Life With The Unknown

Today I'm "free writing" about a different concept. Not one particular technology, aerospace object, phenomenon, or story. What we have here today in the world of UAPs and military technology is one big mess of breadcrumb trails that all lead to the same place: a non-answer. For decades, sky watchers and alien hunters have been obsessed with finding that one sighting or encounter that would be able to prove, once and for all, that a visitor had arrived. This has not happened yet. We have countless "UFO" videos captured by generations of cameras and cell phones, we have images, we have photoshop. With all of that, none of this purported "evidence" has enough strength to lay it all out on the table and say, "we've got them! They are here!"

So, what are all of these people, many of them traumatized from their experiences, encountering in the sky? In their homes? In their back yards or places of employment? Is it ET or the military, or is it schizophrenia or other delusion-inducing mental illnesses leading to a life of paranoia and false contact with an entity that was never there in the first place? Out of the thousands, no---hundreds of thousands---of UFO witnesses over all of these years, are each and every single one of them having hallucinations? What about the ones who got burned or otherwise injured? Group sightings?

What we have here is the product of a field of study (Ufology) that has become convoluted by its very nature: the U in UFO. The massive amount of ambiguity inherently present in the study of any completely unidentified, unknown phenomenon. Anything could be a UFO--as long as it remains unidentified. And herein lies our problem.

Ufology has attempted to condense these anomalous phenomena into one small box: the box labeled with the question, "are they here?" But it's not that simple. What we're dealing with is a large number of different phenomena--some related, some not so much. We now have categories of sightings and encounters that fall under different umbrellas: literal unidentified flying objects, where the craft is obviously physical, often has lights on it, and flies around before (usually) darting off; luminous blobs which may or may not have any discernible shape; invisible phenomena (perhaps the sound of a strange craft but no sighting, may be accompanied by other effects); high-strangeness encounters; group or mass sightings; waves; abductions; crashes; the list goes on. And that's just a small example. Although many different phenomena may be related, to say the entire selection of categories of anomalous incidents share a common cause would be ridiculous.

To make cause identification even more challenging, not only do we have individual psychological factors, natural phenomena, and other "rational" explanations to play with, we also have the military, the government experimenting with incredible technology in the interest of aerospace defense, equipment ranging from your "average" directed energy system and other non-lethal weapons all the way to laser plasma projections, talking plasma carefully engineered non-ionizing electromagnetic radiation based telepathy systems (microwave auditory effect), and devices capable of inducing certain emotions and images using specific frequencies and harmonics in the human brain. (read about some of these here: UFOs and The Electric Mind) In essence, they have (and they do!) an entire arsenal of technology capable of creating the experience of almost every type of anomalous encounter in the books. But the question remains, do they really use these devices in such a manner?

Many incidents point to yes, with the Colares incident in the 1970s during which an entire small town in Brazil was inundated with UFO sightings and unexplained burn-like injuries for a period of time (Ufo Danger Zone: Terror & Death in Brazil by Bob Pratt), or the number of incidents I've personally curated over the years in which a victim was injured and also experienced symptoms characteristic of high-power RF exposure, infrasound, and other common elements characteristic of military systems. The problem is, none of these incidents are considered proof of anything! Even if any one of these cases was legitimately caused by military equipment, do you really think they'd admit it? Chances are, the answer is no. And if any of these cases were the result of ET contact, do you really think a highly advanced species would still be using technology which leaves traces, injuries, and other effects consistent with the primitive technology mere humans have been developing? Perhaps they have evolved beyond flying around other planets and burning the native primates. Or maybe not.

What humans are capable of is fairly simple at this point. Scientists and engineers have figured out how to manipulate energy to work for them over time--you're heating your hot pockets with microwave technology. You're reading this on a device utilizing specific frequencies to connect you to servers all over the world. Let that sink in--you are using this "magic" every day without thinking about it. The devices behind closed lab doors developed under strict secrecy are no different--they are systems utilizing energy which is controlled and directed to do a specific job (a job they don't want you to know about, so they can develop it without worrying about a competitor/hostile nation figuring out their "magic" tricks). It's not magic, there are no unicorns here. Stage magic? Yes, there are many parallels between stage magic and top secret gadgetry, but there is no real magic. Only engineering and discovery.

