Billy, I am so glad you write. While reading your work, I learn much about a subject I know little about. And I expand my vocabulary by leaps and bounds. Keep telling it. Maybe this year or years to come, the idiots missing the point will learn something, too.
Well, it's not a story you can tell in 30-second sound bites, and our attention spans are eroding pretty rapidly. I want to be optimistic, but the rewiring of our brains by social media is beginning to look like a collective destiny. With a little more courage, we could've started this great adventure half a century ago; lately, I'm afraid it may be too late. But hey -- thanks for reading, kiddo!
Beautifully expressed, Billy. In a comically ironic way, "Don't Look Up" could also be an apt header for the media's conduct toward the issues you enumerate.
I'm sure you have read the book "After disclosure" in which the authors call out the news media for their neglect and often times shameless treatment of the subject
Hi Joe. I must confess I have not...yet. But the issue is pointed out by others as well. Despite our best hopes the corporate media seem to be content as stenographers for the military/intelligence agencies. They are turning a blind eye to so much other valuable information about the phenomenon coming from other sources. It's a pathetic situation when the so-called fourth estate - whose role is ostensibly a check on government power - kneels to the demands of that power. Spineless cretins.
Then perhaps you read the "Missing Times", authored by deceased author Terry Hansen, who chronicled the complicity of the media and military since WW2, and often for very valid reasons beginning in 1942
Unbeknownst to all but a lucky few, I occasionally plant errors in my copy to see if anyone's paying attention. I then reward them with a $10 in the mail.
That's a hoot! Of course it would never occur to me that you would make a mistake. I figured I was wrong thinking he was from Nevada........did I check it? Of course not!
Thank you for uncovering a badly covered story of aspiration, collaboration, and cosmic vision, Billy! May we have a more healthy New Year and even another one after this.
I re-read a couple of NY Times articles about Harry Reid, because I hardly knew anything about the man who appears to have changed the way that politicians approach the UAP subject. But a couple of articles isn't enough to really understand anyone and he remains a bit of a mystery, to a foreigner like me at least.
One comment that I cringed at though: "Ultimately, the U.F.O. debate can be broken down into a sincere belief in science versus a sincere belief in extraterrestrials. I side with science."
I believe in the benefits of the scientific methodology - one only has to look around to see the benefits science has delivered. But I also believe in people (at least, when multiple witnesses are present) and human intelligence; and if such witness testimony clearly indicates the presence of non-human technology and non-terrestrial intelligences, then I have to take notice of that too (even if it doesn't contribute towards making better stuff, like what applied science does).
I also believe that science is heading in the direction of proving that the genesis of life is virtually inevitable and not a random fluke - so in that respect, there is also reason to believe in the existence of ET. (One can also argue that nothing will restrain humanity from spreading across the galaxy, so why expect aliens to be different?)
What 'AAWSAP' delivered was a mixed bag of goodies, with the biggest win for the paranormal field (in the hitchhiker effect). This, perhaps more than meeting aliens, could have the biggest impact on our evolving civilisation.
Looks like I'm on the same page as the guys in the article.
I strongly suspect that 'evolution by natural selection' is just one important process; biogenesis and how we 'evolved' from hydrogen gas after the Big Bang is another matter entirely (because EbNS is dependent upon the mechanisms provided by DNA - e.g. rocks don't evolve within a reasonable timescale).
Then we have issues of consciousness: perception of colourful colour and the phenomenon of remote viewing; neither of which we can explain within the current paradigm.
People had a pretty good idea the world was a ball, before Chris Columbus; the horizon curves, everything disappears below/behind the horizon. Even the phases of the Moon indicate the roundness of that body. Today we have similar clues regarding a broader reality, but we're still not ready to make the leap. (As if living on the surface of a sphere wasn't weird enough!)
"We are such stuff as dreams are made on..." I think The Bard intuited that behind all outer manifestation lies thought. Consciousness is the cosmological evolutionary driver, while physical forms are but symbols... illusions if they are the only reality we perceive.
