Seeing is believing

Due to the overabundance of misinformation and misleading distractions in the media, deciphering the reliability of information is a challenge, if not impossible. Furthermore, experts discover new information every day that can disprove or modify current belief systems about reality. With this dilemma of uncertainty, debatable conspiracy theories are easily provoked.

On July 8th, 1947, Col. William Blanchard issued a press release that stated a flying saucer had crash landed in Roswell, New Mexico. The following day, Gen. Roger Ramey issued a press release stating that it was just a weather balloon. This military cover-up is shrouded in so much mystery that its debate still carries on today (roswell-nm.gov).  Some say, this event sparked Project Blue Book, which was a systematic study of investigations about unidentified flying objects directed by the United States Air Force. From the years 1947-1969, a total of 12,618 sightings were reported, and of these, 701 remain “Unidentified” (archives.gov).

There is plethora of remarkable findings in the universe that humans know very little about. Many theories are drawn from scientific research, historical records, experience, and experimentation, but others are a little bit more out of this world. For instance, historical research in­­­dicates that artificial cranial modification has been practiced by a strangely high number of different cultures throughout ancient civilization. Depending on the culture, elongating skulls may have denoted social status, religion, superiority, or desirable attributes. However, some people believe that this trend may have been inspired by beings that they might have actually seen. Others even speculate the possibility of alien/humanoid existence. (History.com)

In some cases, archaeological evidence suggests information contrary to that of historical documents. For example, the Great Pyramid was stated by ancient Greek historian Herodotus to have taken 100,000 men to build in twenty years, but Egyptologists estimate that it may have only taken about 20,000. The sheer volume and incredibly precise engineering skills that it took to build these monumental structures is astounding even in today’s standards. The Great Pyramid of Giza is located at what some people consider the geographical center of the planet and was built at a time when the North star was not even visible. There are hieroglyphs in the pyramids that reference “Guardians of the Sky,” flying discs, and the “Dendra Light,” which resembles a modern light bulb. This information is provided to you by the History Channel, HISTORY.COM, whose only citation information I can find says “History.com editors,” and the History magazine with images from ShutterStock…. (History.com)

How do we even know who or what to believe anymore? What if beings from another planet DO exist and the government IS working with them? Another debatable conspiracy theory is the story of Phillip Schneider. He was an explosive engineer who supposedly had a high-level security clearance contract with the U.S. government and claimed to have participated in the building of a secret, underground military base in Dulce, New Mexico back in 1979. He is known for his dubious tale about a horrific battle at the base between humans and subterranean aliens. He became an outspoken advocate for encouraging the government to be more transparent about their knowledge of alien life, and died suddenly of reported suicide. (HuffingtonPost) With the amount of misinformation and hoax stories out there, we really have no idea how credible this story is at all.

While it is extremely hard to validate the credibility of such outlandish accusations, there are many people around the world with very different, beliefs, religions, and origin stories that have no scientific support at all. Not knowing the certainty of something does not negate the possibility of its existence. Sometimes, pressing the boundaries of the unknown is the only way to make new discoveries. Sometimes, people want to believe.

“Project BLUE BOOK - Unidentified Flying Objects.” National Archives: Military Records. 15 Aug. 2016. Web. 20 Oct. 2018. <https://www.archives.gov/research/military/air-force/ufos.html>. 

“UFO Story.” City of Roswell New Mexico. n.d. Web. 20 Oct. 2018. <https://roswell-nm.gov/692/UFO-Story>.

History.com Editors. “Egyptian Pyramids.” History. A&E Television Networks, 21 Aug. 2018. Web. 20 Oct. 2018. <https://www.history.com/topics/ancient-history/the-egyptian-pyramids>.

“The Search For Alien Life: Who Shaped Our World?” History. A&E Television Networks. Time Inc. Books, 24 Aug. 2018: 24-29; 38. Print. 20 Oct. 2018.

“That Time Subterranean Aliens Killed 60 People in New Mexico.” Huffington Post. 6 Dec. 2017. Web. 20 Oct. 2018.<https://www.huffingtonpost.com/roadtrippers/that-time-subterranean-al_b_5182945.html>.