Imagine a species so advanced that space travel and even dimensional travel is to them what a car ride to your favorite fast food joint is to you. What brought them there? Engineering, science, discovery, and persistence. And a lot more time. Would they, theoretically at least, be using advanced versions of technology used by humans at this point in time, or would they have come across massive breakthroughs rendering most of these systems completely obsolete? It's possible these cosmic travelers would look at the military technology previously mentioned as utterly antiquated. It's probably in a museum somewhere out there. Gravity and time, relativity and its effects on frequencies and wavelengths, they would have figured all of that out by then and come up with something brand new.

[to be continued]

[part 2]
Or maybe, just maybe, they haven't gotten as far as one would think, and they're still using the same old junk humans are working with right now. Anything is possible (but that doesn't mean it's likely!). There have been theories about an external intelligence just "messing with" humans, possibly for amusement. There have been theories that many anomalies are a manifestation controlled by humans. Other theories say it's little gray guys in little round spaceships, while others discuss the possibility of fair-haired Scandinavians floating down to spread the word of peace (or whatever). Reptilians. Grays. Nordics. The Military. Sentient orbs of energy. Human-driven manifestations. Some "shadowy" government organization. Schizophrenia. Drugs. Alcohol. Sleep deprivation. Natural phenomena. Volcanic gasses. Orb lightning. Drones. Microwaves. Radar interference. Mind control. Lasers. Hysteria. Spiritual beings. Ghosts. Paranormal energy. Imagination. Should I keep going?

Every one of those things has been thrown around as an explanation for different types of encounters over time. Back in the day, it was "fairies" and "demons". Now we have lizard-man and his little green friend. The human imagination is vast and powerful, but that doesn't mean there isn't something there. Something unknown inspired these imaginative ideas. An encounter with something unexplainable (at the time) triggered an imaginative process likening the event to something "known" (like a fairy or an alien). The human mind has dealt with unexplainable and unidentified phenomena as long as it has existed--it is how the unexplained is processed that lends to all of these wildly differing theories and explanations.

Perhaps the anomalies are not alien, or perhaps, every now and again, they are indeed the result of some intelligence attempting to make contact for a brief moment in time. Either way, anomalies have always haunted the human mind--the desire to explain the unidentified, to understand it, and, sometimes, to control it. All of this simply means a human is human, and no matter how long the species goes on, there will always be unanswered questions. There will always be a group trying to put phenomena in labeled boxes, believing what they want, and living with it. There will always be scientific minds attempting to understand and harness the unknown. Most importantly, there will always be unidentified phenomena in the observable universe--it is up to the observer to figure out how to approach it. The bottom line?

The unidentified is something with which to coexist. One day, science will have the answer to that which is unknown today, while working on something that has yet to be discovered as tomorrow's next mystery. Whether the first hello with a visitor from another world, or the next major scientific discovery, the unknown keeps life interesting. Enjoy it.

This has been a subconscious musing from your pal WL.

good OP. food for thought.

John Keel, at the end of Mothman Prophecies, speculated about 'games nonhumans play', suspecting that some non-human intelligence was at work, purposely teasing and/or scaring us.

I think he was right.
call them demons. They bring fear, confusion, and unfilled promises, leaving behind perplexed innocents waiting for the whatever to come back.

isn't it a cruel game, to dangle JUST ENOUGH 'evidence' to get your hopes up, never to deliver?

I feel bad for the abductees / witnesses involved.

a reply to: ElGoobero

I have thought about that, but maybe the problem is not them, but us.

You know how you feel when you are teaching a little one to walk?

You get all excited when you see them stand all by themselves, and you hold your breath as you watch then take their first steps.

You want so much to hold their hand, but you know you can't. You have to let them do it all by themselves.

Your heart leaps when they fall, and you want to run to them and pick them up, but you have to let then get up on their own.

