The other day, Rob, Megan and I were in the car, on our way home beneath a vast blue Florida sky. So I asked one of those what if questions.
Me: “What if the sky suddenly filled with UFOs?”
Megan: “I’d lock myself in my room and seal up the house.”
Me: “But they might be friendly.”
Megan: “Yeah, they might be. But suppose they shot down beams of light and blew up the car in front of us?”
Me: “Then we’d race home. So does it come down to the ET scenario – benevolent aliens – or the V scenario – the bad aliens?”
Rob, who hadn’t said anything to this point, jumped in. “There are so many possibilities. They might be from another planet, they might be us from the future, or they could be inter-dimensional beings. Or something else altogether. Whatever they are, that kind of event would change everything. It would be a global paradigm shift.”
Megan and I agreed. Disclosure – by governments, by national security agencies, by whoever or whatever has maintained such a tight lid on the entire ET issue – would become irrelevant. If the leaders of countries announced that ETs were here, among us, the impact wouldn’t be as powerful as millions of people seeing a sky filled with UFOs. That would be something that even skeptics couldn’t dispute.
I’ve often thought that popular culture is the collective unconscious of any society. The fastest way that ideas are spread, that they reach a tipping point, is through visual and social mediums – movies, TV, books, Facebook, Twitter. Was the black president in 24 the voice of the collective saying we were ready for a black president? Or was it a shade of precognition? Or both?
Take a look at the TVs and movies coming up during the rest of 2011:
Falling Skies, a Stephen Spielberg alien invasion for TV
Super 8: a Spielberg/JJ Abrams (Lost) alien invasion for movies
Battle: Los Angeles -pro–U.S.military invasion alien invasion
I Am Number Four – from James Frey’s YA novel, alien invasion
Cowboys and Aliens – a period piece, old West alien invasion movie
Monsters – romance/alien invasion
Skyline -human-tornado alien invasion
Men in Black III – the 3rd in the franchise
The Thing -prequel alien invasion
Battleship – childhood-toy alien invasion
Iron Sky – Nazis alien invasion
Then there are the classics like The X-Files, 4400, V, Battlestar Galactica, all the Star Trek movies, Brother from Another Planet, Independence Day, Paul, K-Pax, and, of course, ET. And there are remakes of The Day the Earth Stood Still and War of the Worlds. I’ve probably left off a number of others.
The bottom line, though, is that in today’s world, the Internet provides us with more than just a cursory glimpse into Carl Jung’s collective unconscious. It IS the collective unconscious made conscious and visible. It’s as if TV, movies, books, and numerous websites are preparing us for something.
As we approached our neighborhood, Rob told Megan that when she was very small, she was afraid of aliens. Megan says she remembers coming into our room one night because she was scared about the aliens.
“Not your normal childhood fear,” I remarked.
“Uh, well, maybe that’s because you guys are weird. I mean, how many of my friends’ parents would be driving home and speculating about what we would do if the sky filled with UFOs?”
Properly humbled, Rob and I laughed and Megan leaped out of the car as though she couldn’t get away from us fast enough, but I could hear her chuckling.
OK, Guys, it’s time to think about something here. Let’s stop blaming all the horrible things that are happening in the world on the BushCo admin. My reason for saying this? The more we give him the credit for turning the world upside down, the more empowered he becomes. No one…no one….has the power that is attributed to Bush, and we increase his energy and his influence when we constantly lay blame on him.
On my end, I won’t give him or his family the satisfaction of thinking he has such a degree of control in the world, and I’d like to believe there are others who agree with my take on this. The more he is mentioned, the greater his glory….even when the mention of his name is to denigrate him and his. I think we need to banish his name as a means of banishing his energies, just as the American Indians refused to speak the name of a member of the tribes who had created heinous acts. Just my thoughts on the matter.
Good thoughts!
didn’t C the first got posted,, maybe R+T migth dispense with these last 2
I edited the last one because I didn’t have any idea what you were talking about! – Trish
synchronicty towers mayan,,, as strange as anything I’ve read on blogs verifiable,,,,,, current like in last nights football GAME!!!!! work the ###
Nancy I have had similar feelings. There is definitely something in the air.
love this wonderful little what if story – it reminds me of my own childhood and taking the existence of ufos for granted – like “knowing” they were/are here –
Fascinating to consider the popular media as an indicator of the collective unconscious, at least the American collective unconscious (one wonders what people in Brazil or Bangladesh think about UFO’s). I’ve often wondered what happened to the enlightened aliens of the 80’s and early 90’s (COCOON, CLOSE ENCOUTERS, THE ABYSS, CONTACT)………..personally, I have felt that with the advent of the Bush administration, our world became increasingly paranoid and pro-military, and 911 finished the job.
I tend to include the reigning paradigm of patriarchy in my perceptions of popular media – endless battles that afford heros the opportunity to eventually get the girl after killing off everything else with either the ubiquitous sword or gun. Much of the patriarchal myth is authoritarian and heirarchical – us vs. them, and “there can be only one”, etc. So from this perpective, the possibility of alien contact could be viewed as expanding our paradigm horizons to include much more than just our own little corner of the universe, and further, they might be much more advanced than we are, an equally difficult idea.
