shown that you can't help a civilization that doesn't want to be helped. And until the governments acknowledge their presence, and we begin serious, open discussions of the implications of contact, the ETs may simply continue the pattern of 'deniable' appearances. Or perhaps they'll make their presence known tomorrow, regardless of our wishes...
Should we ask them who they are, and why they're here? Should we ask them about life in the Universe, and the experiences--and perhaps the apocalyptic mistakes--of other rapidly evolving 'pre-Singularity' civilizations? From their perspective, do we have bright future of peace, freedom, and prosperity? Or something very different? Is it possible that civilizations which reach our stage of technological development, but are still so hysterical and irrational that they would rather die than know the truth will often get their wish?
Even the certain knowledge of an ET presence, without any real contact, would be difficult for our civilization; and contact and the consequences will likely be the most difficult experience in human history. What if we learned that the institutions, technological infrastructure, attitudes, beliefs, and consciousness of some nations or perhaps all of human civilization are simply incompatible with the harm we have already done, and continue to do to the planet, and the dangerous technologies we already have, and those we will soon develop? Would it be worth the effort to survive?
The position of the US and other governments of our world is that the expected costs of acknowledgment, which would naturally lead to discussions of contact, outweigh the expected benefits of possible contact. For better or worse, this implies that the governments of the US, UK, France, etc., and the UN, regard the extreme worst case outcome of this policy as acceptable, i.e., even if the survival of our civilization might depend on information that the ETs would be willing to provide, that the cost of survival would not be worth the 'benefit'.
It might seem reasonable for governments, scientists, and the news media, etc., to believe that contact--or even acknowledgment of an ET presence--is an unacceptable risk to our civilization, and the delusion must be perpetuated, and thus no discussion of the ET presence is acceptable. Some might argue that the USG and other governments already know the whole story of life in the Universe, and all the lessons to be learned from past civilizations, and have quite reasonably decided to keep the information secret, and that scientists and the news media should respect their decision, and actively or passively support the coverup. In fact, whatever MAJIC (or whatever the USG UFO Control group is called) and perhaps elements of a few other governments might know, the current financial crisis, and other experiences and unaddressed critical vulnerabilities of our civilization show that the governments don't even understand the lessons to be learned from our own history, much less the history of the Universe.
Is it possible that the policies of the world's governments, and thus the attitudes of the scientists and news media, are based on a flawed intelligence assessment regarding the long term costs and benefits of acknowledgment and efforts to contact the ETs? If the ETs have been dealing with evolving technological civilizations for eons, and not only understand our civilization better than we do, but also understand the experiences of countless other civilizations, they should be able to first answer a simple question: Do you have something to say to us, that, based on the experiences of other civilizations, years from now we'll likely desperately wish we had heard now?
Of course, they might not reply, or tell us anything useful, and we might not trust them, and what they tell us might be unbearable, etc. But why aren't the scientists and others who claim to be concerned about the future of humankind discussing whether, as a civilization, we should be asking the ETs this question?
Of course the UFO skeptics, and others, might ask "Why should we waste our time discussing this issue?" and repeat the absurd argument: "There's no evidence that ETs are visiting our world! The governments aren't hiding anything! Give us evidence! We want evidence!"
Actually, the publicly available evidence, if separated from the mountains of nonsense and disinformation, shows beyond a reasonable doubt of any rational person that another intelligence is visiting our world. But, the skeptics want 'extraordinary proof' to justify the 'extraordinary claim' of an ET presence.
If the governments won't provide the evidence, perhaps the ETs are monitoring our communications and would be happy to provide 'extraordinary proof'. Would skeptics welcome undeniable proof that ETs are visiting our world--an optical message or appearance that could be seen and documented by millions of people? The skeptics don't have to say they believe ETs are here--indeed, they can ridicule the notion--but rather, simply say that if ETs are here, that we'd like to hear from them. In other words, do the skeptics really want evidence, or are they simply, in fact or in effect, and for whatever reasons, supporting the governments' policies of suppressing the truth?
Would an open invitation from the SETI Institute be sufficient to convince the ETs to make an undeniable, or significantly less-deniable, demonstration of their presence? Not likely, since the Institute doesn't speak for the USG, but surely this would be an important statement of principle: the SETI Institute, openly and vocally skeptical about UFOs and ETs, would surely welcome a message from ETs 25 light years away; but would the Institute welcome an open and public message from ETs 25 miles away? If not, why not?
