| When we think of first contact with a non-human | | | | is advantageous because scientists generally are |
| civilisation, we imagine them either landing on the White | | | | open-minded and not oppressed by religious dogma. |
| House lawn, appearing over our cities in massive ships | | | | This would be very important in establishing First |
| or sneaking into our bedrooms at night scaring the | | | | Contact, as a person's religious/personal views could |
| willies out of us. The question I'd like to investigate here | | | | affect the meeting, possibly negatively. |
| is if it were the other way round i.e. it was US who | | | | Receiving First contact |
| were the advanced race making contact with a lesser | | | | Many people say that if aliens are here, buzzing round |
| alien civilisation, how would we do it? | | | | the heavens, why don't they just openly show |
| Lessons from history. | | | | themselves? Well, either they don't want to or we |
| Well, I couldn't write an article on this topic without | | | | won't let them. It could be that they don't think we're |
| mentioning Cortez and the Aztecs, or the early | | | | ready for it, maybe they consider us too primitive to |
| Americans and the Native Indians now could I? Our | | | | have a dialogue yet. There has been a massive |
| own history is full of similar situations. An advanced | | | | increase in UFO sightings the past few years, so |
| culture comes into contact with a less advanced | | | | maybe now they're beginning the long arduous |
| culture and bang what happens? The lesser one | | | | process of getting the population accustomed to their |
| usually ends up getting destroyed. But why is this? I | | | | presence before revealing themselves. Some people |
| think it has to do with the more advanced civilisations | | | | also believe that it is our own governments are |
| motives. What I mean by that is this. Cortez, the early | | | | preventing them from revealing themselves. Aliens |
| Americans, the British, whoever we use as an | | | | making First Contact with us would change everything. |
| example visited those areas of the world not for | | | | It would change the entire power structure on Earth |
| peace, not to spread knowledge and enlightenment, | | | | and maybe those in power don't want that. I'm not a |
| but to conquer, to acquire gold, wealth and resources | | | | big fan of this argument however, as I'm sure any such |
| and most importantly, to settle. So by extension, if we | | | | visitors could do pretty much whatever they wanted |
| were to make first contact with a lesser civilisation, our | | | | and our governments could do very little about it. |
| actions and methods would depend on our motives. | | | | I personally believe First Contact has already been |
| Making First Contact | | | | made and was made too early, at a time when the |
| If we were there for genuinely peaceful purposes, we | | | | Earth was not ready, probably in the late 1940's. We |
| would naturally be very careful not to interfere with the | | | | were still very tribal and had just ended another World |
| civilisations societal structure and culture. We would not | | | | War by dropping an Atomic Bomb on a population. |
| want to cause them panic. It would be important to | | | | Contact was limited to secret meetings with Earth's |
| study them for some time beforehand to understand | | | | best scientists. Only now are we starting to see the |
| their culture, to find some common ground to start | | | | beginnings of the process leading to First Contact. It |
| from. It might also be important that the civilisation is a | | | | may take another 200 years before we're ready, but |
| global one, not a local or regional one. It would be | | | | we are seeing the birth of our first global civilisation, a |
| difficult making First Contact (meaning the whole planet | | | | pre-requisite necessary before First Contact can be |
| knows of an alien presence, not just Governments) if | | | | made. |
| a planet is divided up into tribal nation-states. They | | | | So, what could THEIR motives be? Some argue that |
| would presumably be in competition with one-another | | | | they can't be hostile, because if they were, they'd have |
| and would likely quarrel over access to technology and | | | | attacked by now. Not necessarily. It's possible the |
| the benefits of First Contact. If we discovered and had | | | | visitors so far have been scouts, checking us out |
| to make First Contact early, before a civilisation was | | | | before backup arrives. Maybe we've over estimated |
| ready, we would have to keep it limited only to those | | | | their industrial capabilities, it could be they're building up |
| responsible enough to handle it. | | | | their forces as I write this. All I'm saying is we shouldn't |
| Making First Contact would have benefits for both | | | | get too complacent. |
| parties, both culturally and scientifically. Were we to | | | | Hopefully, they come in the name of Galactic peace |
| initiate contact with a lesser civilisation, it would be done | | | | and brotherhood. If not, we'll go the same way as the |
| not by Governments or politicians, but by scientists. It | | | | Aztecs, Native Americans and Aboriginals. |
| would be a meeting of scientists from both sides. This | | | | |