I find it fascinating as well that so many movies and shows have come out in recent years about mediums, spirit contact, etc. That’s really encouraging to me.
You’re so right! Whatever happened to the good guys? Maybe popular culture is also a reflection of what has happened to the world after eight years of the Bush admin.
loved the closing… weird? dunno. but she certainly has a wider view of things than the child of closed-minded parents. and for that you should be getting brownie points!
as for the rest, i believe the media ‘conditions’ us, to prepare (???) us, for that which is. by the time it becomes a reality, the public is not soooo shocked or surprised by what is happening.
Two things – first of all – can I come live with you? Being around people that speculate about these things would be nirvana for me. 🙂
Second – OMG! I have been having these thoughts that something is going to happen and the veil will lift and we will see our skies filled with UFO’s. I have no idea where it came from, but I’ve been thinking this for weeks. Now I read that your family is discussing just such an event. The collective unconscious?
The collective unconscious: that’s what I’ve been wondering. And you’re welcome here any time!
i’ve had these thoughts/”knowing” since childhood – some of my earliest memories are of that very thing – knowing – i have always taken it for granted – it’s just a matter of time –
During our massive blackout last Thursday, you could see the night sky very clearly (thanks to no lights for 100’s of miles).
Larry and were standing there about 10:00 pm . … observing one HUGE bright light on the Eastern horizon. Larry said “The only thing missing is the Mothership.”
I could feel, on the fringes of consciousness, something/someone there.
Reminded me of the novel “Childhood’s End” by Heinlein.
Yikes! I loved that book.
OOPS1 It’s by Arthur C. Clarke!
I missed that, too! Well, it’s the book!!
Mike, I don’t think the issue will be credibility if/when disclosure comes, because there are too many highly-ranking military officials and indisputable people such as the NASA astronauts and others like them who have come completely out of the closet with their encounters with UFOs. These people are entirely too famous and too trusted for TPTB to “vanish” them, and, they cannot disclaim them or mock them. So the incidents experienced by the common folk aren’t really important. It’s the experiences of these impeccable people who make the difference, and they are speaking up now, no longer fearful of repercussions or consequences. THE GIFTED MAN, btw, is a TV series beginning on 9-20. he is a physician who suddenly begins to be able to see his deceased wife, who apparently was also a physician, I think is the gist. Watch for the commercials. Storyline looks enticing.
Contact is one of my favorites!
Megans comment about your conversation is one I hear all of the time even when it is my daughters starting the convo!
I think the govt. Is afraid of disclosure, it seems to me that more and more “the public” is accepting it.
Afraid of disclosure because then they’ll have to explain decades of secrecy!
Indeed!
Natalie,, hadn’t read your response till after more spoutin by “whoot” bozo”,, have to say that’s a wonderful confidence you have,, and yes I have noticed animals do funny things,, dogs do seem to stare at the boy,,,, but that confidence in high levels of rightousness,, interesting?? , challenge ya to a “synchEE”(give ya odds to) contest though,, and me normal,, fighting the fight of the ridiculed… character in the boys life studied his theology in a real small independent piece of land across the pond tells me the stuff (that he does C) is anything but from a positve source,, .. me NO bleepin idea,,, just know they brought me into casinos when I was a kid and laugh at me for having a certain lack of sustainable activities. keep the confidence but don’t let it hold ya back now!!! they do have one photo genic daughter though,, he’s says with all normality!!
I think if the sky filled with UFOs I’d want to try and take some decent, clear photos that couldn’t be disputed – I usually have my camera in the car. I can’t see government’s saying that there are ETs amongst us for a while yet. When info is released – as the UK had done – it’s still not convincing stuff. Lots of reports of sightings, some perhaps good, but clouded by the dross. But maybe the popular culture is softening us up for when the big revelation eventually comes.
Love this post, for many reasons. Do tell Megan that she’s far from alone. Our family has such conversations when all of us get together, and we have conversations, too, about things that go BUMP! in the night. Oh…don’t forget one of the top ET movies of all time, in my opinion: CONTACT with Jodie Foster. That one was stunningly spiritual and deep. I watch it from time to time because it touches me in places I can’t even reach with my conscious mind or thoughts. The scientist and the minister….. There are even more movies and TV series coming out now about psychic phenomena, too. One of these is THE GIFTED MAN, and the commercials look really good. Disclosure? I think TPTB must decide that the general population is not a herd of frightened sheep before they make such a monumental decision. But I tend to have the conviction it’s more about power on their part than the excuse they use that the public would go insane. Disclosure would very likely take away much of their power and control, and they aren’t going there unless and until they are forced.
Contact, how the heck did I forget that one?
The Gifted Man…on to my list it goes.
i’ve seen the clips of the gifted man – very intriguing –
oh, and speaking of all the mass produced movies etc – whatever happened to the tv series V?