Okay, you may cheat sometimes, and give them a hand to hold on to as they get up, but you tell yourself, you are only going to do it this time, because they will catch on soon, and will not need your help.

Maybe that is what the entities are doing.

Maybe they are not evil, just sometimes impatient.

originally posted by: NightSkyeB4Dawn
a reply to: ElGoobero
Maybe that is what the entities are doing.

Maybe they are not evil, just sometimes inpatient.

excellent point
traditional Christian cosmology suggests that there are angels helping us and demons hurting us
we're in the middle of a war and its invisible to us.
(probly a good thing we can't see them...)

a reply to: ElGoobero

Interesting you brought that up, I had that exact chapter in mind when I mentioned that bit about something "messing with" people. He might have been on to something. Later on in an interview, he walked it back saying he never intended to portray this phenomenon as actual entities, rather that "we" were the intelligence controlling these manifestations.
He might have been right both ways and just not known it.
Clarke, A New Demonology

Keel’s response was revealing. He said ‘there are literally hundreds of Devil Theories, some of them with millions of paranoid followers.’ He added: ‘If you read my books carefully, you will see that ‘ultraterrestrials’ are a literary device, not a theory.” Keel expanded on this statement in a letter published by Fortean Times in which he explained: ‘...basically, what I attempted to do [in my books] was set up a frame of reference that the reader could, hopefully, understand. Obviously, I failed in this. Even now people...are still assuming that ultraterrestrials are actual entities...what I said in five books, carefully spelled out and defined, is that we are the intelligence which controls the phenomena.’lxv

Charles Fort and John Keel had much in common. Both began their careers as journalists and both returned from their youthful travels with a desire to write about anomalous phenomena and to challenge the prevailing orthodoxies of their day. Loren Gross described Fort as ‘a philosopher who proposed wild theories using an entertaining writing style.’lxvi

When Tiffany Thayer asked Fort what he called himself, his response was simple: ‘I’m just a writer.’lxvii Similarly, when Toronto asked Keel how he would like to be remembered, he responded not as a UFOlogist or even as a Fortean, but ‘as a novelist and playwright – if I am remembered at all.

It's interesting how he responded to the question. Regardless of what he said about himself and his work, he inspired an entire new way of looking at anomalous incidents. He conducted tons of valuable interviews with witnesses and abductees, he probed into waves such as the Cape May incident and the Mothman-era UFO sightings in Point Pleasant, and he opened doors. He may not have realized his influence while he was writing, but he did some good things, even if one thinks he's a quack. Okay, so he was full of it sometimes (aren't we all?), but the doors he opened were invaluable to countless fortean-type researchers and enthusiasts. I went to the Mothman Museum a couple years ago while I was passing through the area. I stuck around for a while to study the surrounding lands in West Virginia--a long research trip, you could say. Pretty interesting stuff for a geek like me.

a reply to: wavelength



Really awesome stuff you wrote there.

I think part of the problem is to create boxes before knowing what it is but more on a meta level. We called it 'unidentified' which would suggest a working title to avoid the box but then that became the box.
I think it's interesting to compare it with 'black matter' which is euphemism for unknown mass.
Alas other than UFO it's something we found through measurement and maths, while all those phenomenon related to UFO stubbornly avoid giving us something to measure or calculate, because they really are cultural and mental occurences (without taking anything away from them being real).
So for proof, or study we can't actually look to physics, we'd have to turn to psychology.
...and ooh difficult... am I right?
It's our youngest and weakest science, but they're also not really doing so well, because in its majority it's mostly approached like applied science, like medicine, chemistry, engineering and such, but it's not as simple as that.
...

