UFO Existence - Article Example

UFO Existence Do UFOs exist? If they do, what really are they? Where do they come from? These are questions that pop up from almost everybody’s mindwho hears about unidentified flying objects. According to the online Oxford Dictionary, a UFO is an unidentified flying object that is assumed or believed to be from another planet or body in the larger space (Oxford University Press, 2015). Some believe it is a space shuttle carrying beings from another planet. Some people actually believe that UFOs are real; they exist and claim to have evidence about them. They even further claim that that have spotted seen some and try to give a description of these objects. Another group of people do not believe at all that UFOs exist just as some of them do not believe in astrology or astronomical information about the solar system. Those in support of existence of UFOs have tried to give scientific theories in support of the same. These theories are based on studies and conclusions from findings of astronomical research. The opposing group has also given theories ,based on science, that try to prove that UFOs only exist in science fiction and that the possibility of such bodies existing is near zero if not zero. So do UFOs really exist? There have been several incidences where some people have claimed to have sighted UFOs and even several countries have developed UFO research and reporting centers. Photographic evidence has even been produced in support of such claims. There have also been several incidences where sailors and seamen have claimed to sight unidentified objects in the water which later disappear to where nobody knows. These objects have been named unidentified submarine objects or USOs. According to UFO evidence, a USO emitting blue light was sighted in the sea by sailors aboard a ship from Argentina on 30th June 1967. According to the people who saw the object, there was an anomaly in that there were no water waves in spite of the objects movement. This observation could have made them believe that this was an extraterrestrial body. Another incident was when people aboard a ship on 26th July 1980 sighted a light-emitting body in the water. The body later rose from the water and flew away in full glare and to the amazement of the people aboard the Brazilian ship (Pfeiler, 2011). These are just some of the unexplainable sightings that are in support of the existence of UFOs. More experiences and stories have been given by professionals. Perhaps their accounts give reasons that add weight to theories on existence of UFOs as they can be easily believed by the common lay man .Army air-force pilots have given stories of sighting UFOs and even chasing after them and launching attacks at them. Skeptics might dismiss UFO theories as just stories and give ordinary explanations but some sightings by different groups of people cannot be easily shoved aside with light explanations. One reason is that UFO sighting has been there for a long time. Since the fifteenth century, there have been claims by some people that they had spotted flying objects that appeared to fly in a co-ordinated pattern. Another reason, as mentioned earlier, is that fully trained and competent professionals have claimed to sight strange bodies floating in the air. According to National Geographic, air-force pilots have claimed to sight strange aircrafts while flying. The pilots forced at these bodies and the bodies flew away at ultrasonic speeds and vanished in the air. Similar accounts have also been given by airline pilots some who claimed to have spotted a disc-shaped object flying in the air that vanished at a high speed after few seconds of being sighted. The third compelling reason to believe in existence of UFOs is the similarities in their descriptions. In almost all the incidents mention here and many more, the unidentified objects are mostly disc or saucer-shaped (Kiger, 2014). They have been described as emitting very bright and coloured rays of light and they fly off at very high speeds seconds or minutes after being sighted. There is a very low probability that different people from different regions in the world as well as different governments can give similar or almost similar descriptions of UFOs. More evidence has been brought forward on sites where UFOs are said to have landed. According to National Geographic, there was a UFO that landed in France in the year 1981. Scientists and Researchers who included some from the University of Colorado visited the sight and made several unexplainable observations and carried out some tests. There was evidence of destroyed vegetation, burnt substances as well as large open holes alleged to have been blown out by the landing activity of the se unidentified objects. Further tests indicated structural changes in the components of organic materials in the landing site and its environs. Such changes could only have been caused by radioactivity. The scientists and researchers conducted searches on the area but found no radioactive materials. Some of those who have come close to UFOs have showed signs of burns and some disorders. All this evidence has not yet been challenged using scientific facts so it only serves to convince that UFOs actually exist. A question that lingers is that are these objects operating themselves or are they operating themselves? Believers of UFO theories believe there also extraterrestrial beings in existence. In any perspective, it can only be logical to conclude that existence of UFOs gives credence to existence of aliens. Aliens’ theories are closely related and similar to UFO theories, in that both are believed to originate from another planet and that there is no hard scientific existence proving the same. Incidents have been reported where experiencers have been abducted by aliens who visit