A Harvest of Fear
Steven M. Greer, MD
The pursuit of truth requires the ability to see
beyond the appearance of things to the meaning and substance behind the forms.
In no field of study and research is this more essential than that of UFOlogy,
a field beset by mystery, partial information, misinformation and deliberate
disinformation. And, alas, in no field is there so great a deficiency of this
very quality.
Take, for example, the present climate where every
rumor, fantasy and observation is given a spin to fit into the preconceived
framework of “alien” sinister designs and manipulations. From abductions, to
animal “mutilations” to secret goings-on at US military bases, all are
described in the “sinister aliens” mold. Their pervasive, if unspoken, status
quo is to place all such events, real or imaginary, in the same dark and rather
frightening shadows. To depart from this conventional wisdom, this unofficial
party line, is to incur the derision of those self-appointed experts who, after
all, know best.
It would appear that the UFO hysteria pendulum has swung
full cycle: If the 1950s were the era of the gorgeous Venusians, space gods and
saviors from the galactic federation, the past decade has brought us to the age
of sinister “aliens” snatching mother and child alike from their bedrooms,
harvesting cattle, cats, dogs and even fetuses for obviously nefarious
purposes, and the collaboration of military fascists and “aliens” in a plan to
dominate the Earth! For the most part, those who claim to be objective UFO
“abduction” researchers, as well as UFO journalists and authors, have been
swept up in this hysteria, this harvest of fear.
Even those who sincerely intend to “just describe the
facts” are affected by the dominant milieu of fear, negativity and hysteria.
Words such as victim, abducted, alien, mutilation, rape, sinister, disturbing,
alarming, deception, controlling, manipulative, evil, and so on are accepted as
automatic members of the UFO lexicon at once mandatory and unquestioned. There
is an abundance of automatic interpretations and a real lack of deep analysis,
which leaves us with nearly unquestioned – and unchallenged – conclusions,
which are uniformly negative. Rather than objectively collecting facts,
analyzing trends and making intelligent plans for future research and UFO-human
interactions, there exists an increasingly powerful machine of hysteria
bringing forth a harvest of fear. And facts which do not fit into this fear and
negativity paradigm are either ignored or deliberately debunked as “alien”
screen memories and deception.
The real victim in all this, of course: Truth.
Truth is hard to discern amid the din of hysteria and
the clouds of fear currently holding sway over the UFO community. Events are
prone to misinterpretation and even censure in this environment, and those
facts which do survive intact are nonetheless presented with a patina of fear
and paranoia. The danger in all of this is that we may perpetuate a trend
which, while initially false, may create its own reality – and its own future
conflicts. We must give serious thought and much reflection to this matter, for
to do otherwise may result in serious and potentially catastrophic consequences
for not only humanity as a whole, but for individual observers of the UFO
phenomenon as well. Indeed, we do create our own reality, and we must
contemplate deeply what reality may be.
Beyond those other sweeping if not abstract concerns,
there is the more immediate and ethical question of what all of this hysteria
is doing to the numerous innocent percipients of the UFO phenomenon. Aside from
the fact that the trust is being continuously if not unintentionally distorted,
those individuals who have had close interactions (a.k.a. “abductees” and
“contactees”) with UFOs and their occupants are being forced, at times cruelly,
to deny any positive or edifying aspects of their encounters, and are left to
dwell only on the frightening and negative aspects of the experience. Is this
common? Exceedingly so! We have interviewed several individuals who have stated
that so called “abduction researchers” not only enforced a certain negative and
fear-engendering interpretation of their experiences, but go further and
actually “throw out” any aspects of the experience which do not fit this
preconceived “fear paradigm”. That is, positive, loving, healing and edifying
experiences with ET beings are either ignored or deemed screen memories which
only constitute a further sinister deception by the ETs. Objectively, open –
mindedness – and the truth – are cast away so that these experiences may be fit
into a framework of preconceived (if unstated) negative conclusions. On the one
hand these researchers will go to great lengths to establish the credibility
and veracity of their subjects, only to turn around and ignore or actively
debunk those aspects of the experience which do not fit the researchers’ own
paradigm.
If we are to pick and choose among the facts of these
cases, could we not just as well contend that the negative experiences are the
“screen memories” triggered by the individual’s own internal fears and insecurities
while the edifying and spiritual memories are the “true” ones? If we are to
pick and choose among the facts, why not just take the happy alternative?
Indeed, one alternative is just as dishonest and dangerous as the other, and
both should be avoided. It is imperative that we accept – and report – all the
facts, and then analyze their meaning in a calm and non-hysterical manner. With
the information and experiences we collectively possess thus far, we can
neither proclaim the ET beings to be sinister Darth Vader space conquerors, nor
can we assert that they are perfect space gods. Our polarization on this
question is one of the chief manifestations of a collective hysteria which is
at once pervasive and unproductive. And the greatest task facing us is the
elimination of this hysteria and the transcendence of our own fear.
From:
“Extraterrestrial Contact: The Evidence and
Implications” by Steven M. Greer, MD
