Part One: A Razors Edge and UFOs

Not so long ago, our ancestors lived in a world of imagined and justifiable fear. Particularly those who moved to the fringes of the wilderness and beyond. My family were among them in the settlement of the American West. It was a thread woven tightly in their everyday lives, not just a rare occasion. My family has letters from our forebears to their relations written in a matter of fact narrative to their families in the East, relating crop failures, droughts, etc.

Many Indian tribes were carrying on their wars in the 1870s, and the pioneers felt the backlash. But there were also those who approached the settlers with peaceful intentions. The difficulty was in knowing whether an Indian was friendly or not. And those that were friendly often were a little too curious about the wonderful objects the settlers had. It was not uncommon for an Indian to walk into a settler’s home uninvited and proceed to examine things. But Indians were only one of many fears the settlers had. Weather was a constant concern, and blizzards were not the least of nature’s dangers.

One woman recalled a beautiful January morning in Kansas. However, by noon the sky had darkened and by evening they were in the grip of a blizzard. The following morning, nothing could be seen but a drifted white landscape. To get to the barn they had to tie a rope to the backdoor and the other end to the barn. Until the snow stopped this was their only means of going between the two buildings without becoming hopelessly lost.

Range cattle froze to death. Within isolated homes ,fires burned day and night and still people froze if they ran out of fuel. And with the snow so deep replenishing dried cow dung called cow chips, the usual material used for fuel, was impossible.

Our lives today are comparitively insular, comfortable and secure. But beneath this apparently reliable technological veneer of manufactured entertainment, instant access to the internet, automobiles, medical care to name just afew, there is a instinctive sense that there is a unknown quality to our natural world that is unchanged however shielded we may be, that seems irrational, ambivilent, and rife with ambiguity.

Oct 27 2006 8:06PM
KXMCTV Minot
Here's a story that blends well into the Halloween season that is almost upon us.
In Tappen, North Dakota a 16 year old boy says he saw creatured that are out of this world. On September 12th the boy got out of bed early in the morning and saw something moving in the pig lot on the farm. He thought it might be a coyote, so he took a gun, and went to check it out. When he got out there he saw two creatures.
The boy shot at the creatures, and he says one screamed. The other creature then threw the boy across the lot, ripping his shirt. the boys father Torrey says this experience has been traumatic to the boy, and didn't want news crews to come to their farm. Kidder County Sheriff Douglas Howard says when he got to the scene that night, he couldn't find tracks anywhere near the lot. Howard looked at a fence that was knocked down, where Torrey Briese says the creatures left with a pig.
The Sheriff couldn't find any evidence, and says the case is closed.


No evidence and the case is closed, paperwork filed in a neat manilla folder, and yet we all know that it is not. The young boy probably now looks out over the rangeland of the family farm as dusk descends with the same unsettled and wary instinctive feeling the early Western settlers had. You could just as easily expect the unexpected as you can the sun rising in the morning and a list of chores to be done.

I will show you something different from either your shadow at morning striding behind you or your shadow at evening rising to meet you. I will show you fear in a handful of dust.
TS Eliott The Wasteland

Entropy is the unknown that cannot be quantified. It denotes an increase in one area that cannot decrease except by an increase in the other. It is related to information only in that it is the absence of information. It measures how much is not known about a referenced state. Recognizing probability as a factor in entropy is necessary. We can agree that the number of disorderly states exceeds the number of orderly states … so if all you know is that the system is not in an orderly state, you know the entropy is high. In contrast, though, the important point is that if you know the system is in some specific disorderly state, the entropy is zero. If you know what state the system is in, it doesn’t matter whether that state “looks” disorderly or not.

“By the pricking of my thumbs,
Something wicked this way comes.
Open, locks,
Whoever knocks!”

