Aliens and Ufology: MY overall impression.

It is an undeniable conclusion for me that there is indeed some kind of phenomena occuring globally which involves the sightings of strange lights, and craft of unknown origin. This I consider to be a fact, and feel that science agrees with me on this.

From here we delve into the murky grey area of unknown things. The only physical evidence that has been recovered and tested on that may in some way be related to the ufology field is the removal of implants by Dr. Roger Leir. Although his investigations are indeed capitavting and fascinating, the cold hard turth is that there is not direct evidence linking the removed foreign bodies to an alien species. There might be circumstantial evidence, based on his patients recollection of an interaction, or sighting of a UFO and possible abductions thereof. If this were a court of law, such evidence may be considered, but would hardly be damning enough to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that ET are to blame. Despite this, the foreign objects and the incomprehensible lack of reaction of the human bodies is compelling evidence, yet again, than an unidentified phenomena is occuring.

There have been a myraid of reports of close encounters, so much so that there are classifications for these reports. Close encounter you say? Which kind, 5th? 3rd? Not only this, but there are also two different classifications for those who have experienced an extremely up close encounter with an alien species. A 'Contactee' - a person who has had a positive reassuring type of encounter; and An 'Abductee' - a person taken aganist their will and who has experienced some level of mental trauma as a result of their encounter. Are these classifications the result of a growing type of social hysteria, or have they evolved from the quantity and similarities within the testimonies of hundreds of people?

Throughout all of the reports on close encounters with an alien species I have read, there runs a theme on their messages to us. 'Do not be afraid, we will not harm you. Peace, love and brotherhood.' Although the Abductees appear to be justifiably traumatised by their reported experiences, the aliens themselves have not seemed to torture individuals with some kind of malign evil intent. As they have also yet to reveal themselves en masse to the entire world's populations, one would hesitate to suggest a theory of world domination, or genocide as the motivations of such alien races.

From there I further question, what would an alien race(s) of beings who are apparently X years ahead of us technologically speaking, want with our planet and our people? The only answers that have been provided seem to be to 'take responsibility for our actions as a species'. and 'to stop killing our planet' or 'save ourselves from extinction'. This further begs the question, 'Why do you care what we are doing to ourselves?' Which apparently they have answered as well. A convienent explanation arrives; the Intervention Theory. 'We helped make you' they explain, and like despairing parents watching their rampant adolescent children run amok, they are here to guide us in the right direction and back on the right path, to stay on the right side of the intergalactic railway tracks. This leaves me feeling somewhat annoyed. They do not want to "interfere" with us enough to reveal their presence publicly, and yet they will quite happily "interfere" with the genetic structure of a primitive ape species and create us in the first place? Well thanks Mom and Pop, great job with the birth, no need to stick around and raise us, I'm sure we'll do just find on our own... oh we didn't? Well guess whose fault that might be?? Now you want us to own our mistakes? Just so we're clear, We're wrong, you're wrong, so let's carry on. My point is that either Intervention Theory is not correct, or the Alien's are as illogical and unreasonable as the human race. Or juuust maybe they also have the ingenious gift of deception.

Intermingled with all these reports of alien encounters there are stories of secret cover-ups and ner-do-welling within the military and governments worldwide. There is a huge amount of paranoia concerning these 'secret shadow governments' contained hidden within what the everyman knows as his local elected governing body. Is this paranoia of our governing bodies the results of an unbalanced mind, or as a result of a plethora of untruths that have gradually come into the public arena as lies? Have thse small elite groups got access to alien craft and/or intimate contact with alien species? Many would have us believe this to be true.
I could easily ask, but if this were true would not there be some evidence of it? Would there not be some leaking of information about these groups and aliens? As there have been reports of people coming forward with such testimonies and reports of secret illicit activites going on, it would be rather redundant. Are all these reports merely misinformation? I think the paranoia may be set too deep after over half a century now of suspicion and distrust for even a full disclosure to heal it. For every truth 'they' reveal, the suspicious would then ask, what else are you hiding?

The only other thing to surmise is the similarities in reports. To take the angle of mass hysteria, imagination, hallucinations of malfunctioning human hardware; let us consider the amount of similarities in reports. The boomerang shape; the cigar; the triangle; and the lights with unusual behaviours. The aliens themselves come in Nordic; grey; insect-like; hairy dwarfs; michelin men; and just plain human to name a few. One theory could be that with the onset of films and TV, and their growing prevalence in portraying aliens/UFO's; it has created a strong subconscious suggestion of what UFO's and aliens look like, which accounts for the symmertry of different reports. To narrow down the frame of reference you would have to eliminate this possibile contamination of the evidence of eye witness testimony. As difficult as this would be to disprove, such is the difficulty in the proof of aliens.

In the end, the conclusions you reach will only ever be personal opinion based on however much information you can process, and the percentage of which you deem to be truthful, accurate or possible as opposed to the amount of corresponding paranoia and distrust for the theories and information that do not sit well within your own frame of reference.



[edit on 5/4/2009 by azurecara]

The foreign objects the good doctor removes are related to UFOs by one thing: the claims of the doctor and parties involved. No other links.

excellent post, OP.

