| Photo by Ralph Steinberger via Wikimedia Commons
Some decades ago, people would think you were a looney for believing in extraterrestrial beings. With advances in science and increasing evidence of a strong possibility of intelligent life from another world, it’s not a far-off idea anymore to think that they’ll be here soon if they haven’t already. Arguably, some think they’ve been here even before the advent of humanity.
Let’s think of the enormous implications if one day they reveal themselves openly. I can’t even begin to think about how to describe the event or the nature of these beings, for such descriptions would fail our language.
We can make some assumptions about them, provided some laws of the physical world are truly universal. For starters, these beings will have superior mastery of physical reality and beyond. They are biologically different from humans. They have far-advanced civilizations and social organizations.
Their mastery of the physical universe will allow them to manipulate or harness some advanced laws of physics to transcend the limits of time and space and be able to travel vast distances with no toll on their biology. Their concept of time will be different from how humans reckon time. They’ll be able to precipitate themselves at will or remain invisible. This partly explains why we rarely encounter them.
The environment from which they originated and evolved, such as a light source, biological sustenance, gravity, the atmosphere, water, etc., will determine their biology. Sentient life and mortality, as earthly concepts, may require redefinitions.
“We can make some assumptions about them, provided some laws of the physical world are truly universal. For starters, these beings will have superior mastery of physical reality and beyond. They are biologically different from humans. They have far-advanced civilizations and social organizations.”
Finally, with their superior intelligence and technology, we can posit that theirs is a more advanced civilization than ours. And the corollary to this assumption is a higher “moral sense,” for lack of a better word. They will understand the human species better than we do. They understand that if their existence becomes open knowledge, it can possibly undermine the foundation of human civilization and upset social order. Perhaps the most serious consequence for us is upending our religious beliefs and undermining the moral foundation of human society.
According to the Old Testament, creation and the genesis of mankind depicted a geocentric beginning of things, implying that the earth and its inhabitants are at the center of the universe. The Judeo-Christian and Islamic faiths are Abrahamic, monotheistic religions that spouse an anthropomorphic God who is the source of all things and who “created man after His image” and promised an afterlife in paradise. These fundamental belief systems of these faiths, which have a combined 4.11 billion followers, will be seriously undermined, possibly causing social upheavals of great proportions.
Given what we see as rampant religious intolerance among various faiths, how can we expect society to handle the outrageous, faith-busting idea of an extraterrestrial? The idea will significantly challenge our understanding of the universe, our relationship with God, and our view of ourselves as humans.
Now I ask, are we ready for them?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Dr. Fernando B. Perfas is an addiction specialist who has written several books and articles on the subject. He currently provides training and consulting services to various government and non-government drug treatment agencies regarding drug treatment and prevention approaches. He can be reached at fbperfas@gmail.com.
.jpg){kind=link}