Friday, February 20, 2009

The persistent myth of UFO "disclosure"

The so-called UFO "community" is continually aroused by specious claims that the governments of the world are preparing for a monumental disclosure of UFO evidence. For once and for all, we're assured, the truth will be revealed -- and our identity as a species forever redefined by the knowledge that our planet is routinely visited by extraterrestrial spacecraft.

Although this theme (characterized by vague, if tantalizing, comments by insiders both real and imaginary) has been repeatedly enacted over the last sixty years, many UFO commentators remain oddly unfazed, content to await the next revelation in a disturbingly Kafkaesque pageant.





But while disclosure of alien visitation is eagerly awaited -- even expected -- by many, folklore advises us not to get too excited. It's always been like this, with Fortean forces hovering at the fringes of our perception. I don't think UFOs -- whatever they are – expect or desire official acknowledgment. I suspect that when we observe them flitting across a city skyline, virtually unnoted, we're seeing them in their natural habitat. They appear to thrive on remaining essentially liminal, the subject of endless controversy. Longtime UFO researcher Jacques Vallee thinks we're being manipulated. Even author Whitley Strieber, who claims personal contact with apparent ETs, has conceded that we may never meet them openly.

Perhaps the phenomenon's raison d'etre is to challenge us. Early witnesses described fanciful airships and "ghost rockets." Now we hear descriptions of futuristic spacecraft and diminutive occupants who seem to have stepped out of our own speculation on transhuman evolution and genetic engineering. I think the UFO enigma is both trickster and trigger -- indisputably real, but real in a way that transcends conventional use of the word.

Perhaps if we wait and watch, the phenomenon itself will provide us with the psychological vocabulary with which to understand it. Or maybe it won't, content to let us project our own unspoken cosmic desires.

This piece originally appeared at aboutSETI.com.

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

Excerpt from: A Few Good Men
(written by Aaron Sorkin)

Jessep: You want answers?
Kaffee (Tom Cruise): I think I'm entitled to them.
Jessep: You want answers?
Kaffee: I want the truth!
Jessep: You can't handle the truth! Son, we live in a world that has walls. And those walls have to be guarded by men with guns. Who's gonna do it? You?

To paraphrase Jack Nicholson's character, Col. Jessep, "we can't handle the truth!" and both certain elements within the government and the non-human intelligence(s) would understand that fact, if it were the fact, so don't ever expect "the government" to provide truthful, full, or honest disclosure regarding that aspect of the UFO phenomenon that may involve "the other"--the truth may be that any formal, direct revelation of that kind would likely be so disruptive [since it is very unlikely we are dealing with anything "humanoid" (although they can "magically" make themselves appear as whatever you may--or may not--expect), but something far more advanced, amorphic, and numinous than humans may even be able to understand, let alone relate to in any meaningful way], that our relatively primitive belief systems and consensus reality could be irrevocably shattered, impugning our further development and genetic potential, or will.

The ontological and existential risks of massive societal disruption and anthropocentric disequilibrium are far too great, for now, if there is an "other." The "trans-terrestrials" may be quite content to observe (and, possibly, imperceptibly prod, in a plausibly deniable way) our ongoing development. You see, the requirement for a species like ours to perceive itself as paramount within its own physical domain, and wholly responsible for our own primacy and learned or directed evolution, is crucial to continuing adaptive striving--an overt acknowledgment or formal recognition of another, far more sophisticated and "flexible" transcendent species present or operating within our realm would most probably lead to, shall we say, various difficulties.

I suspect we may have to emerge on the other side of some kind of evolutionary advance or massive paradigm shift in consciousness before that is even possible, if ever.

The test could be to make your own species, independently, roughly approximate in capability and comprehensional capacity in order to be, if not co-equal, at least able to begin to relate or communicate on their terms, not ours. After all, when's the last time you considered having a serious conversation with the E Coli bacteria in your digestive tract? Not lately, I'm guessing.

Of course, this is just my simple, humble opinion, only slightly colored by the direct experience of a couple close encounters with the still truly unknown. 8^}

Joseph Capp said...

You don't seem to get it. Many in the UFO community are witnesses themselves. We know many UFO witnesses in the past had their lives destroyed by what they saw and reported. Many of us understand the ridicule and danger involved in coming forward. So a few of us have what many of you metaphysical writers seem to lack. It called empathy. We are excited over the new memorandum by Obama and we think we can use his new directive to start to clear up the past and put some rest those that suffered for so long. We are not all members of exopolitics and or disclosure movements and believe everything that comes down the pike. But in the end the government has hidden evidence to a number of cases and this directly resulted in victims suffering lost or careers and even their lives.
Joseph Capp
UFO Media Matters
Non-Commercial Blog

Anonymous said...

@Joseph:

I do get it. I was involved in a multiple-witness close encounter incident myself. As was my father, in a separate incident, while serving in the US Air Force.

So, I'm not just expressing some vague metaphysical opinions; I too, also have empathy. And I agree that elements of the U.S. government have hidden differing forms of inscrutable "evidence," primarily differing kinds of sensor data coupled with military eyewitness reports and interactions. And that some legitimate witnesses have suffered ridicule, been threatened, and have lost credibility, privileges, or jobs, or worse, as a result.