Steeped as I am in A.N. Whitehead's Process Metaphysics and a theology rooted in that theology, as well as neuroscience (and the broader domain of science), I personally see an integrated reality. Our tendency as humans is to see polarities as zero sum in nature when they are actually energy accelerators if we can manage to wrestle them close enough that we can hold them together. The problems arise when people over-identify with one side or the other to the extent that one has to triumph over the other, which usually means annihilated which is impossible. Our way of life in so many areas is dominated by zero sum power struggles even tho the major world religions counsel kindness, acceptance, special support for the marginalized, something that reflects our evolved nature as Modern Humans. If indeed this is something that characterizes the nature of the evolutionary drive of the entire universe, then it would wrong, and dangerous for the military to be the "tip of the spear" in contacting or responding to a contact from others across the universe. Additionally, it is possible that any life form we can recognized as a life form from another planet has transcended tendencies to struggle for dominance and has gained the strengths we had as hunter-gatherers (generous, leaderless, egalitarian, cooperative). It will be very hard to gather the resources of people, physical resources, and time to discover and create ways to become interstellar explorers if we are continuous suspicious, fearful, aggressive. In fact, right now we are living in the early phases of the dystopian science fiction stories about disastrous climate destruction, and the .0001% are still gut focused on the world one quarter of a year at a time. It is noteworthy that for some at that level of financial and resources wealth their immediate gains and losses command their attention over the reality that we are all in danger.
Yes, and it doesn't matter what the fiction might be as long as it serves to protect not just their gains but their ability to gain even more. One fiction is that things are normal or things are not nearly as bad as the doomsayers want people believe. Another is the spectrum of bizarre beliefs scattered across the QAnon universe. The lure of Autocracy is another. Jared Diamond, in Collapse, pointed out that when a society collapses, it is unexpected, rapid, and complete. No one is spared, not even the most privileged.
We also need to pay heed to those individuals who loom large in this field as commentators, authors and podcasters. I'm afraid some of those who are considered pretty damn good have gone off the rails. Richard Dolan spouts off about Covid mandates and other weird (non-phenomena) shit that makes me think he's dabbling in some of your more outlandish and down to earth conspiracy theories.
I wasn't talking about you Larry! I was talking about Dolan! Not an attack at all, sorry if you perceived it that way. That was not my intention at all. I just think there's many in this field who are far from the likes of Billy who spout complete B.S. I don't know enough about QAnon except for a documentary I partially watched and I think Epstein was a rich pedophile who got away with his crimes. I disagree with your psyop angle. Sometimes the conspiracy is just too damn big to be believable.
Billy, I am so glad you write. While reading your work, I learn much about a subject I know little about. And I expand my vocabulary by leaps and bounds. Keep telling it. Maybe this year or years to come, the idiots missing the point will learn something, too.
Well, it's not a story you can tell in 30-second sound bites, and our attention spans are eroding pretty rapidly. I want to be optimistic, but the rewiring of our brains by social media is beginning to look like a collective destiny. With a little more courage, we could've started this great adventure half a century ago; lately, I'm afraid it may be too late. But hey -- thanks for reading, kiddo!
Well, now I hate Harry Reid a little less.
Beautifully expressed, Billy. In a comically ironic way, "Don't Look Up" could also be an apt header for the media's conduct toward the issues you enumerate.
I'm sure you have read the book "After disclosure" in which the authors call out the news media for their neglect and often times shameless treatment of the subject
Hi Joe. I must confess I have not...yet. But the issue is pointed out by others as well. Despite our best hopes the corporate media seem to be content as stenographers for the military/intelligence agencies. They are turning a blind eye to so much other valuable information about the phenomenon coming from other sources. It's a pathetic situation when the so-called fourth estate - whose role is ostensibly a check on government power - kneels to the demands of that power. Spineless cretins.
Then perhaps you read the "Missing Times", authored by deceased author Terry Hansen, who chronicled the complicity of the media and military since WW2, and often for very valid reasons beginning in 1942
Indeed. My copy is very worn. His untimely passing was a tragedy. I'd like to think he would have kept going down the same road.
As always, great inspirational writing Billy, BUT please check your facts. Reid was a senator from Nevada, NOT Arizona....
Unbeknownst to all but a lucky few, I occasionally plant errors in my copy to see if anyone's paying attention. I then reward them with a $10 in the mail.
That's a hoot! Of course it would never occur to me that you would make a mistake. I figured I was wrong thinking he was from Nevada........did I check it? Of course not!
:-)
Misteaks are for weaklings.
Ouch! Once you start you can't stop. You may become addickted.
ha, but please don't....looking forward to more of your articulate insights this year!!
Thank you for uncovering a badly covered story of aspiration, collaboration, and cosmic vision, Billy! May we have a more healthy New Year and even another one after this.
Here's hoping we're all smart enough to figure it out.
I re-read a couple of NY Times articles about Harry Reid, because I hardly knew anything about the man who appears to have changed the way that politicians approach the UAP subject. But a couple of articles isn't enough to really understand anyone and he remains a bit of a mystery, to a foreigner like me at least.
One comment that I cringed at though: "Ultimately, the U.F.O. debate can be broken down into a sincere belief in science versus a sincere belief in extraterrestrials. I side with science."
