Vision, Dreams and Delusions
When leaders speculate extraterrestrial existence
When a Science Fiction author or artist or filmmaker pitches a concept of extraterrestrial life, we are all in awe and enthralled with their work. If a national leader or anyone in government office of any significance — or for that matter a layman such as your colleague or neighbour — speaks aloud about aliens and their possible existence, visits, sightings on Earth.…..well, let’s just say those people are held in negative light (to say the least).
One may argue the fiction creator is imaginative where as a political leader is ‘cuckoo’. A public leader suggesting research and defence against aliens is forsaken. It’s assumed, such a person is absolutely blind to the existing woes of the world—not a visionary!
There is much nagging and actually unnecessary argument for and against space research and space related expenditure by governments. It is not immediately obvious to many people how a rocket or satellite or other space voyages help the average citizen, except their immediate conclusion of ‘weapons of war’. It is well-known how many applications in daily life exist due to innovations and inventions developed during space programs and modules. The more we understand Earth, the more we need to understand the ‘space’ it inhabits.
After all, if the goldfish does not know the world outside its self-cleaning glass bowl, it does not mean nothing outside the bowl affects it.
I am not even talking of threats from space, radiation, solar flares or meteors here. Just imagine if you had a plot of land and you made a nice brick house on it. Then you go about working your job and buying groceries and never realise that your plot of land is fertile enough for growing flowers and vegetables. Something special than mowing the grass every weekend! Then you stick to your grocery list and never realise your local grocer or shopping mall offers a variety of foods and beverages—but you have never even known it exists—forget about liking or disliking its flavor or nutrients!
There are leaders, there are madmen and then there are storytellers. Sometimes a man comes to prominence who is all three of those, leading either to war or innovation (or both).
Here is one non-fiction story about POTUS grade people talking about life and war from outer space.
Which Presidents Have Seen UFOs? Yep, It’s More Than One.
A wild history of Oval Office obsession with the biggest conspiracy theory of the modern era.
https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2023/11/17/us-presidents-ufo-obsession-00127519