When someone asks me if I believe in UFOs, I rarely suppress my usual sarcastic retort, “How can I believe in something that’s unidentified?” What, that flash of light in the sky? Could have been lightning, or an airplane, or a piece of a satellite, or reflected light, or a dozen other things.

Do you mean that shadow on the cloud? Or that blurry thing in a photo? Or that so-phony YouTube video? Or that story someone told your cousin in college? Fiction, hearsay, wild imagination (or lack thereof), optical illusion, CGI… what in the world am I supposed to be believing in?

Of course they mean, “Do you believe in spaceships from other planets?”

Believe? They either exist or they don’t. If it’s a question of belief, then I’d have to think that there’s absolutely no credible evidence known to Mankind to put them in the “exist” column. UFO theorists are just that - people with one myopic theory that might explain what we’re seeing, but who have absolutely no real clue. UFO conspiracy theorists are just plain loony.

Believe? Is this a theological question? I’m not superstitious, if that’s what the question is really asking. If we all clap our hands, Tinker Bell won’t die. If we all believe in flying saucers from outer space, they will therefore exist. Uh… no.

Believe? Maybe this is some sort of cosmic opinion poll or popularity vote. Does the existence of flying aliens rely on enough people voting “yes” for them? Does that go for Pixies, too? And Santa Claus? And God? Do any of them fly spacecraft (aircraft, actually, since they’re in the sky and not in space)? Would any of them exist if nobody believed in them? Maybe, but then nobody would care.

Intelligent alien life. I don’t want to believe. I want to know.

Jim Lawter

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