The Future Facing Us – Part Three
Perhaps the greatest existential shock that will burst into human reality is the realization of the simple yet profound fact that we will unquestionably know that we are not alone in the universe. Rather, we will find the universe is full of every possible manifestation of life and even intelligent beings beyond our ability to comprehend. This intelligent life has been both near and with us for ages as we are coming to understand from the continuing release of UFO/UAP data by the government and knowledgeable whistleblowers. For ages many people deeply believed that we human beings are the pinnacle of creation and exist alone in the universe. This belief is based on religious and other ideologies. The concept that people or other beings inhabit worlds beyond our own is not new. Democritus in the 5th century BC proposed that life like ours could exist on other planets. This topic appeared in the second century in the writing of Lucian of Samosata and Johannes Kepler in the fourteenth century. Journeys to other inhabited worlds was a popular topic of early science fiction writers such as Jules Verne, H.G. Wells, L. Frank Baum, Robert Heinlein, and many others. Our perspective of the universe changed forever in the twentieth century when astronomer Edwin Hubble proved that our Milky Way galaxy is only one of an immeasurable number of galaxies in our expanding universe. Scientists currently estimate that the observable universe contains roughly 2 trillion galaxies. The size of galaxies is highly variable, but a useful rough estimate is each galaxy contains about 100 billion stars. Astronomers currently know that planets orbit most stars and the molecular components of life exist throughout the universe. We will soon begin to comprehend that we are only one of billions of intelligent species, and many have existed much longer than we have on Earth.
Our universe is almost 14 billion years old. Many worlds have likely developed life that has evolved into myriad species and intelligent beings. Some have survived and progressed while others have not. Many have evolved in ways we cannot imagine and advanced living beings with abilities beyond our wildest dreams. Some have moved beyond their home domains like ancient mariners discovering new worlds, creatures, and civilizations. They may resemble us in some respects or be vastly different from anything we can conceive. Some may lack a physical body and exist as what we would call a spirit. Others may be part physical and part or entirely mechanical or may have evolved into beings we would consider to be angels or divine beings. We are in for surprises.
There is an intriguing concept that ETs have interacted with us and even manipulated our evolution on Earth for eons and continue to do so even now. We have progressed slowly from thinking Earth is the center of the universe to realizing that we are an almost insignificant blue dot lost in a seemingly endless cosmos of stars and galaxies. The truth of new scientific revelations about human beings and our planet was shocking and extremely offensive to our ancestors, who rebelled at the new ideas. This refusal to believe the truth of the discoveries resulted in the deaths of many enlightened people at the hands of religious zealots and others who could not face the new revelations. Even today, many people vehemently deny the unfolding new reality and rebel against the unprecedented discoveries and the new worldview that will dawn upon us like a brilliant sunrise. This new reality is what Harvard psychiatrist John E. Mack, MD, called ontological shock, in which everything we consider to be our reality is shattered. Sadly, we are unjustifiably arrogant about our importance and opinions when we are a very small part of a greater continuity.
I doubt that the upcoming events are an end-of-the-world scenario. However, these revelations will result in a new world vision unlike anything we have ever known. It is evident to me that this is the next stage in human evolution when we will know who and what we are in our relationship with the universe and its Creator. Sages from many religions and beliefs have long expected the return of the Star People, the coming or return of the Messiah, the return of Vishnu, Quetzalcoatl, and many others to bring peace, prosperity, and establish a new civilization. Some people view the extraterrestrials as beings who were here in the past and who will soon return to us after a long absence. Others believe they are here now as denizens of the Earth but are hidden from us. These concepts may or may not have validity in our current encounters with non-human intelligence. Human reactions to the arrival or the revelation of advanced will likely produce a chaotic time for us, but it will ultimately result in a harmonious and enlightening connection. We need to be prepared for extraordinary changes and new experiences. As always, change is inevitable. We may fear change but dramatic, transforming developments will come, and we will be guided to better days and times if we follow truth and light and have faith in ourselves.
The church and many religious groups are not prepared for the disclosure of the existence of extraterrestrial and other-dimensional beings. People of deep religious faith or no faith at all will face profound revelations that may be inconsistent with their long-held beliefs. Dogmatic scientists who cling to what they believe to be true will be shaken by the new realities. The faith narrative will suddenly expand from Earth to multiple stars, galaxies, and planets, never imagined by us. The Vatican and other religious groups have been contemplating this possibility and have discussed the issues with scientists, clergy, and laity. Vatican astronomers, including Father Jose Gabriel Funes, have publicly acknowledged that belief in intelligent extraterrestrial life does not contradict Catholic faith. There are multiple questions for which we will seek answers:
- Will the new disclosures validate religious beliefs or undermine long-established doctrines, producing a crisis of faith?
- Do extraterrestrial beings know or have a concept of God, and are they agents or manifestations of the Creator?
- Do our religions have meaning only for us earthlings, or is there a more universal significance that includes beings or creatures from other worlds?
- How much of what we believe is mythology or self-delusion?
- What are our religious/spiritual/moral relationships and responsibilities to extraterrestrial and other-dimensional entities?
- How should we regard these extraordinary beings who seem to be incredibly advanced? Should we consider them to be people?
- Why are these beings contacting us and what is their motivation?
- Will human reaction to them be positive and interactive or will our primitive brain responses see them as evil and dangerous and go to war against them?
There are many questions for which we will seek answers. It is of the utmost importance for us to examine our beliefs and confirm what is true about ourselves, each other, the Creator, and the universe based upon our personal experiences and knowledge. When we have interactions with spirit, we are guided toward truth and the light. If we hide from enlightenment and cling to dogma without having personal interaction with the divine being within us, we will fall into darkness.