I'm not going to derail your beautiful thread (came close though sorry) but

The unidentified is something with which to coexist. One day, science will have the answer to that which is unknown today, while working on something that has yet to be discovered as tomorrow's next mystery

I wish I had your optimism. I'm not saying the unknown is inherently dangerous, but I'm pretty sure we're at a point where our hands on, trial and error, poke it to see what pops up MO is getting increasingly risky, because below, or deeper in the micro from where we are now, won't be another set of particles (for sake of convenience we for sure could discuss if QM particles are even particles which they probably aren't..anyhoo) but the very fabric of
Life, the Universe and Everything

So bring your towel, enjoy the ride indeed

a reply to: wavelength

not to drift topic but I think Keel made it very clear that he WAS referring to entities.
for whatever reason I guess he felt he had to pull back later.

if one accepts the concept that nonhumans are interfering the obvious questions are 'who' and 'why'.

judge the tree by the fruit. all the saucer and contact and paranormal stuff never really answers or explains anything.

a reply to: ElGoobero

Because we have no concept for it.
If you travel back to the neolithic and show your new friends your smartphone, even if you're perfect and fluent in their language, you couldn't convey the concepts that go into such a thing, like electricity or what we're using it for like shopping or podcasts. None of it would make any sense to them. No matter how hard you'd try the best you could achieve is sthg like
'Shiny black box which does magic things'

a reply to: wavelength
Something I find pretty mind blowing,and which may turn out to be related to the UFO phemonenon is this-

If time travel(which science tells us is theoreticaly possible)is invented/harnessed at ANY POINT in the future by us humans,or by ANY OTHER beings in the universe,that means it exists today-as the "inventors" can travel to our today.

We know that space and time are part of the same "thing" so if time travel can be utilised-the problem of travelling great distances/thousands of light years DISAPPEARS,because if you can manipulate one,you can manipulate the other.

Conquer time,you also conquer space.



Something else I think may be related-
We know that everything our 3D matter is built from does some strange stuff that is still unexplained by science-subatomic particles wink out of our existence,then come back-it is speculated they may "bounce"into other dimensions outside of our 3D reality.
If that is the case-then we could be in a multiverse-which SHARES matter-the subatomic particles that make you,me,our world,our universe may be bouncing between dimensons and being used/shared by other beings/worlds/universes,

Maybe in one of those other dimensions,the beings have figured out a way to use that quantum behaviour to travel across to our dimension?

Also,if UFOs are other dimensional-what we see may bear zero resembleance to what they actually are-The bright disk or tic tac may be a city sized mothership in their reality,but as we have no way to "see" or detect objects outside our 3D realm,we see a weird distorted blip of light..

One hypothesis that scares me is the "crypto terrestrials" idea that Jaques Vallee talks about-that their may be a race of beings we share the planet with who are far more advanced than us-but wish to remain mostly hidden from us..That scares me because it must mean that even though they are more advanced-they think we are a dangerous species-sort of like why humans won't jump into a rattlesnake nest.
Who could the crypto terrestrials be?
Maybe dinosaurs who somehow survived the meteor strike by hiding deep underground-they would have had over 56 million years to evolve into...something reptilian yet advanced beyond our imagination.

It would be amazing to find out one day,but I doubt it will be in my lifetime,oh well maybe we find out after we die?

Or maybe we don't die as we see it-maybe we just unplug from the simulation known as "Planet Earth" only to find we are giant tentacled aliens who have been playing a silly game.

I think ...
UFO' s are clusters of bundles consciousness.
Our soul is immortal. It is nothing else than consciousness that is implanted in our body. A body that was created by so-called aliens. Extraterrestrial visitors who landed on earth and realized that the only way to survive life conditions on Earth (viruses, bacteria, uv light etc) was to make an earthly body and transplant their soul in it. Maybe not such a good idea because life on earth must be evil to survive. Are we degenerating? I hope not ... If you want, you can read about what I believe ...
www.evawaseerst.be...

a reply to: wavelength

During my investigations into the world of woowoo, I found the San Luis valley of southern Colorado filled with people, places and things, in fact the whole vibe of that area, to be almost frightening at times. I read Chris Obrien's "Enter the Valley"
and living relatively close in NM, I spent a lot of time up there mainly flyfishing and "investigating"....at times the high strangeness encounters made me question my sanity.

It was so surreal and outside my realm of experience that I could draw no conclusions other than "man" is still so primitive that it may be impossible to understand the implication of the things I experienced. I have read extensively about ufo's, paranormal, obe's, mindcontrol, religion, time distortion, etc, but nothing prepared me for the upclose and personal experiences' I received.

