Meerkat Prompts: UFOs
Let’s clarify something straight away. UFOs – unidentified flying objects (and these days, sometimes referred to as UAPs, unidentified aerial phenomena) are assumed to be synonymous with ‘alien spaceship’, but this is something of an assumption, and assumptions can make an ass out of you and me! Whilst it is tempting to conclude a UFO is in fact an interstellar craft, there are a great many other possibilities before we get to aliens!
In the past, people have confused clouds, ball lightning, and aircraft as being something other-worldly. With time, proper explanations can be found for virtually every UFO sighting. This doesn’t mean there’s an explanation for every sighting, though on the flipside we shouldn’t assume there is never going to be an earthly explanation. Just because there is no understanding of something right now doesn’t mean we’ll never understand. Assuming a UFO must be an extra-terrestrial visitor is also probably the most single complicated answer, and this leads me to the concept of Occam’s Razor.
Occam’s Razor is the idea that the best explanation for any given circumstance is the one that fits the facts with the least number of mechanisms. Think of the steps required for an unidentified flying object being an alien craft. Somewhere in another part of the galaxy, an alien species evolves, develops advanced technology without destroying itself, masters interstellar travel, finds earth, and pays humanity a visit. There’s an awful lot of steps to take for aliens to be the source of UFO sightings, even a handful of them. Yet despite this, as a species we want to believe we are not alone, so we cling to the idea that a UFO sighting is a sign that there’s so much more to the universe than humanity.
Taken!
With UFO sightings come another element of intrigue. Since there is an association with aliens, there is also an association with alien abduction stories. These stories have taken on something of a uniform nature, which is arguably another narrative all in itself. These elements seem to feed one another, creating a compelling story, a fascinating conspiracy theory, and a demonstration of a sort of collective embedded concept. Once again, we need to apply Occam’s Razor. Bear with me here!
Is it more likely that when someone sees a UFO, they are subsequently abducted by the aliens popularly known as the Greys, have their DNA harvested, returned with no memory of the event (save for some vague, unsettling dreams and a bit of discomfort), all for part of a hybrid breeding program, or is it perhaps a vivid dream, brought on by the widespread nature of this conspiracy, which has become the standard storyline for abduction stories? Consider that with Occam’s Razor, we also need consider the earlier process of an alien species evolving, developing advanced technology, finding earth, and visiting us. There’s a lot of steps to take there, and considerably fewer steps involving dreams, hallucinations etc.
What if?
With all of that in mind, it is still worth bearing in mind that there remain genuinely mysterious UFO sightings, and not every abduction story follows the Grey narrative. Humanity has barely begun to understand the universe, and we are not even close to understanding everything. It would be a mistake to say there are no aliens out there, given the vastness of the Milky Way alone, let alone the universe, and it would be supremely arrogant to dismiss the idea that an alien intelligence has visited us. I will state that it is highly unlikely, as per Occam’s Razor, but unlikely is not the same as impossible. If you check out this link, you’ll find a list of 10 UFO encounters that remain unexplained, covering different parts of the world, reported by people with a range of backgrounds.
The tantalising possibility that we’ve received alien guests is one that is not going away, and nor will the elaborate conspiracies of government cover-ups. Humans want to believe, and we’ll do so for a considerable time to come.