You are definitely right when you say that every person on ats and everywhere else can forge his own opinion based on what he perceives as "plausible" or "false".

I really hope i can live long enough to see that " first encounter " I've been waiting for.

Cheers

It's to difficult to say what we are trying to gain when we look into UFOlogy and the various claims that are made about UFOs, ETs, etc. I personally have found the whole phenomena to be awe-inspiring when considered as a real possibility and at the very least an entertaining distraction. I think it's important to remain aware at the lack of completely substantiated evidence while still keeping an open mind about all of the various possibilities. There are very few ideas that I feel are completely crazy outright; I think everything should be investigated. That being said, I really don't know what would constitute proof of alien life short of a televised first contact type scenario. Although I think the fight for disclosure and "proof" is a bit futile (assuming there is anything to disclose), the goal of having an informed public is always worth fighting for. If the government really is sitting on alien technology or other information that could be used to help the civilian population, then UFOlogy becomes less about proving ridiculous claims than about human rights and civil liberties.

reply to post by azurecara
Well though out, coherent OP

It is an undeniable conclusion for me that there is indeed some kind of phenomena occuring globally which involves the sightings of strange lights, and craft of unknown origin. This I consider to be a fact, and feel that science agrees with me on this.

Undoubtedly, the phenomena is factual and supported by Official documented interest and eye witness testimony. A tiny minority of videos and images also support the concept of UFOs. These make for intriguing reading and I enjoy reading what the other ATSers have to say. Consensus is rare

Where I differ slightly is in the veracity of the claims of abductees or CEIII/IV witnesses. It's hard enough to judge their integrity and the accuracy of their accounts without accepting the 'alien messages' they relate. A wealth of psychology studies have researched the problems of Eye Witness Testimony with Tables 1 and 4 being quite interesting. There are a number of possible explanations for abduction accounts...

In response to a new psychological study of persons who believe they have been abducted by space aliens that found that sleep paralysis, a history of being hypnotized, and preoccupation with the paranormal and extraterrestrial were predisposing experiences, I noted that many of the frequently reported particulars of the abduction experience bear more than a passing resemblance to medical-surgical procedures and propose that experience with these may also be contributory. There is the altered state of consciousness, uniformly colored figures with prominent eyes, in a high-tech room under a round bright saucerlike object; there is nakedness, pain and a loss of control while the body's boundaries are being probed; and yet the figures are thought benevolent.

Alien Abduction: A Medical Hypothesis (gotta pay for the paper!?)

It's unreasonable to discount ALL accounts, yet equally unreasonable to accept them all. In this light, agreeing on a theme of communication from ET is speculative and based on hearsay. If UFOs are intelligent, their lack of overt hostility implies benign intent without extending to ideas of protecting or guiding us dumb humans. The more you read, the more this is apparent. No verifiable accounts exist in the public domain that offer evidence of ET intention. All we have is a long list of unsupported claimants. Of course, some claim to be ex-whatever and can't prove it. Some have 'insider sources' and can't prove it. Others make extraordinary claims (57 alien species? Heinz?) and can't prove it.

This raises points of alien intervention. Who can make that claim when it appears we can't be sure of the claimant? Sure enough it appears that genetics discounts any biological 'alien intervention' in at least the last 150 - 200 000 years. In terms of the technology, just about every 'aliens showed us' or 'back engineered from Roswell' claim can be shown to have precedents. A good example is the transistor, often claimed to be an offshoot of Roswell alien tech

Other problems are the identification of disparate alien species and the politics that allegedly accompany them. It's fair enough to speculate, based on popular accounts, it's something else when guys start talking in factual terms about what they are and where they come from! It reminds me of the old debate...'how many angels can dance on the head of a pin.'

'Alien implants' seem to enjoying a resurgence of interest lately. I'm not sure if a TV show just covered them. No evidence that they are ET at all. Lots of claims, lots of 'sent to the lab and went missing' and no evidence. With all the alien tech around and the clear superiority, why are the 'implants' so clumsily placed? So large that they can be felt through skin?

In the end, the conclusions you reach will only ever be personal opinion based on however much information you can process, and the percentage of which you deem to be truthful, accurate or possible as opposed to the amount of corresponding paranoia and distrust for the theories and information that do not sit well within your own frame of reference.

Well said It's all related to the standards we set as acceptable or persuasive evidence. My bar is set much higher than some and way lower than others. It's all good fun though....

azurecara,

You make a very well written and logical opinion. I feel, as you do, that there is an undeniable presence in our world that reveals itself it many ways for reasons not entirely clear to those that study the phenomena.

Personally, I could not have written what you have any better. In fact, it felt like I was reading my own thoughts on screen!

In the end, the conclusions you reach will only ever be personal opinion based on however much information you can process, and the percentage of which you deem to be truthful, accurate or possible

This will always be the most basic of truths in any matter in which the observer is not permitted the full, undeniable weight of evidence or proof. To those that have witnessed proof first hand, it is a frustrating truth - in that there is no way to bring the masses into their experience to prove what happened to them actually happened, and that it gave them all the proof anyone could ask for.