I believe in the benefits of the scientific methodology - one only has to look around to see the benefits science has delivered. But I also believe in people (at least, when multiple witnesses are present) and human intelligence; and if such witness testimony clearly indicates the presence of non-human technology and non-terrestrial intelligences, then I have to take notice of that too (even if it doesn't contribute towards making better stuff, like what applied science does).
I also believe that science is heading in the direction of proving that the genesis of life is virtually inevitable and not a random fluke - so in that respect, there is also reason to believe in the existence of ET. (One can also argue that nothing will restrain humanity from spreading across the galaxy, so why expect aliens to be different?)
What 'AAWSAP' delivered was a mixed bag of goodies, with the biggest win for the paranormal field (in the hitchhiker effect). This, perhaps more than meeting aliens, could have the biggest impact on our evolving civilisation.
Freeman, you might find this interesting: https://futurism.com/scientists-humans-universe
Slowly, inexorably, cosmic truths are intuited from higher levels of awareness and consciousness.
Looks like I'm on the same page as the guys in the article.
I strongly suspect that 'evolution by natural selection' is just one important process; biogenesis and how we 'evolved' from hydrogen gas after the Big Bang is another matter entirely (because EbNS is dependent upon the mechanisms provided by DNA - e.g. rocks don't evolve within a reasonable timescale).
Then we have issues of consciousness: perception of colourful colour and the phenomenon of remote viewing; neither of which we can explain within the current paradigm.
People had a pretty good idea the world was a ball, before Chris Columbus; the horizon curves, everything disappears below/behind the horizon. Even the phases of the Moon indicate the roundness of that body. Today we have similar clues regarding a broader reality, but we're still not ready to make the leap. (As if living on the surface of a sphere wasn't weird enough!)
"We are such stuff as dreams are made on..." I think The Bard intuited that behind all outer manifestation lies thought. Consciousness is the cosmological evolutionary driver, while physical forms are but symbols... illusions if they are the only reality we perceive.
Steeped as I am in A.N. Whitehead's Process Metaphysics and a theology rooted in that theology, as well as neuroscience (and the broader domain of science), I personally see an integrated reality. Our tendency as humans is to see polarities as zero sum in nature when they are actually energy accelerators if we can manage to wrestle them close enough that we can hold them together. The problems arise when people over-identify with one side or the other to the extent that one has to triumph over the other, which usually means annihilated which is impossible. Our way of life in so many areas is dominated by zero sum power struggles even tho the major world religions counsel kindness, acceptance, special support for the marginalized, something that reflects our evolved nature as Modern Humans. If indeed this is something that characterizes the nature of the evolutionary drive of the entire universe, then it would wrong, and dangerous for the military to be the "tip of the spear" in contacting or responding to a contact from others across the universe. Additionally, it is possible that any life form we can recognized as a life form from another planet has transcended tendencies to struggle for dominance and has gained the strengths we had as hunter-gatherers (generous, leaderless, egalitarian, cooperative). It will be very hard to gather the resources of people, physical resources, and time to discover and create ways to become interstellar explorers if we are continuous suspicious, fearful, aggressive. In fact, right now we are living in the early phases of the dystopian science fiction stories about disastrous climate destruction, and the .0001% are still gut focused on the world one quarter of a year at a time. It is noteworthy that for some at that level of financial and resources wealth their immediate gains and losses command their attention over the reality that we are all in danger.
Well said. My fear is that those in command of extraordinary wealth and power would rather invest in fiction than relinquish any of their privilege.
Yes, and it doesn't matter what the fiction might be as long as it serves to protect not just their gains but their ability to gain even more. One fiction is that things are normal or things are not nearly as bad as the doomsayers want people believe. Another is the spectrum of bizarre beliefs scattered across the QAnon universe. The lure of Autocracy is another. Jared Diamond, in Collapse, pointed out that when a society collapses, it is unexpected, rapid, and complete. No one is spared, not even the most privileged.
We also need to pay heed to those individuals who loom large in this field as commentators, authors and podcasters. I'm afraid some of those who are considered pretty damn good have gone off the rails. Richard Dolan spouts off about Covid mandates and other weird (non-phenomena) shit that makes me think he's dabbling in some of your more outlandish and down to earth conspiracy theories.
I wasn't talking about you Larry! I was talking about Dolan! Not an attack at all, sorry if you perceived it that way. That was not my intention at all. I just think there's many in this field who are far from the likes of Billy who spout complete B.S. I don't know enough about QAnon except for a documentary I partially watched and I think Epstein was a rich pedophile who got away with his crimes. I disagree with your psyop angle. Sometimes the conspiracy is just too damn big to be believable.