I still frequent the area, fishing, business or pleasure but it seems different now somehow...20 years later. But still anomalies every trip. Buy the ticket, take the ride!

www.barnesandnoble.com...

a reply to: wavelength

Well written. I've had similar thoughts in the past but normally not as organized as what you presented in this thread.

My only real contribution is what I call the "so what factor". Will we get to the point where we are fairly well convinced that other intelligences are behind at least some of the reported phenomena ... and finally have to say, "so what" ... because for all of its weirdness, it doesn't interact or interfere with 99.9999% of what we do as a species.

Perhaps the encounters occur because of random factors outside of the control of the others. That would be even more reason to say "so what", as in, yeah, interdimensional interference occasionally manifests in such a way that humans can briefly observe some of its physical effects. Again, would that change our ultimate destiny or just become a weird and intriguing aspect of the universe we can observe ?

Regarding military activity, I would say certainly some of the sightings and effects are caused by such. But I would be surprised to learn that all of the unexplainable phenomena attributed to UFOs was caused by military activity.

Cheers

Great thread. Here's an old-but-goody vid that some here might find interesting as relates to the topic as a whole.

My theory (along with quite a few others) is that there are various ET races visiting earth for various reasons. The ones that have stayed and manipulated earth throughout history are malevolent. I believe that they have created some kind of prison system within Earth. A prison system that traps souls through endless reincarnation on Earth. This is the reason why almost no one remembers their past lives without having to practice meditation techniques. The prison system is designed to extract energy from not only the reincarnation process, but also through emotional trauma. A reason why Earth is always going through wars, oppression, and confusion. So we are being both spiritually manipulated and always kept in the dark within our society while alive on Earth.

This would be technology that seem like pure magic. Something so beyond what we currently know. I mix of physical and spiritual technology to imprison us. This makes it nearly impossible to fight against our oppressors through any physical means. The only solution we may have, is of knowledge and spiritual growth. Something that is very obviously suppressed in society.

I come to this conclusion after reading and viewing remote viewers, religious and spiritual researchers, and reading what others believe to be true who have reached higher spiritual awareness.

I still do not understand why benevolent ETs do not interject and liberate us. Iv’e heard theories of a war agreement, earth being hidden, the belief that we have free will and are subconsciously choosing to be prisoners, ect… Who knows... the truth is so well hidden – only a few have access to attempt to understand this situation and who knows how well they interpret and decipher their observations. Not to mention the vast array of BS artists, manipulators, and mentally ill people that confuse and dilute the attempt to find the truth.

Anyway, sorry for the ramblings. My point is that we are facing technology that is so far from anything we know that it is very doubtful we will uncover truths just by waiting for scientific advancement. At least, in our lifetimes. I think we need to work together to make earth better in hope that one day we will receive help and tools to better understand the world around us.

a reply to: wavelength

"What we have here today in the world of UAPs and military technology is one big mess of breadcrumb trails that all lead to the same place: a non-answer."

I'm sorry, but I have not read your whole complaint but I assume it is a valid complaint from an intelligent human but one that still has not grasp the situation that has been built around our civilization. 'Course, you are not supposed to see behind the veil. That is the germ of the master plan.

Look! everybody is aware that the Chinese CCP is playing the "long game" with the balance of the world. Well, the ETs are going better. They created a myth for themselves starting in 1947 for some obvious reasons, we were getting too big for our breeches and needed some attention and some hints that all was not well with the cosmos that we were going to be joining. But nothing changed much in our behaviors so the second stage was begun by informing some of the world leading governments that they were not doing enough. Again, nothing change much. Earthly earth politics were deeply rooted. Eisenhower's words were dismissed, almost unAmerican. How dare he suggest that industry and technology were not that good?

The third stage is in play, but you don't see it because the ETs are not given to proud appearances with ray guys blasting the bad guys, and they could have blasted the whole of the planet as we are in default of being good to themselves or to the planet.

