The UFO Singularity (4 page)

True, in the modern era, the more popular interpretation of this change through time views it as evidence of how culture, especially in the West, has influenced a mythology associated with UFOs, and thus relegates such reports of alien contact to being far less reliable at face value. And yet, to be fair, the body of reports constituting areas like alien abduction research have never fully divorced themselves from overtly human presences just as well. That is, although many reports do exist that seem to deal with diminutive beings known popularly today as grey aliens, even a number of the more famous abduction cases also involve the presence of humans aboard the UFO craft, or entities that, at very least, looked similar enough to have been mistaken for humans. Even the story of Travis Walton, whose frightening kidnapping in northeastern Arizona on November 5, 1975, has been popularized in books and film, included the presence of “aliens” that looked both small and grey, as well as some that appeared quite human indeed.

Walton’s story is well known, and of course our purpose here is not to rehash all the famous recollections of
proclaimed alien abductees. However, it is odd that there are a number of abduction reports that seem to incorporate humans in this way; some even exclude any mention of the diminutive greys whatsoever. Should we take this to mean that there is indeed a human involvement in the UFO mystery? If so, what is that role humanity plays in this strange drama that has unfolded over the better part of the last century?

Whether or not a direct connection can be drawn today between UFO phenomenon and humanity, by many accounts the two are already inextricably linked. Considering solely the idea of a UFO presence on Earth, we are faced with a number of incredible possibilities, each scientifically groundbreaking in its potential for human growth and development. From the perspective of alien abduction research, humanity’s involvement in this field—though less substantive as a science—again points to something that challenges our definition of who we are and what role our own presence may serve in the greater cosmos. And looking far ahead to the future, there is an obvious familiarity to what many perceive as an “alien” presence in our very midst today. Is it mere coincidence that so many of the facets we expect from tomorrow, ranging from innovative brain science and nanotech, to unlimited travel through outer space, so closely resemble a number of the key elements recognizable in UFO literature? Whether it’s advanced anti-gravity technology, the capability of traveling through the air at tremendous speeds, the ability to merge human consciousness with
computers, or even remarkable impossibilities like teleportation or psychic powers, all these things are common among prevalent notions of what future human technology will be capable of. And of course, as those familiar with reports of flying saucers and their occupants well know, such ideas are just as prevalent already in the UFO literature, and have been for quite some time.

Perhaps by deepening our understanding of this potential connection, we will also come to a better understanding of the UFO enigma. Perhaps we will even come to a better understanding of ourselves as a sentient species. Then again, the same may hold true taking this concept in reverse; the more we learn and understand about humanity and our scientific potentials in the universe, the more we will continue to narrow the gap between ourselves, and what we now perceive as the UFO phenomenon. At this time, it may still be early enough yet that our species cannot collectively embrace the idea of UFOs. Although many are aware of their presence and even accept their existence, a majority of our greatest scientific minds continue to engage in willful dismissal of the subject, on the grounds that there is still too little evidence to justify any long-term investment in their study. After all, the elements that comprise what we call the study of ufology are troublesome indeed, because there is so little that can be accessed in terms of any tangible object or entity capable of being observed at length, or under controlled circumstances. For this reason, much of the scientific establishment dismisses the phenomenon outright, expressing the
general sentiment that what cannot be observed directly, thus cannot be learned from. As one promising young scientist and futurologist put it to me bluntly a while ago, she had become disinterested in the discussion of UFO phenomenon due primarily to what she perceived as a lack of evidence, and that she would not engage in speculative conversation with me of any kind, especially in the midst of the many fruitful scientific pursuits that exist within the Transhumanist realm.

Perhaps we should consider whether the greatest thinkers of our day, from Einstein to Oppenheimer, ever engaged in frequent, healthy doses of speculative thought. Does the imagination not serve to fuel the aspirations of the true scientist, and thus promote the growth of our technology? Attempting to predict what the future may hold, with no physical ability (at present, at least) to see into the coming years and glean what advanced technologies will come about, is a far more speculative endeavor when compared with the study of UFOs. Despite our lack of certainty regarding their potential identity, there is still a good deal of evidence that
something
is going on—and regardless of whatever those who call themselves “scientists” may choose to do with data of this sort. A shame indeed that such obvious and equally unfair double standards are kept by certain factions within the scientific community regarding this issue, but such has been the case for the better part of the last half-century. Old habits, as they say, tend to die hard.

