Joining the conversation

Hi everybody,

I've been lurking around here for a few years now, and finally decided to get in on the conversations... wanted to start off with a quick introduction and take some time figuring out how everything works before really getting into it, but there are a lot of things I'm excited to talk about...

I'm an Atari generation American, living in the Midwest after spending time moving all around the country growing up. I've been fascinated with alternative news, ancient histories and conspiracy theories since I was a kid - I think the earliest spark I can remember was a third or fourth grade project on Stonehenge that started the wheels turning... then a (probably) imagined encounter with a UFO in my backyard, vague memories of shadows or ghosts, and a healthy obsession with the idea that there were things in this world that lay outside of what I understood to be the “accepted” sense of reality.

In high school I started devouring research on the Kennedy assassination, discovered that the Gulf of Tonkin incident never actually happened, and became aware of the dark corners of history and the role that deception can play in shaping common perceptions of pivotal events. All this gave me an undeniable bias as I watched the news coverage of Sept 11th 2001, and that itch to see behind the curtain has led me over the last decade to explore theories involving The Powers That Be, from false flags to FEMA camps to Nibiru...

I don’t believe in theories easily - when I say I’ve been exploring theories I’m not implying I believe in their accuracy, but only that I enjoy kicking ideas around and considering evidence that leads to strange places. I’m well read, well educated and fiercely rational, and I like to think I can spot a hoax as well as anyone, but I still have that feeling that things are happening behind the great wizard’s curtain, and I get excited about going through the looking glass and seeing where it leads...

I’ve never joined a forum before - I’ve spent time reading a lot of them, but never felt compelled to be a part of an online community until I found ATS. There’s a sense of civility and a general interest in digging for truth here that really appeal to me - even in the most contentious threads, people who disagree are usually doing it with respect and with honesty. I know there are some exceptions, but they really seem to be the exceptions and not the norm. I dig that, and I’m looking forward to throwing my voice into the mix.

Howdy. It sounds like you are rational and open-minded, which is an excellent mix, in my opinion, as those types of posters often bring a lot of information to the table. I look forward to reading your posts!

Hi and welcome.

Hope you enjoy your stay here

reply to post by magicrat



Hi magicrat, and welcome to the Introductions Forum, a place to say hello to the ATS community. For now you can reply to any thread in any member forum you wish, as well as send & receive (PM's) Private Messages to Staff only for now. Once you have achieved 20 posts, you will then be able to start your own threads and additionally send & receive messages to and from fellow ATS members.

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Take your time and enjoy. If you have any questions just ask.

Sauron,
Super-Moderator.

reply to post by AlphaBetaGammaX


Thanks - I hope I can add something to the discussions, and appreciate the welcome! And sometime soon I need to spend some time on an avatar (I know there are threads to help us newbies with tech stuff like that; I'll definitely be reading those) - I've never seen the photo you're using before and I love the symbology - can you share any info on where it came from or what it means?

reply to post by magicrat
We sound a lot alike. Welcome to ATS, my friend.

reply to post by Sauron


Thanks Sauron! I've poked around some of those threads to get a handle on how things work, but it's really helpful to have them all in a handy post here.

Originally posted by magicrat
- can you share any info on where it came from or what it means?

Sure, I think I found it somewhere when looking up transhumanistic topics or someone sent it to me when I was having a conversation with them about transhumanism. I have a thing for any topic which concerns how we are evolving as a species and how our ability to consciously think affects our evolutionary process.

Especially as we become more and more technologically advanced, I believe that we we will alter the course of our own growth and the avatar shows that, in my opinion anyway!

Of course, one could always argue that evolution is a natural process and since we are part of nature, we are not actually 'altering' anything, as our conscious thought is part of that process and is included in our evolutionary path. But it is cool to think that we are changing ourselves consciously, and with forethought to whatever we want to become in the future.

reply to post by kro32


Thanks for the welcome - I have definitely enjoyed reading for a while now, and hope I'll enjoy it even more as I get involved -

reply to post by Balkan


Judging by the fact that you're at the 9th gate, I hope so

Thanks for the welcome!

Originally posted by AlphaBetaGammaX

But it is cool to think that we are changing ourselves consciously, and with forethought to whatever we want to become in the future.

Yes. Very cool. Thanks for sharing - I had a feeling the context would be something like that, but I really like the way you said it. Whatever we humans are really doing - where we came from, where we're going, and how - is a big part of the bigger puzzle, and maybe the most exciting part...