To look upon photographs of Martian landscape and project preconceived ideas about civilisations, lost or found, is far too easy, but understandable.
Most of the time it is done without the use of a critical eye and under the influence of western culture.
Mainly, many of us are wish-fulfilling; bringing to completion a concept that has fascinated and inspired our collective psyche, through both writers
and civilisations, for centuries. Such is its filtration into our way of thinking that if you speak of the ETH and UFOs to any sceptic not adverse to
using sarcasm as a tool, you will undoubtedly be subjected to the phrase:
'You believe in Martians, then? Little green men?'
The notion that Mars is, or was, inhabited has long been in the public eye. Giovanni Schiaparelli's miscenception that he had observed canals on the
Martian surface was a popular notion, and seemed until disproved that life certainly had made its mark on the Red Planet.
H.G.Wells is probably the concept's most famous promoter, albeit in fictional form. His story; "War of the Worlds", strikes such a chord about our
species interaction that it constantly inspires new dramatisation.
Even Johnathan Swift made what appears to be a lucky (albeit incerdibly incisive) guess about two of Mars's moons; Phobos and Deimos. Though he
didn't name them, as their actual existence had yet to be discovered (1877), he mentioned the existence of two moons in "Gulliver's Travels"
(1726).
Staying in the literary vein, other writers who have used Mars as a backdrop for their work include such influential authors as Edgar Rice Burroughs,
Robert Heinlein, Ray Bradbury and the late, sadly missed Arthur C. Clarke.
If we go further back, Mars was a God;
Mars was the Roman god of war, and the son of Juno and Jupiter. As the word Mars has no Indo-European derivation, it is most likely the Latinized
form of the agricultural Etruscan god Maris. Initially the Roman god of fertility and vegetation and a protector of cattle, fields and boundaries,
Mars later became associated with battle as the growing Roman Empire began to expand, and he was identified with the Greek god Ares. He was also a
tutelary god of Rome. Unlike his Greek counterpart, Mars was generally well liked and rivaled Jupiter as the most honored god. As he was regarded as
the legendary father of Rome's founder, Romulus, it was believed that all Romans were descendants of Mars.
en.wikipedia.org...(mythology)
Mars also appears in the Vedic pantheon, with almost the same attributes as found in western mythology.
Mars: Mangal or Kuja are the Vedic names for fiery Mars. The main deity is Subrahmanya or Skanda. He is the adolescent Kumara, the son of Pleiades
(Kartikeya), lord of the armies, the spear-holder, the spiritual warrior. According to Parashara, Kartikeya is the chief deity associated with Mars
and was Shiva and Parvarti’s second son. In yoga, Skanda is the power of chastity and the virile seed. By making his sublimated seed rise through
the central inner channel of the subtle-body (susumna) up to the sixth chakra where it is consumed, that the yogi becomes the complete master of his
instincts. He is often depicted riding a peacock and carrying a spear. Rudra, the God of storms, is also mentioned as reflected the Mars archetype of
the warrior.
www.dennisharness.com...
Is it so surprising, then, that we look upon these photos of a planet that has for so long held such mystery and eagerly search for signs, any
indication, that the stories may hold some truth?
No, it's not.
What our past has bestowed on us is an almost burning desire to find life, extinct or thriving, on Mars. As yet, and despite the millions of man-hours
spent pouring over every pixel sent back from the Red Planet, we have no conclusive proof.
And therein is the key word:
yet.
Even though it is impossible to regulate how individual researchers decide to study Mars (there are a few members on ATS who will advocate bizarre
methodologies), or even how they present their findings (which in some cases can be viewed as damaging to the cause), the really important fact is
there're thousands of us looking.
And the more of us that look, the quicker we'll discover something
undeniable.
The photos Internos has offered us are the tip of an incredible iceberg. Most will more than likely be exposed as simulacra, natural formations etc;
that is the beauty of ATS. We can seperate the wheat from the chaff. But I feel strongly there will be a growing number of exceptional images that
will, hopefully, evade the debunker's and denier's efforts.
My personal thoughts on these images?
IMHO, Mars
was inhabited, millenia ago. What we are seeing in the few strangely symmetrical shapes littering the Martian surface are cyclopean
ruins. Many others may well be disguised by a possible "alien" concept of symmetry.
They're battered, bruised and in a state of complete collapse, but nevertheless pay tribute to the skills of their ancient builders.
Maybe, one day, we'll thank them for their abilities to construct edifices that not only withstood the tests and ravages of time, but also the
unrelenting onslaught of inward looking isolationists intent on admiting that we humans, as sentient beings, are unique.