Would an open invitation from NASA be sufficient to convince the ETs to make an undeniable demonstration of their presence? Such an invitation would make it clear to the ETs that the government, acting on behalf of the people of one nation, is ready to acknowledge--and begin open discussions of the implications of--the ET presence. The news media could ask a NASA spokesperson; or perhaps Larry King, e.g., could invite UFO researchers, and spokespersons from NASA and the SETI Institute, and ask them this question. Or anyone (skeptics, UFO researchers, and perhaps even ETs) can contact the NASA experts on UFOs and ETs at NASA's "Ask an Astrobiologist" site. Of course NASA has repeatedly assured the public that there's absolutely no evidence that ETs are visiting our world... So, speaking for the government and people of the US, would NASA welcome an open and public message to the American people, or at least, an undeniable demonstration of presence, from any ETs who might be visiting our world? If not, why not?
Or perhaps the ETs are waiting for a statement, not from one nation, but from most or all of the nations of the world... This year astronomers and others around the world will celebrate the 2009 International Year of Astronomy, and the 400th anniversary of Galileo's first astronomical observations with a telescope. What a perfect occasion to celebrate the purpose and faith of the institution of science in general, and astronomy in particular, and take what might be the first step to one of the greatest scientific 'discoveries' of all time... Or not. Would the cosponsors of the IYA--UNESCO, representing the governments of the world, and IAU, representing the astronomers of the world--welcome an open and public message from any ETs who might be visiting our world? If not, why not?
Is it possible that in the matter of UFOs and ETs, the scientists, while they celebrate Galileo, are actually honoring--in a much 'kinder and gentler' career-destroying way of course--the faith in ignorance of those who persecuted the early astronomers? Of course, the Inquisitors no doubt had what they considered to be good reasons, and the scientists certainly have theirs.
Even as a thought experiment, the likely answers might help any honest skeptic understand the situation. And if the news media would actually ask these questions of the SETI Institute, NASA, IYA, and UNESCO, and some of the world's leading scientists, etc., then the answers would be profound statements of the nature and faith of the human race at this point in our history.
And any reasonable person would understand that there is no 'UFO Debate', and indeed, there never was, except between and among UFO researchers. And any reasonable scientist would understand that there is no Fermi 'Paradox' and never was--only a question to which elements of the US Government already knew the answer. And they would know what the ETs know: as long as the governments, scientists, and news media stand together in promoting this delusion, then humankind is not ready to hear what the ETs have to say to us.
Perhaps some of the scientists and others concerned with the continued destruction of our living planet, global warming, nuclear weapons, genetic engineering, synthetic life, replicant nanotechnology, and artificial intelligence, etc., will reconsider: Do you really believe our civilization is more likely to survive and prosper by ignoring any possibility of learning about life in the Universe, and the experiences of other rapidly evolving technological civilizations?
Because of the extreme secrecy and remarkably effective disinformation campaign, etc., it's impossible for the public to know what the various ET groups intend, what the USG knows, and what the USG regards as the most serious problems arising from various degrees of contact (ranging from acknowledgment to open, unrestricted communications). And so it's impossible for those interested in this issue, except in a highly speculative and thus largely useless way, to comment on the reasons for the continuing secrecy. Perhaps MAJIC will reconsider its longstanding policy, and make the basic facts available to a larger audience in the USG, and even to a few members of the public, and invite comment on the most critical aspects of this issue. Even the national security elements of the USG should be able to understand the risks of a 'Really Big Intelligence Failure' with respect to the technological, environmental, and other issues the US will face in the next few years and decades.
If the United States cannot lead the world, then, in time, some other nation will. While a 'Message to ETs Visiting Our World' from astronomers in Russia, China, or some other nation might have little practical significance, it would certainly be an enormously important and historic symbolic gesture--the first nation on earth to openly reach out to those visiting our world, and the dawn of a new era for humankind.
But for now, we'll be 'boldly going nowhere', our heads buried happily in the sands of blissful ignorance, trusting that our best hope for the future is to ignore any possibility of learning from the past. And we won't be reading "Seven Common Mistakes of Evolving Technological Civilizations--And How Your Civilization Can Avoid Them", whatever it's called, or even know whether it exists; but if it does exist, perhaps we'll have our own page someday, or we already do, and other, more curious and courageous civilizations will learn from our experiences, and perhaps from our mistakes. And we won't know whether contact, from the ETs' perspective, will likely mark--in some sense at least--the beginning of the end of our civilization, or simply the end of the beginning of the story of humankind. Or both.
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