the earth using UFOs. There has been no logical and tangible evidence either from scientists or those who have been abducted. Those who claim to be abducted and later released were either mentally disturbed or claimed to have been unconscious from when they were abducted to when they were brought back. Cases have been there where people have been abducted and they disappear never to be seen again. Governments have been involved in such incidents where they carry out investigations into the disappearance of the abducted persons. Evidential conclusions have been arrived at very rarely in such cases. Most skeptics believe that almost all those who claimed to have sighted UFOs had seen a common flying object that seemed strange to them (Keen, 2011). There has been significant evidence supporting the skeptics that UFOs do not exist at all but there lacks scientific facts explaining the reported incidents of UFO sighting. This can be argued that people, who have claimed to have seen UFOs, do so out of a paranormal belief that aliens exist and UFOs are spaceships used by them to visit earth. This could be fuelled by their genders, orientations in terms of politics and religious beliefs and psychological conditions. These conditions have always made human beings to seek for solutions to some of the natural phenomena. Those who believe in existence of extraterrestrial creatures will also believe in any theory that tries to explain their origin. In much more similar case, there is a very high probability that the offspring of those who believe in alien and UFO theories will also believe in them. If the above holds true, then, believe in existence of UFOs depends on an individual’s state of mind and several other influences. Perhaps it is just fear that leads some people to believe that UFOs exist. Surely, not everybody is in agreement with existence of the solar system. This means that there are people who do not an idea of what exists outside earth, in the space. Nobody is certain that there is no life in other planets where astronauts have not visited. This thought that there could be some creatures outside earth creates a fear that strengthens the belief that aliens and UFOs exist. Fantasy created out of theories, movies and even documentaries have also made many people to believe in existence of aliens and UFOs. Some people who watch or read a lot of science fiction might end up believing all that is contained therein. This makes their minds to be open to such and related beliefs. The belief in this group of people creates a conviction in them and some of them end up becoming die-hard defendants of UFO and alien theories. According to research, there is a group of people who can highly imaginative widely and can be able to live once again through the imagined experiences. They are able to do this because the imagined experiences are very clear in their minds. This very same group of people is able to imagine the appearance of an alien or UFO and clearly see the experience. When research was conducted on such individuals, the results indicated that they were highly prone to the fantasy world. Paranormal beliefs were found to be common in them. According to research conducted by Zimmer, people who believe that UFOs exist share some similar characteristics. First, they have paranormal beliefs such as life after death, black magic and reincarnation. Second, they show some signs of psychological disorder (Zimmer, 1984). They have very open minds that can easily conceptualize an experience and have a strong conviction that it is possible for the experience to actually happen in real life. This is the conviction that makes them believe in extraterrestrial life as well as other paranormal occurrences. In conclusion, there seems to be a direct connection between the mind and paranormal occurrences. Skeptics may argue that aliens and UFOs only exist in the mind of the experiencers and others who are highly prone to fantasy. It is a fact that there has been no hard hitting evidence supporting existence of UFOs and an aliens and neither has scientific research proved the same. However, some of the claims by experiencers cannot just be pushed aside and ignored. This leaves the question, do UFOs really exist. As far as evidence and reliable research is concerned, UFOs are just imaginary machines created by the highly imaginative human mind. The motive for such imagination still remains to be anybody’s guess as this topic is subject to many influences. However, if this conclusion is wrong and UFOs actually exist, then this means that there is so much ground to be covered in search of more information about UFOs. But one thing that is for sure, the topic of existence of UFOs will go on for quite a long time. References Bibliography Keen, L. (2011). UFOs: Generals, Pilots, and Government Officials Go on the Record. New York: The Crown Publishing Group. Kiger, P. J. (2014). Five Good Reasons To Believe in UFOs. Retrieved March 8, 2015, from National Geographic Website: http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/channel/chasing-ufos/articles/five-good-reasons-to-believe-in-ufos/ Oxford University Press. (2015). UFO. Retrieved March 8, 2015, from Oxford University Press website: http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/UFO Pfeiler, C. (2011). USOs- Do they Exist? Retrieved March 8, 2015, from UFO Evidence website: http://www.ufoevidence.org/documents/doc1782.htm Zimmer, T. (1984). Social psychological correlates of possible UFO sightings. The Journal of Social Psychology, 199-206. Gee, H. (2011). In Your Own Write: The ten rules for excellent writing. HYPERLINK "http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/punctuated-equilibrium/2011/apr/14/2" http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/punctuated-equilibrium/2011/apr/14/2 . Read More