Go Team! Yaaaaay!
Nuts & Bolts vs. Not Nuts & Bolts. It's one of ufology's more pernicious black holes. An endless debate hatched and mired in an impossible tangle of specious claptrap.
I've seen UFOs which were neither hallucinations nor holograms nor fancy DOD doodads; ones that, had they landed in my backyard, I am firmly convinced could be touched. And, who knows, perhaps, with enough headroom, even boarded. The most impressive material vehicle from - well, not here (dimension, planet, WTFever) was a black rectangle. If I wasn't getting pummeled by work to the point of sleep deprivation, I'd tell you all about it, as I got a very good look at it. "So," says the self-assured smart ass, "Did it have nuts and bolts?" No, Einstein, I didn't see any.
Incidentally, I'm ridiculously fond of fasteners. If I ever reach a comfort level with personal disclosures, perhaps I'll share my official USAF portrait, probably on a day when I'm afflicted with terrible judgment. Yes, long ago and far away, I was an aircraft mechanic - a good one, actually, and an obviously poor fit for the military. What can I say. I was young and unemployed and, quite literally, hungry. Sorry, I have no exotic super-secret! tales from those days; only slightly provocative ones I rarely discuss. But if our roles were switched, oh, thoughtful and curious reader, I would like to know if you ever worked the flight line. Not that it means anything, really, since we all live, at least, in this incarnation, within a material dimension - though, in my opinion, not exclusively.
Does your silverware have nuts & bolts? Does your favorite coffee cup have nuts & bolts? No? Well, then, I can only assume you eat your spaghetti and drink your coffee from (a.) figments of your imagination, (b.) intangible objects from The Spirit World, or (c.) material constructs manufactured by your all-powerful psyche. Well done, magi.
I've also seen UFOs which are commonly associated with plasmatic energy, i.e. orbs. For me, these have been the more ubiquitous variety. They're intelligent, you know. I didn't see any nuts & bolts on those, either.
And, finally, like others with sightings too numerous to detail (most of whom having the good sense to smile and nod and refrain from talking about it), I've seen UFOs which, typically, because of their light intensity, may have been plasmatic or material or some combination of the two, yet were not ambiguous insofar as being confused with terrestrial vehicles of conventional or unconventional design. (Please. Let's not play gotcha! with semantics. I have no intention of writing a fucking paragraph of disclaimers and explanations every time I use UFO in this blog. This ain't YouTube or The New York Times. You're welcome.)
You can surmise where I'm going with this, yeah?
If you happen to be on one side or the other collecting scalps, and maybe even losing a bit of your own, have you ever stopped to consider it isn't a game worth playing? When it comes to UFOs, clinging to mutually exclusive concepts is unlikely to serve you well, unless your objective is to start off with a half-deck. This phenomenon punishes arrogance, and, rightfully so. It's kicked my ass more than once. If it hasn't kicked yours yet, just keep on truckin' with your li'l lunchbox of absolutes and make sure to give me a call when you get a bit further down the meandering road. I promise not to be cruel about it.
And, now, if you'll excuse me, I have some unpaid work to do in the material constructs I call my home and landscape.
May your weekend be fabulous. I'll be listening to PJ Harvey's "Let England Shake" for at least the next few days. Every time she releases something new, the acquisition is like my first bottle of Laphroiag. Cheers!
Nuts & Bolts vs. Not Nuts & Bolts. It's one of ufology's more pernicious black holes. An endless debate hatched and mired in an impossible tangle of specious claptrap.
I've seen UFOs which were neither hallucinations nor holograms nor fancy DOD doodads; ones that, had they landed in my backyard, I am firmly convinced could be touched. And, who knows, perhaps, with enough headroom, even boarded. The most impressive material vehicle from - well, not here (dimension, planet, WTFever) was a black rectangle. If I wasn't getting pummeled by work to the point of sleep deprivation, I'd tell you all about it, as I got a very good look at it. "So," says the self-assured smart ass, "Did it have nuts and bolts?" No, Einstein, I didn't see any.
Incidentally, I'm ridiculously fond of fasteners. If I ever reach a comfort level with personal disclosures, perhaps I'll share my official USAF portrait, probably on a day when I'm afflicted with terrible judgment. Yes, long ago and far away, I was an aircraft mechanic - a good one, actually, and an obviously poor fit for the military. What can I say. I was young and unemployed and, quite literally, hungry. Sorry, I have no exotic super-secret! tales from those days; only slightly provocative ones I rarely discuss. But if our roles were switched, oh, thoughtful and curious reader, I would like to know if you ever worked the flight line. Not that it means anything, really, since we all live, at least, in this incarnation, within a material dimension - though, in my opinion, not exclusively.