The question now becomes: "Is there anything we, as students of the unknown, can do to collect better evidence, or should we sit back and enjoy the show, waiting in anticipation for the day proof enters the light for all to see?"

Good thread.

Gawdzilla: It is very true that the links are only made by claims of the good doctor. Who am I to judge the truth of his character and those patients he has operated on? There could very well be a very terrestrial human explaination for these objects.

MattMulder: I wish you well on your journey and hope the experience is not as traumatic for you as some would say it has been for them.

CD: You make some very good points, and I completely agree with you on the Civil Liberties.

Kandinsky: Awesome addition to the thread, you reminded me of the Sleep Paralysis theory which I was quite remiss to mention!! I plan to read up on the Eye Witness Testimony report as soon as I have a few spare minutes, thank you for linking it, as it's exactly the kind of relevant information I need to mentally digest!

obilesk: I also agree with you. If I had personally met an alien and metaphorically shook it's hand, I would find it immeniently frustrating beyond measure to attempt to come out with my experience and have very little in the way of belief or credibility again. It would be overwhelmingly tempting to remain silent and keep my niche within our society intact, although in the end I'm sure such a huge experience would not stay silent within me for long.

Great post. One of the better threads that I have read in a long time.
Thanks for sharing.

reply to post by azurecara


I wonder: Is proof actually proof if there is no one to share it with? I mean, it is proof to the single observer, at least in the moment, but after a time the memory may become more dream-like and be questioned by the very person that experienced it. Without someone else to verify with you that you saw and experienced what you believe you experienced, it may not amount to much more than a gut feeling, given enough time.

I don't know. Just a random thought.

If a tree falls in a forest and no one is there to hear it, of course it still makes a sound. And an alien landing in my backyard, coming out and knocking on my door to ask to use my bathroom would always be there in memory to prove to me I am not insane and that they do exist.

Originally posted by obilesk
The question now becomes: "Is there anything we, as students of the unknown, can do to collect better evidence, or should we sit back and enjoy the show, waiting in anticipation for the day proof enters the light for all to see?"

Unless you're independently wealthy, or have a lot of time to devote to joining a UFO response team with MUFON, or whoever, you're pretty much going to be stuck with gathering information off the Internet, like the rest of us. That being said, there are certain things you can do to help sort through the evidence so that only the highest quality floats to the top.

Individual sightings and reports are fine as they go, but they don't go far. No need to instantly toss them out, but there's nothing to really be done with them, either.

When an image or video pops up, remember that photos and videos, while potential evidence, can't be used to prove anything about anything. They just can't. For proof, you need more stuff. You need multiple photos and videos of the same thing from people who are independent and not anonymous. After that, the more of anything else you can get - traces, artifacts, bodies, technology, independent laboratory investigation, acknowledgment by government officials, etc. -- the better.

The trick is to try and keep the signal to noise ratio to a reasonable level. Don't waste a lot of time on bogus or dead-end claims. Look for multiple, independent sightings with associated evidence. Don't get sucked in by claims you like because they happen to coincide with what you believe. Or reject claims just because they don't.

It's the only way to make any headway in this area. We're pretty much in agreement that weird stuff happens sometimes. We've got evidence. Now we need to start trying to figure out what it's evidence of. At the moment, though, we don't have a clue.

Originally posted by obilesk
I wonder: Is proof actually proof if there is no one to share it with? I mean, it is proof to the single observer, at least in the moment, but after a time the memory may become more dream-like and be questioned by the very person that experienced it.

You can certainly believe anything you want given what you experience. But if you want other people to believe you, then you need proof. If you don't care, then it's no problem. Whatever.

As for me, though, I've seen magic shows. I know I can be fooled. Some people actually believe the magician Chris Angel is some kind of supernatural being. You can be like that if you want. It's a free country (Paraguay).

But even if I experienced something personally, there would always be doubt in the back of my mind. And if I told people about it, I wouldn't expect them to believe me without proof. Unless they were stupid, or something.

The next step for me would be to explore all the possibile theories and explanations for the sightings.

Also to discern whether or not the reporting of sighting a UFO has become a social phenomenon - something that is desirable in itself, which would prompt a rash of unfounded sightings, hoaxes and possible hysterical sightings of natural phenomena.

NOHUP:

You and I are at the least in agreement that what we see and hear cannot, for the sake of sanity and reason, be taken as true or fact immediately or without conclusive evidence. I have always said that we should all have an open mind, but not so open as to let our brains fall out. A closed mind refutes or accepts without study, and open mind studies and then refutes or accepts or studies further. (redundant I know, sorry)

Obviously we can't all run off and join MUFON or some such agency. But it does help that there are those of us (most of whom frequent these boards) that keep asking the questions and inviting others to offer up their experiences to add to the pile of evidence. At least we will always have something interesting to discuss, even if noting comes of it in our lifetimes.

Edited to add to whom I was replying

[edit on 5-5-2009 by obilesk]

It's been a while since I've been on ATS. But I have to admit, I still am awaiting the day when there is something more than just heresay and speculation on this subject.

Each year I get a bit older, and I may wait my entire life, and possibly beyond, to find something to solve the mystery of the UFO.