We need to demystify first contact and ET's

I was just reading the thread:

'Don't give up your faith - we are on the brink of first contact '

And it made me think of something. We really need to demistify first contact and ETs in general. Many believers are talking about aliens the way Papuan tribesmen might have talked about Europeans. When the white man came to these remote parts they to thought that Europeans were bringers of magic and have all the answers. Do we have all the answers?...are we magic or special?

Likewise we will not be ready to accept aliens into our lives until we acknowledge that they are ultimately beings like us only perhaps (in the event they get to us before we get to them) a little more advanced...they will not have all the answers but they may have pushed the questions a few notches higher.

I think you have oversimplified the problem a bit.

I'm sure if I lived in a remote tribal village, and had grown up around my village people my entire life I would have no reservations about the character, history and motivations of my fellow tribesman. Therefore if they came to me and the village with stories of having seen strange pale white men with strange clothes and strange craft, I would no doubt believe them.

In essence, how would you suggest demystifing ET's? Take a total believer in ET's and an alien presence on Earth, and make the whole first contact situation much more mundane, and rooted in a rational universe? Until there is a majority integration of ET beings into society you cannot possibly hope to make something Shiny, and New and Unknown not to contain the elements of fear, excitement, paranoia, hysteria, wonder and awe.

In the end, the cure would be an information overload. It's taking the fear of the unknown away and replacing it with the illusion of "facts". If you believe you know all you need to know, and are safe in the belief that for whatever you don't know - the important people all Do know; then there isn't all that much else to worry about, right? Right?

[edit on 5/9/2009 by azurecara]

Those tribemen, while contemplating the character of the 'visitors', were slaughtered or wiped out by disease. Their culture, language and a large part of their personal (and communal) identity was banned or lost.

Ultimatly, it came down to one thing: Assimilate and die or die or slavery..

Not just those peoples of the Americas...you can copy and paste the same story and have the same basic story of any x.tech>y.tech discovery/interaction.

Is this what is to happen if we were to make some kind of substantial contact? Regardless of who holds the role of technological master, is this the way it is to be on a planetary scale?

I don't know. I have my own thoughts, but I could never predict it; neither could anyone else.

We could argue that the history of our species --how x.tech>y.tech always leads to cruel exploitation at the very best-- paints a bleak future for whoever comes out on the 'less than'.

Or maybe by the time a species finds itself reaching out to other, less advanced, worlds it has, neccesarily, found a way past such a mindset.

Or maybe that terrible greed and eagerness to subjegate others will have never entered the minds of those who reach out and find.

My point is: If you are going to attempt and demystify an event which could lead literally anywhere (mundane interaction, inquisitive exploration, tyrannical lording, exploitation, murder, utopia, etc...) for literally everyone...

...then maybe it shouldn't start with: "Gee, will they have all the answers or just deeper ways to ponder them?"

Or to assume that any being we may come into contact with will be anything like "[a being] just like us".

[edit on 5/9/0909 by spines]

Good post for thought and debate by all sides.

I'm a believing skeptic. I know they are out there and don't believe that they work in a mystical or black op agenda. Thats a total unprovable idea that lends to those that are making ludicrous claims along with the ones that hold it as an absolute truth.

People can be cruel and mischievous in falsely claiming special knowledge just to get a kick out of it or a demented satisfaction.

There are others that claim a true and reliable source from their own perspective and can be telling a truth or an experience.

The dividing line is the false claims that constantly muddies the water and further divides the various camps.

I have seen threads where someone claimed they knew how reptilians bred. Many believed and followed the thread. Eventually the OP admitted a hoax and there was still people posting that it was true.


this can be said for all camps.

I lurk and read a lot and my occasional post are when the BS meter hits "my" danger zone. Therefore a lot of my comments are ignored because I type before I think, this is no ones fault but my own. No one is right all of the time and Lord knows I have been wrong or caustic to others when it should have been analyzed and talked about more.

In my opinion, it would be a much more congealed community if we could weed out the obvious scams from all camps and discuss this matter in an adult and logical manner.

Hard core skeptics and hard core spiritualist will have a hard time melding into a community when you have someone one day claiming they were a reincarnated grey and the next day claiming they are a robot.

We can be a community but we need to have the best at their game agreeing to dismiss the cons and fakes out there and have meaningful and honest discussions.
JMO






[edit on 9-5-2009 by dcmb1490]