DEFINING TRUTH IS EASY;
KNOWING WHETHER A PARTICULAR STATEMENT IS TRUE IS
MUCH HARDER, AND PURSUING THE TRUTH IS
MOST DIFFICULT OF ALL.
Mortimer J. Adler
When I was in my mid-teens a neighbor, whom I didn’t know particularly well, asked if I would do her a favor by decorating a room in a church for a ceremony during which her sister would be ordained.
I was known as somewhat of an artist and I suppose that’s why the request was made of me.
I agreed to do it, having no idea of what type of church or ordination was involved.
I arrived at the church in ample time to decorate the room and was invited to stay for the ceremony and the service that would follow.
During the service the congregation called upon the spirits of their dearly departed and, they claimed, had nice little chats with them.
For no particular reason that I can now recall I was attracted to Science Fiction. These flights of fancy in the future managed to open my mind — a very guarded crack.
Was Jules Verne a psychic? Or was his book about an imaginary trip to the moon (written in 1865) in which his spaceship was launched from Florida, took 3 days to reach the moon and, upon its return, splashed down in the Pacific Ocean — just a well thought out lucky guess?
104 years later, Apollo 11 was launched from Florida, took 3 days to reach the moon and, upon its return to Earth, splashed down in the Pacific Ocean.
I felt it would be fascinating if there really were something to psychic phenomena, which seemed easy to extrapolate from Science Fiction, especially when thinking of Mr. Verne.
I started casual investigations into books and other written reports; never expecting overwhelming solid proof for it obviously didn’t exist. All I wanted was an experience or insight that would satisfy my curiosity.
What I found, in my nonchalant sifting, were inevitable inferences of charlatans. It appeared there were far too many who had developed the ability to perform intricate feats of stage magic so convincing that those observing believed they were seeing and listening to a genuine psychic.
There were obviously many excellent practitioners of bogus extra-sensory powers who profited from those who sought them.
Flying Saucers? How truly magnificent it would be if we were able to make contact with extra-terrestrials!
It has never been difficult for me to accept that there is a strong possibility that other forms of intelligent life exist outside our relatively small galaxy — in which Earth is but a pinprick. One of an infinitesimal number of pinpricks in just one small group of stars on the edge of the Milky Way.
The Milky Way is made up of an estimated 100 billion stars, only about 7,000 of which we can view without the aid of a telescope.
The number of 100 billion is hard — no, impossible — for me to imagine. It is, however, a very small amount when compared to the estimated width of our small Galaxy: 100,000 light years! A light year is, if rounded off, about six trillion miles. Multiply that and write it out! It makes everything on this small planet — including us — seem truly insignificant.
Next we should consider the scientific statement that our Solar System, which is 50 billion billion times the size of Earth, is considered an extremely small sample of the total universe.
And yet, beyond our small Solar System in a rather trivial sized Milky Way there lie, in all directions, countless other "Milky Ways" and countless other Solar Systems.
When contemplating the vastness of our universe how can one be so blatantly myopic as to claim — let alone believe — that ours is the one and only planet capable of supporting intelligent life?
We deny the possibility of life on nearby planets that lack our chemical make-up in atmosphere.
Some planets are surrounded by primarily methane gas — a lethal substance for humans to breathe.
But why do we discount the feasibility of non-human life thriving on methane gas — and being unable to live where they would breathe a mixture of primarily oxygen and hydrogen?
Of course we haven’t found any signs of life on planets near us but that still leaves out a mighty big chunk of the universe. Our sun is but a star and there are lots and lots of stars out there.
And planets. As the door to the 21st Century prepares to open, at least 2 more planets have been discovered in our Solar System.
On Columbus Day of 1992, a huge satellite dish aimed at the sky and named SETI (Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence) was turned on. But it’s potential was interrupted when lack of funds, springing from those with lack of imagination, turned it off. It wasn’t very long before monies outside our government were tapped, and SETI again turned to listen. I seriously doubt if envoys for Outer Space would visit us with the intent of causing chaos or disaster.
Why should they bother? We do an excellent job in the chaos and disaster departments without any outside help.
There might be those out there who would like to stop by and visit long enough to help us overcome our war-like ways, but I imagine word has been passed around that visiting Earth could prove hazardous to your health and jeopardous to your life.
That conjecture includes, taking into account the likelihood of habitation on other planets, that it is feasible that some civilizations might not have reached our state of development while others, perhaps older, have surpassed us.
Such advanced civilizations might not have great difficulty sending envoys to live amongst us in the shapes that would blend in with the life forms on Earth, in plant, or animal, or human forms.
In essence, however, it could appear to other planetary civilizations that we are hell-bent on destroying our planet. Such an accomplishment might knock the entire universe out of balance and pose great danger to others.
If there are such envoys in our midst and any one of us ever discovers one and tries to convince the rest of us about the accomplishment, that poor mortal is going to have an impossible task.
Far too many have claimed contact with little green men (why usually green?), and there are those who claim they have visited other planets as guests of little green men.
I think the vast majority of us; if ever chosen for extra-terrestrial contact, would be far safer if we keep it to ourselves. And hope we’re not asked to clarify certain American English terms.
It would be several years before a chain of events led me to immerse myself in the study and eventual acceptance of the realm of the paranormal. At first I believed that chain was coincidence. I’m now convinced it was predestined.
