It looks like you're using an Ad Blocker.
Please white-list or disable AboveTopSecret.com in your ad-blocking tool.
Thank you.
Some features of ATS will be disabled while you continue to use an ad-blocker.
We are simply a very young species, with a long way to go. We aren't behind in any way of our evolution, but were not ahead of the curve either, which is where we should want to be.
So how do you think we could get there? Remember that we're talking about moral and spiritual evolution here, not technological evolution, as it is the former that determines the truest "greatness" of a Civilization in my mind, and it is also this that the original poster was referring to.
If we're talking about advanced space-faring alien life while taking into account that there's a thread already on this site saying that (advanced space faring) ALIENS ARE DEMONS, I would have to say...... No.
Originally posted by winston_boy
Sounds pretty fatalistic to me, but that's cool. In some respects we probably are quite young, at least in the majority. But we've also produced some pretty cool dudes over the eons - Gandhi, MLK, Jesus, Buddha, John Lennon etc. If they can act like compassionate adults then why can't the rest of us?
Originally posted by winston_boy
What the article I originally quoted from is saying (I think) is that at present we are too 'I me mine' and therefore too 'warlike' to ever hope that an advanced civilization would want to reveal itself to us, let alone make friends with us, even if it was already here. I think I understand what the article's author is trying to say, and I think I agree with him.
We can, that's just it. And I think not only can it be done, but eventually it must and will be done.
It is quite possible that the current age is the end-times spoken of in the various religions (not just "Christianity", mind you, but religious and spiritual traditions all around the globe from all sorts of cultures)
and therefore this age actually represents childhood's end, although the length of the age and thus the transition to maturity, is not known and is at least in part likely dependent on our own choices, both as individuals and as a whole, as is how painful it is. However, I don't think the beginning of that mature time is long off, at least compared to the length of time our species has been on the earth, even if it is not in our own life times.
So what would happen if whatever the _governments_ have was released?
And what is "too 'I me mine'" anyway? Too much egotism, arrogance?
As for what an alien society more spiritually advanced than the present state of the world would do, I don't really know. As a matter of practical safety, they may not want to just "waltz on in" right now, however I also don't think they would ignore us entirely, as a truly more spiritually advanced civilization would have more love and more heart, and so I wouldn't totally dismiss the idea they might do something more, esp. if a great calamity strikes. I'm also not sure we'd need to reach their same level of development, just enough to have enough peace, perhaps.
Originally posted by winston_boy
I totally agree, Templar777, but the point is, given our warlike, greed/fear/control-based nature, would you want to make contact with us?
If your civlization was evolved enough that it could travel light years across space and pinpoint our insignificant little solar system with our insignificant little planet and civlization, would you want to make contact with us knowing that we would most likely greet you with a nuclear handshake?
Originally posted by winston_boy
The article goes on to cite the Drake Equation, which calculates that around 1000 planets in our galaxy alone are likely to support intelligent life. Extrapolating that to include the entire universe, we arrive at the absurdly astronomical figure of 100,000 billion planets with the possible conditions for intelligent life.
Google Video Link |
What does evolution have to do with being able to traverse space. We as a race that has been to the moon are no more evolved as humans then the people that came before us who couldnt..
I dont get why people equate technology or in this case very advanced technology with righteousness or purity.
Aliens are probably like us with different personalities some are probably cool while others are d!ck$..
If technology some how brought about enlightenment why havent we seen a difference in our own race?
and if our planet is so "insignificant" why are all these aliens hanging around they can see their little green @$$'s home
Originally posted by brainhack
What does evolution have to do with being able to traverse space. We as a race that has been to the moon are no more evolved as humans then the people that came before us who couldnt.. I dont get why people equate technology or in this case very advanced technology with righteousness or purity.
Quite so. Horses are every bit as evolutionarily advanced as we are
even if one was to think that humans are the top of the evolutionary ladder, our own spacefaring efforts are pretty insignificant, really.
Originally posted by winston_boy
We can, that's just it. And I think not only can it be done, but eventually it must and will be done.
I agree. But it hasn't yet been done, and that's the point. We're talking about why alien contact (officially) hasn't been made yet.
Originally posted by winston_boy
It is quite possible that the current age is the end-times spoken of in the various religions (not just "Christianity", mind you, but religious and spiritual traditions all around the globe from all sorts of cultures)
It's possible, but to be honest every age is so egocentric that it thinks it is the end time spoken of in some or other prophecy. Not sold on that idea.
Originally posted by winston_boy
and therefore this age actually represents childhood's end, although the length of the age and thus the transition to maturity, is not known and is at least in part likely dependent on our own choices, both as individuals and as a whole, as is how painful it is. However, I don't think the beginning of that mature time is long off, at least compared to the length of time our species has been on the earth, even if it is not in our own life times.
I accept this is your viewpoint...
Originally posted by winston_boy
So what would happen if whatever the _governments_ have was released?
This is an assumption. Maybe the governments don't have anything...?
Originally posted by winston_boy
And what is "too 'I me mine'" anyway? Too much egotism, arrogance?
Basically yes. But also just a level of consciousness that makes our point of focus 'individual' rather than 'group', 'me' rather than 'my community', 'mine' rather than 'yours'. The 'ego-based' rather than the 'holistic' viewpoint. Think of a colony of ants.
Originally posted by winston_boy
As for what an alien society more spiritually advanced than the present state of the world would do, I don't really know. As a matter of practical safety, they may not want to just "waltz on in" right now, however I also don't think they would ignore us entirely, as a truly more spiritually advanced civilization would have more love and more heart, and so I wouldn't totally dismiss the idea they might do something more, esp. if a great calamity strikes. I'm also not sure we'd need to reach their same level of development, just enough to have enough peace, perhaps.
Perhaps. But the point of this thread was to examine whether we needed to change our attitude towards ET in order to convince him we were worth knowing, in much the same way we might dress appropriately for a first date in order to impress
What's "officially", anyway?
I.e. we need a unified society, unified on different levels. How would your idea of unified society work?
Well I don't think that militaries then should be the ones handling ET contacts. As, well, militaries are for one thing only: waging war.
Originally posted by winston_boy
What's "officially", anyway?
Acknowledged, admitted and announced by the government and the mainstream media.
Originally posted by winston_boy
I.e. we need a unified society, unified on different levels. How would your idea of unified society work?
Like a colony of ants works, only every human in the unified society would sacrifice themselves to the whole by conscious choice rather than, as in the ant's case, by unconscious instinct.
Originally posted by winston_boy
Well I don't think that militaries then should be the ones handling ET contacts. As, well, militaries are for one thing only: waging war.
I couldn't agree more