That is one reason I have never come forward overtly or formally; I've seen it happen to others, and have experienced it myself, to some degree.

But that does not mean that we should assume misplaced faith in some new era of declassification, freedom of information, or that we are in any realistic way on the cusp of disclosure by "the government," as I doubt very much whether Obama, or other high-level executive or congressional branch members, are aware of either the historical record or the covert U.S. government involvement in manipulating and suppressing information about the UFO phenomenon, and even within most military and civilian intelligence agencies.

And just because Obama has expressed support for a more open government, and implied agency interpretation of the FOIA should be more liberal, don't get your hopes up--Obama's Justice Department has already exercised the much abused "state secrets" privilege twice in the last two weeks to suppress court use of "properly classified national secuirty information" over the warrantless wiretapping and datamining NSA domestic surveillance programs.

It is also becoming clear that Obama is a pragmatic centrist, not a liberal, nor especially a radical--he cannot afford to be, considering the political center-right makeup of the electorate and the perilous economic situation we're in that compels compromise and some efforts toward bipartisanship. The question of "UFO disclosure" is not on the current administration's agenda or priority list, I'm afraid.

It's not what a President says that's as important as what he actually does to implement changes in policies, along with the Congress, and that can make all the difference. Even then, there are some secrets no one in the executive or congress will ever know about or be able to disclose, even if known.

In a way, that's tragic, and a subversion of democratic ideals and constitutional provisions, but I suspect it is a fact nevertheless. And there may be some good, or at least "justified," pragmatic reasons for that, as much as it pains me to say that. I have suggested some reasons as to why that might be, above, and would also recommend Bernard Haisch's article, "Some Thoughts on Keeping It Secret," at http://www.ufoskeptic.org, for further relevant insights, as well as what Mac has noted in his post. There are some very deep subtleties at play within these questions and comments that may become more apparent upon a closer reading that relate to the nature of reality as contrasted to the common consensus reality construct.

So, don't get me wrong; I truly do know what you are talking about. But the real question is what would be the consequences, for society and the world as a whole, if formal government disclosure did occur--not knowing the full parameters of what partial or incomplete knowledge might entail and how it might impact our consciousness, world view, or affect our ability to cope, can any one of say for sure or assume absolutely that disclosure would necessarily serve a beneficial purpose, when we really don't know, in the public domain, what that information or revelation might amount to, portend, or its possible effects?

Anonymous said...

It's a bit of a misnomer in a way. "Open" contact happens all the time, the trick is how you define "open". No they don't land on the Whitehouse lawn but there certainly seems ot be cases where mass abductions may have taken place.

Research some of the wonderful work Constance Clear did before her accident. She's got some terrific journals regarding "calmers" and group abductee interactions. In some cases these people recognize each other in their normal day-to-day lives. Here again we see corroborative information from participants that would be difficult to manufacture as individuals.

Will we ever get government sanctioned disclosure? NO WAY IN HELL. Do we need it? Funny enough, the further along we go with this thing the less we need "permission" to engage the subject and let its reality sink in.

-Denny

Bruce Duensing said...

Disclosure has occurred met by a roaring silence. We prefer to compulsively pick the dry bones of the carcass of Roswell.Our astronauts
are passing into old age..their accounts call into question the Congressional oversight of NASA. This is no abstracted theory. My response is at:
http://materialintangible.blogspot.com/2009/02/nasa-accountability-and-congressional.html

Anonymous said...

VERY good point Bruce! Its amazing how people generally ignore what's been evolving on the astronaut front (Mac included...would like to see some postings on this one Mac.).

It really is a hot button topic that needs a better look.

-Denny

Anonymous said...

Whether we choose to accept it or not, disclosure is happening and that is fact.

Denmark, The UK, and now the Canadian governement has made publicly available it's archives of UFO reports. Perform a google search and you will find the archive librarys. The real question here is when will it happen in your country. And as for the government wanting to make sure we are of the right state of mind.. when have they ever cared about that? Besides, over 50% of US citizens alone beleive in UFO's and a staggering 90% beleive the US government has been lying to the public in this regard. Look ahead, the next few years should prove to be very informative indeed.

Anonymous said...

The thing is Stephen Greer did the Disclosure Project pre-9.11. Maybe it was engulfed by the 9.11 'war on terror' that it never took off. [I'm not a fan of Greer, but he did have some decent people at the Disclosure press conference]

I recently finished a book by Ann Druffel - How to Defend Yourself Against Alien Abductions. She, like Vallee, Keel (and it's been written even Hynek) along with some other researcher/writers thinks we're dealing with non-ETs.

So if they're tricksteresque in a daimonic/djinn/faerie sense and belong to a 3rd form of creation (angels, humans, 'them') the point is they don't belong here and are intrusive in our reality.

And they're most certainly obsessed in our reproduction - to what end though? Hybrids or just voyeristic in our sexual reactions(incubus/sucubae).

The Star Trekish idea that there's federations and galactic organizations that we're not yet ready to join because we're not spiritually advanced is likely human projection mixed with channeled misinfo from occult sources of the phenomenon.

These beings aren't interested in sending ambassadors. They seem quite satisfied with poking into our reality and taking some of us while we're asleep or gardening or walking in the woods with our dog, or driving or fishing....

It's the penultimate horror~sci-fi story. And it's reality for some of us.

~ Susan

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