With time, that will likely change, because the furtherance of our own technology will inevitably bring us closer to a level of perception similar to that which has become common among the sort of intelligence represented within UFO literature. At that point, if there had ever been any question about the existence of advanced, mysterious technology in our midst beforehand, we won’t be able to deny it any longer. What if the technology we come face-to-face with is indeed some advanced intelligence from a distant galaxy? What if we come to learn that remarkable technologies have existed right here on Earth for far longer than most realize? Or, perhaps most intriguing of all, what if we were to learn that something we have perceived as being
alien
for so long already is far more closely related to us—and to what our species is destined to become—than we could have ever imagined? What if “they” are literally
from our future?

All things considered, it would seem that the Singularity is indeed very near, as many in the Transhumanist community have taken to saying in reference to Ray Kurzweil and his work. In fact, perhaps this incredible point in our technological advancement is so near to us that aspects of its eventuality already exist right here in our midst, and yet, strangely, they remain almost imperceptible to us—much like UFOs tend to do. If we can accept the bold challenge of changing some of our worldly perspectives—especially those that pertain to unexplained aerial phenomenon—thus allowing ourselves to revise many of
our past conceptions of the UFO mystery, we may stand to gain far more than just answers about the strange aircraft that have haunted our skies for so many decades.

With a bit of luck, we may even learn something new about
ourselves
.

The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them.

—Albert Einstein

T
here is a profound sense of wonder that one gets from staring into the depths of space on a clear night. For many, gazing up into the interminable vastness of the evening sky inspires an ease of passage between thoughts, and a path toward ultimate realization within the mind. With little doubt, our ancestors also found themselves gazing upward at such times of pensive reflection, whether their intent was to converse with spirits long removed from the confines of our static world, or perhaps merely to envisage a future it was known they would never live to see. Perhaps, on occasion, they were even so lucky as to have witnessed strange lights or other uncanny objects coasting through the heavens. Although this sort of curiosity must have been perplexing and seemingly impossible, it may also have granted those in earlier times a unique glimpse of things to come, inspiring notions of a future humanity capable of traveling beyond this world, and perhaps to vast and exotic locations inhabited by life entirely unlike our own.

Even notions of how life might exist here on Earth today, as perceived by the minds of those living as recently as one century ago, would likely seem simplistic or comical to us now. Indeed, the rapid expansion of our technology has managed to surpass ideas forecast by many of the finest thinkers of yesteryear. The brilliant
Thomas Edison, still regarded as the fourth most prolific inventor in our history, managed to express his own fair share of ideas about a 21st century he envisioned that had been remarkably tame by our standards. For instance, in the summer of 1911 the
Miami Metropolis
featured an interview where the famous Wizard of Menlo Park predicted what books of the future would be like. “Books of the coming century will all be printed leaves of nickel,” according to Edison, who said they would be “so light to hold that the reader can enjoy a small library in a single volume. A book two inches thick will contain forty thousand pages, the equivalent of a hundred volumes; six inches in aggregate thickness, it would suffice for all the contents of the Encyclopedia Britannica. And each volume would weigh less than a pound.”
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It was boasted at the time that Edison could already produce “a pound weight of these nickel leaves, more flexible than paper and ten times as durable, at a cost of five shillings.”
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That cost would have reduced drastically by 2011, the inventor surmised, had it not been for the emergence of a kind of wizardry even Edison couldn’t have foreseen. As we know today, computer technology would begin to emerge throughout the middle part of the 20th century, which spurred the invention of devices such as iPads and e-readers just within the last few years. At the very least, Edison had been right about the use of metal in the construction of these futuristic “books.”

Then in January 2012, just one year following the expected fruition of Edison’s predictions from a century
earlier, an article discussing the sorts of technology humans might expect to see in yet another hundred years appeared in the online edition of
BBC News Magazine.
The piece, “Twenty Top Predictions for Life 100 Years From Now,” featured commentary from renowned futurologists Ian Pearson and Patrick Tucker, who ranked various reader-submitted future predictions in terms of their likelihood. Among the strange and incredible forecasts proposed were communication through thought transmission, brain-computer interfaces that will improve human thought, and even technology that would grant humans immortality. Remarkably, these three potentials were viewed as being more likely than the institution of a one-world currency or government, or that of future U.S. wars being managed entirely with remote drone technology, or even the potential for annual contracts replacing marriages.
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A similar approach to crowd-sourcing predictions of the future appeared around the same time on the Website of the
New York Times.
Featured amid forecasts spanning the next 300 years were some of the following ideas, many of which involve artificial intelligence, biological improvement through Transhuman technology, and yes, even UFOs and extraterrestrials
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