Subject: Re: They Came From Outer Space - Or Did They?
Date: Nov 20 12:02:41 1997
From: Michael Price - mprice at mindlink.bc.ca


Hi Tweets,

Richard Rowlett writes:

>Oh no! Another myth debunked. But, you've just gotta believe.
>
>I spend more time than just about anyone out exposed and looking at the sky.
> Much to my dismay, I've yet to see anything that couldn't be explained. I'm
>taking it personal by now, and am convinced that I've been singled out and
>left out. :-/

You haven't, Richard, but, glumly, I'd advise you to become resigned to it:
it's the curse of familiarity, the conquest of belief by knowledge. We could
start a support group for those short-changed in the Eerie Phenomena
category. We could put in a want-ad: Will Bird For UFO's. Not to discredit
those people who see examples of terrestrial aviation and space technologies
on whose existence officialdom is significantly silent, but have you ever
noticed that the most luridly entertaining reports of What's Out There come
from the people with the least familiarity with what is *actually* going on
in the sky? Or noticed that a significant number of megararity reports come
from non-birders noticing a common local bird literally for the first time?
As with children, and I'd guess the same part of the brain is involved,
newly awakened awareness magnifies and distorts, and without a context, will
sometimes produce monstrous impressions. The feral housecat that, seen in
the forest in bad light by a cityboy like me, will become a bobcat, or even
a cougar.

In his urbanely witty science fiction novel (a great read BTW), The Kraken
Wakes, John Wyndham writes: "There must, I think, be a great many people who
go around just longing to be baffled, and who, moreover, feel a kind of
immediate kin to anyone who admits bafflement along roughly similar lines."

In his book, written in the 1950's, he's poking gentle fun at a brand of
English eccentricity; add 1990's rage and terror, and you have the
conspiracy theory.

Michael Price We aren't flying...we're falling with style!
Vancouver BC Canada -Buzz Lightyear, Toy Story
mprice at mindlink.net