I've also seen UFOs which are commonly associated with plasmatic energy, i.e. orbs. For me, these have been the more ubiquitous variety. They're intelligent, you know. I didn't see any nuts & bolts on those, either.
And, finally, like others with sightings too numerous to detail (most of whom having the good sense to smile and nod and refrain from talking about it), I've seen UFOs which, typically, because of their light intensity, may have been plasmatic or material or some combination of the two, yet were not ambiguous insofar as being confused with terrestrial vehicles of conventional or unconventional design. (Please. Let's not play gotcha! with semantics. I have no intention of writing a fucking paragraph of disclaimers and explanations every time I use UFO in this blog. This ain't YouTube or The New York Times. You're welcome.)
You can surmise where I'm going with this, yeah?
If you happen to be on one side or the other collecting scalps, and maybe even losing a bit of your own, have you ever stopped to consider it isn't a game worth playing? When it comes to UFOs, clinging to mutually exclusive concepts is unlikely to serve you well, unless your objective is to start off with a half-deck. This phenomenon punishes arrogance, and, rightfully so. It's kicked my ass more than once. If it hasn't kicked yours yet, just keep on truckin' with your li'l lunchbox of absolutes and make sure to give me a call when you get a bit further down the meandering road. I promise not to be cruel about it.
And, now, if you'll excuse me, I have some unpaid work to do in the material constructs I call my home and landscape.
May your weekend be fabulous. I'll be listening to PJ Harvey's "Let England Shake" for at least the next few days. Every time she releases something new, the acquisition is like my first bottle of Laphroiag. Cheers!
6 comments:
I hope you reach comfort with personal disclosures sometime soon--love to hear your stories!
Thanks, C.J., but the more I do this, the less inclined I am to keep doing it. It's hard to imagine what would make it rewarding.
When the fly-by's and orb interactions and things of that nature started happening - once a pattern became discernible - I was under the impression it was happening with similar frequency and intensity to a lot of other people - including people with whom even an odd duck like me might find some camaraderie. As events have progressed, I've slowly begun to realize this doesn't appear to be the case.
It gets very old being looked at with a jaundiced eye, quietly psychoanalyzed by friends and associates. I don't fit in with, nor do I want to fit in with, the cliques that make up the online ufology experience, which, more often than not, are all about self-promotion and fear-mongering.
If I'm not feeling differently in another six or eight weeks - and, really, I have no reason to believe I will - the tents will be folded and I will quietly resume my place in anonymity, with a much greater appreciation of what that means. I'm not an evangelist, nor do I have any illusions about my sphere of influence.
I don't blame people for keeping their distance. They don't want to look like fools by getting drawn into what they suspect is a fantasy. The irony is rich.
This has all been an experiment of sorts. An honest one, but an experiment nonetheless. And what I'm finding out is that it's a lopsided, soul-sucking endeavor; one unlikely to even out anytime soon. It's like spilling my guts in a dark stadium where I can only make out three or four faces on the front row. This isn't the kind of freak show I feel sponsoring, much less starring in, so if there are any essays you're fond of, I humbly suggest saving them.
It may just be that this is not the right medium for me. While I have a long record of starting projects I never finish, I might try one more time to write the book that has yet to be written. [shrug] Or not.
In any case, I thank you, and everyone else who stops by to read my musings, leave a comment and/or reach out via email. Your feedback has been one of the few pleasures I've taken from doing this.
Arvin
The flight line, 377thABW, 58thSOW, MXS-hell yes!! Photographed many an event.
Do not stop writing here, it is a voice in the wilderness for me to ponder it's direction
Be well
Laurence
Thanks, Brother Laurence. Yours is the kind of little revelation that puts some fuel in the tank.
I enjoyed checking out your work on your tumblr site. Very nice. I'm very tempted to pursue more graphic & photographic forms of expression, or perhaps start working in InDesign and combining narrative & visual work. Photography is a relatively new art form for me, but, increasingly, I'm preferring it over most others.
If you do choose to write a book, I've got my BA in English and have some good editing skills. Would love to help you out. Though I've never been in your shoes, I do know what it's like to believe in things that others think are silly/unbelievable, so I commend you for even trying to branch out and give the blog a shot. That said, I hope you keep blogging for selfish reasons (I like reading what you have to say!), but ultimately you must do what is best for you, what would give you the most peace and meaning, and only you can say what that is!
That's a very thoughtful offer, C.J.. I appreciate it very much.
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