W-wa Jeziorki: We Are Not Alone: ontological shocks are due

Those of you following the UAP disclosure process as it unfolds will be aware that there are currently several (three? four?) whistleblowers ready to testify under oath to the US Congress in open (and closed) hearings about recovered non-human craft. This is now serious shit - not crazy tales told by the mentally unstable. On US news media, from Politico to The Hill, from News Nation to CNBC, the buzz is right there - presenters no longer snigger and chuckle as they utter the word 'alien'.

Craft? How many? Twelve? Fifteen? It's clear from the rumours around Washington that the UAP issue is being taken seriously by American legislators and the US media. Four separate pieces of legislation have been passed since 2020 ensuring protection for whistleblowers coming forward to Congress with details of unacknowledged special-access programmes concerning reverse engineered off-world technology. Both the National Defense Appropriation Act for 2024, and Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024 are mandating those who know about such programmes to come forward within 60 days.

From the latter:

(d) Notification And Reporting.—Any person currently or formerly under contract with the Federal Government that has in their possession material or information provided by or derived from the Federal Government relating to unidentified anomalous phenomena that formerly or currently is protected by any form of special access or restricted access shall—
(1) not later than 60 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, notify the Director of such possession; and
(2) not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, make available to the Director for assessment, analysis, and inspection—
(A) all such material and information; and
(B) a comprehensive list of all non-earth origin or exotic unidentified anomalous phenomena material.

Wow. This is not tin-foil-hat-wearing crank conspiracy - this is the text of US legislation currently before Congress.

Humanity is much closer than ever before to an admission that non-human intelligence is real, and that Homo sapiens is not the only technologically advanced species on this planet.

Are we ready for it? Will we be able to cope with the ontological shock?

Alien craft? Alien bodies? Alien abductions? Just imagine that this is real. Roll it around in your mind. What are you feeling?

Science won't be prepared for it. Possession by governments of alien craft - alien technology - perhaps even alien biology - would mean our scientists having to dismantle their current understanding of how the physical world functions, from subatomic particles to far-flung galaxies; the nature of time; spatial dimensions; and the history of our planet, our Cosmos and our species. Faster-than-light travel? Intergalactic travel? Time travel? Inter-dimensional travel? Anti-gravity technology?

The social implications of this are huge. In our post-truth world, we won't know what or whom to believe. Until one consistent narrative is formed, presented and generally accepted, all forms of lunacy can be taken as honest coinage. It may be that the narratives differ from country to country. From communist China to religious India, from credulous Russia to down-to-earth Australia. How long before we are all following the same story?

There's so much to ask.

How many forms of non-human intelligence share our planet with us?

Where are they? Why do we only very rarely see any traces of them?

Are they benign, malevolent or neutral? What are their long-term plans?

What technology of theirs does mankind possess - and what have we managed to reverse-engineer? What science do they know that we don't? How does that knowledge impact the current state of cosmology? How does this affect our human status hierarchy? How will it affect mental health?

Is there a metaphysical realm - consciousness (the soul) - life after death? The implications of learning 100% that there is would be a huge boost to religions, but they would have to radically alter their theologies to adapt. But - I would argue - it is easier to alter a theology than it would be to abandon hardcore materialism and adopt a metaphysical worldview that can encompass, for example, non-local consciousness or telepathy.

"Sit down and listen. Everything you've been taught is wrong. Here's the new paradigm. We are not alone. Several non-human species are also on this planet; this has been known for many decades, but humanity had been judged unprepared for the news. Who are they? Their biology is different. That's all I can say at this time. Their understanding of physics is way beyond ours. What do they want from us? What is our ultimate fate as a species? We don't know." [Or we do know, but can't tell you. Those who believed us when we said there are no such things as flying saucers, so you'll believe this too.]

Local craft brewery, Browar Perun from Budzyszyn (6km away) has brewed an American Pale Ale for the occasion - First Contact.