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Sunday, June 26, 2011

The Vision of First Contact Vs The Fear of Alien Invasion


Have extraterrestrials contacted us yet? Have only certain people been contacted, and are these secret contacts?

Obviously they have not contacted the general public yet, or else we'd be hearing all about it on TV and radio, or seeing huge saucers hovering all over our skies.

Is it possible they have contacted certain governments in various nations across the world, that is, a secret contact? Or are these just crazy rumors that we read about in the tabloids, or hear from conspiracy theorists with over-active imaginations? We have heard and read that there have been numerous alien abductions, countless UFO sightings, even extraterrestrial telepathic communications with individuals, or even aliens visiting certain individuals physically, and other such rumors. But these are separate contacts that cannot be proven as to their authenticity.

What has been deemed as "First Contact," as suggested in science-fiction novels, movies, and TV shows, is indeed a glorious and grand idea. But will it ever take place upon our world the way we may imagine it? Or instead, will the tragedy of alien invasion actually take place? Ever since H. G. Wells' devastating science-fiction novel, The War of the Worlds, our world-view has changed in regards to alien life, because we must ask whether or not it may be benign or malignant. In 1938, Orson Welles reproduced this devastating story in a horrifying radio broadcast that wreaked havoc to millions of listeners. For a short while radio listeners actually believed the Earth was being invaded by aliens from Mars. It demonstrates just how gullible people can be. This is one of the reasons our government is trying to keep the lid on the UFO phenomenon; they think we're not ready, that we'll go nuts if aliens revealed themselves. But after several decades of exposure via various and sundry ways, I think we've become desensitized and prepared enough. After many years of the public hearing about sightings and abductions, including all the books and magazines and movies and talk shows and so forth regarding ETs, it has become a normal topic in today's society.

Perhaps the notion of alien invasion is more fascinating and captivating in science fiction than a peaceful, benevolent manner of first contact. But in the real world, I know we would prefer the latter. I wonder if the first movie version of The War of the Worlds in 1953 continued our extraterrestrial paranoia, and any other alien invasion movies, especially the two remakes that came out just a few short years ago, and let's not forget Independence Day. That's all we need -- more fear and paranoia. Perhaps the real ETs are simply observing us, yes, we the insane savage humans that live here, too dangerous to confront, who seem to be on an inevitable path of self- annihilation, whether it be through thermonuclear warfare, poisoning our atmosphere and oceans with countless toxins, biochemical methods, the creation and spread of new viruses, and so forth. I doubt these intelligent aliens really want to greet us with open arms. I doubt if they feel we're anywhere close to being ready to join the Galactic Community of Extraterrestrial Worlds (if it exists). I'm sure they're just watching us from afar, because if they get too close, we could infect them with some horrible virus, or we might capture one of them, or start a war with them.

They may even abandon their Galactic Watch program with Earth soon, and perhaps return in several centuries, to see if we've grown up yet.

Or are the ETs here to help us? Can they save us form ourselves? But if they have a Prime Directive (as suggested in the Star Trek TV shows) then they can't tamper with our backwards culture; they can only observe us, whether we advance further and develop global unity and peace, or completely destroy ourselves first.

On the other hand, perhaps they have orders from the Mother ship to blow this hopeless planet to smithereens before we stumble upon warp-drive capability so we can spread our insanity to other worlds.

But give us a few centuries, see if we can get our collective act together first.

Now, if we applied our imagination, what would actual first contact be like? Will they land on the White House lawn, ask some random passerby to "Take us to your leader," and then shake hands with the President? Perhaps they'll ignore the arrogant, greedy politicians and meet the scientists first, the astrophysicists, the astronomers, the biologists, some metaphysicians, etc. Or they might feel drawn to botanists, gardeners, environmentalists, zoologists, oceanographers, or people who are in touch with the Earth. Perhaps they will offer to cure all diseases, create peace between all humans, and deliver us out of a Dark Age we didn't realize we were in. Or, they may perceive dolphins as the superior intelligent life on Earth and contact them instead of us! Who knows!

We don't really know, but we can dream, or write silly science fiction stories about it. But if they open their arms to the welcoming public in friendship, will we return the favor, or will paranoid war-mongers spoil it and attack them for intruding our airspace? Will the paranoid savage humans cause a war with our could-have-been new friends?

For this reason, which they can easily foresee, they may remain hidden.

No, I don't think we're ready yet. I think we have some serious growing up to do.




Copyright 2006 -2009 by R. R. Stark -- All Rights Reserved

The preceding article is from "Strange Reports from Zones Unknown," a collection of accounts involving the paranormal, Ufology, conspiracy theories, cover-ups, and other intriguing topics of the weird and unusual. You can find further articles and short stories written by R. R. Stark at:

Strange Reports from Zones Unknown:

[http://zu.bamblebrush.com/]

The Strange Stories of R. R. Stark:

[http://www.bamblebrush.com/online_books/rrstark/rrstark.asp]