This stage, the more or less, Disclosure that has long talked about for decades, is coming from governments following the dictates of the ETs. But it is not what you think. It is not about THEM! It is about us! The changes being wrought are going to terrifically impact the whole of the modern world. Not surprisingly, the less "civilized" balance of humanity will be only lightly changed.

The Redo, the New World Order, the woke world is full in your face, dictated by ETs wanting a whole new direction for humanity, a totally new sort of existence. Few people can understand at this stage that humanity is not going to be about new TV programs, advanced cell phones, the latest gender issues or national boundaries. Everything will change. It is already on the books, see the UN's Agenda 21 and its more recent version. Depopulation is only the beginning, system after system will fail.


As the popular saying from the movie, "A few Good Men," goes: "You want the truth? You can't handle the truth!" Maybe you personally can, but much of the world will be up in arms before they will give up what they think is important to them.

Humanity really needs a new think of itself. Will it come peacefully or will we destroy ourselves, or cause ourselves to be destroyed, by our animalistic ways of greed and aggression?

a reply to: Observer19

Look at you with your empty boxes...

originally posted by: F2d5thCavv2

My only real contribution is what I call the "so what factor". Will we get to the point where we are fairly well convinced that other intelligences are behind at least some of the reported phenomena ... and finally have to say, "so what" ... because for all of its weirdness, it doesn't interact or interfere with 99.9999% of what we do as a species.

Perhaps the encounters occur because of random factors outside of the control of the others. That would be even more reason to say "so what", as in, yeah, interdimensional interference occasionally manifests in such a way that humans can briefly observe some of its physical effects. Again, would that change our ultimate destiny or just become a weird and intriguing aspect of the universe we can observe ?

(snippet)

Very interesting thought. I'm going to agree on this one, it's well aligned with the "coexist" concept--at some point, theoretically at least, these intelligences would simply be another accepted part of this world. Good stuff!

a reply to: Peeple

Thanks for the kind words, Peeple. I'm glad you enjoyed this topic and thanks for contributing. I especially appreciate your take on dealing with the unknown and the inherent (and increasing) risk involved in the "poking and prodding" at that which is not understood. There is a delicate line between discovery and danger, and it is crucial that science respects those boundaries. Chances are, they won't.


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Anywhoo, some super responses from all of you folks--I am so glad I decided to launch this topic--I knew ATS had some great thinkers and wise minds, but I was hesitant to put this topic up as this was a totally raw, completely unedited philosophical free write way outside of my usual technical blab. Alas, the ensuing discussion and ideas in response have so far been 1000% worth it.

If I had a bit more time this afternoon I would address each response, but for now I just wanted to say thank you for contributing to my train of thought this fine Saturday afternoon.

The Inter Dimensional Hypothesis along with something akin to that of Time Travel, just their frame reference is insane with no beginning or ending. It just which came first though, the chicken or the egg with Earth being the cradle for any future surviving or past remaining civilizations pet project or prediction.

With the Aerial phenomena all adapted to the Earth and what not, going in between sea, sky and space with easy. Then humanoid apparitions that could be related to mythical creatures or gods, to steam punk flying wooden ships, to cheesy sci fi costumes or blocky robots coming to probe the Leader with Honours. Now it all the way back to mythical beings being stranger then fiction.

Not to sound to radical, but the psychological or spiritual side almost like it constantly testing as much as it taunting or mocking us. For what or why, maybe it own survival, amusement or just curiosity. The nut an bolts on the other hand could be that their warp drive broke or something.

originally posted by: Proto88


Not to sound to radical, but the psychological or spiritual side almost like it constantly testing as much as it taunting or mocking us. For what or why, maybe it own survival, amusement or just curiosity. The nut an bolts on the other hand could be that their warp drive broke or something.

That's not radical! Anyone doing field investigation and not just parroting 2nd hand website BS from disinfo, money hungry charlatans, knows it's more complex and mysterious than the ideological driven human can interpret. It's like trying to explain quantum entanglement to a child. Quantum being the operative word here imo. and even that not a very good description. "Spiritual" works better but somehow beyond language as the communication medium. A healthy dose of the spirit molecule only scratches the surface.