-W Shakespeare Macbeth

Have you ever experienced an event, a phenomenon that eludes any known explanation? I have. Let me tell you a bedtime story. Five years ago, I had just moved to a new home in a new state. I had just received telephone service. My house backs into a thick, dense wood that obscures it from view. These small details were reviewed in my search for an answer in our families encounter with a seemingly remote voice with an unaccountable ability to know to whom it was speaking.
The first was recorded in mid afternoon on my newly installed answering machine. The voice resembled the timbre and inflection of an elderly male.
He enthusiastically said "Hello!" Then he mused aloud " I wonder if I may be the one who sees through Netharious" (sp?).then a pause..then thoughtfully as he were deep in reflection the tone was one as if this person was contemplating the name and it's connotations, he softly repeated the name.."Netharious"..and then destainfully."The Great Wannabe".then, in a voice best described as simultaneously frantic he exclaimed "Okay!" Then a long pause ensued so long at first I thought that was the end of the message. Then it got stranger. Words cannot describe the timbre of the voice. At first I thought it was perhaps the tone was sardonic. My wife thought it had nothing to do with humor. He simply said...very slowly.. "ha.ha..ha. " With each repetition of "ha" the voice lowered in pitch and stretched as if it were spliced into the overall message artificially. My wife was understandably somewhat upset.
The next evening my son answered the phone at 2 am. A variety of loud electronic sounds mixed together in varying, modulating pitches that (as he mimicked
them) that sounded to me like the wireless data transfers I have heard. He could not provide a greeting when he picked up the phone since it was obvious this was a broadcasting signal of some sort, plus it temporarily took him aback. The instant it stopped a voice identical to that in the first message said " Give your father my regards." Then the transmission -call abruptly cut off. He was so excited he came into our bedroom to tell us. He was also somewhat frightened. How this voice knew it was my son answering the phone and not my wife or myself or my daughter is beyond me
especially since he never had the opportunity to speak or identify himself in this or any previous time..

“The unquestioning faith of primitive man, and perhaps of some people today, in a divine source is a thing which has become increasingly unreachable, incredible, unsupportable in the face of the powers existing in the modern world. But it is always there, faint and far away -- the unreal that is the ultimate reality. Yet when this ultimate somehow manifests, its very lack of sensible or rational expression creates fear and an implosion of irrelevant paraphernalia that protects us from fear but that obliterates the issue. We wish to put on skins, to clothe the unspeakable, to fill the vacuum.”
_Arthur M Young Fear of The Unknown

How thin is the membrane which separates us from the unknown, like the non existent clothing the king wore, much to the wiser laughter of children and to the denial of adults, an illusionary article of faith akin to whistling past the graveyard?

“In circumstances such as those described, the ambiguous situation is often associated with widespread anxiety, and the belief systems which arise characteristically contain elements of hysteria which may increase the likelihood of panic or other irrational action (see Smelser, 1963). New beliefs which are improvised to reduce the ambiguity often are assimilated into preexisting belief systems, such as the beliefs of religious cults, so that, in effect, the ambiguous situation is used to manufacture support for preexisting beliefs. Once a situation of competing belief systems is established, probably the only way to modify it very much is by attacking the conditions which brought it about -- that is, the lack of authoritative, trusted information.”
-Dr Robert Hall UFO Symposium

As I mentioned earlier it appears that entropy is related to information only in that it is the absence of information. It measures how much is not known about a referenced state.

Perhaps those who are at the forefront of the UFO situation are contemporary shaman with tokens of fact, riddles of conspiracy, antedotal reinforcements, grainy footage
and stacks of reports act as guardians in a defacto priesthood drawn to the edge of the camp where the wild things roam, at a certain psychological barrier to ensure it is not violated. Some have better built refuges than others, some of straw, some of wood and some of brick but all of us dread the big bad wolf.

Throwing salt over your shoulder, don't put shoes on a table, if your palms itch, money is coming your way and don't speak ill of the dead. This lexicon of ritual originated in the Old World as a bulwark and recognition that things go bump in the night, whether the workings of entropy do this in front of witnesses as a happenstance of time and place or merely an instinctual sensing of an unknown, mysterious and seemingly irrational sentient force aimed with ambiguity always floats beyond the comfort, security and artificial predictability of our technological house of brick. Perhaps it is both.

It is one thing to consider these things whilst the air conditioner hums, the television babbles on, the internet reliably places information at our fingertips, food awaits us in a refrigerator, the telephone awaits a call....and it is another to recognise these are props in a game of self comforting assurance that all is well, all things are known and in their place. As Gregory Bateson once observed, the concept of control is ultimately a pathological illusion. It is another thing to experience what lies behind the broken barrier at the end of the road.

Some of us delve deeply in exploring a past of unaccountable knowledge, from the dense jungles of South America, to the Pacific Islands and in the arid desert of Eygypt. Similar construction methods, a seemingly coherent planetary siting of structures within a grid of longitude and latitude are to be found. Existential clues in a game of origin that eludes our attempts to fathom our own history.

The same applies to the natural sciences of tradition in fossil finds of a presumed ancestor, revision after revision, crossed out theories litter the landscape hither and yonder. In many aspects akin to the stories told to children as a cultural tradition we are left with The Easter Bunny, Santa Claus and The Lone Ranger as illusionary precepts as to our own current theories of origin. Forced into a stance by a growing recognition that there may be problems without technological solutions, civilisations leaders hold their cards to their chest and bluffing, overly confident, poised at a precipice, with an underlying fear that is being debated more often in the light of day as to whether our fears are illusionary or foundational, in terms of the illusion of control they offer as a product, they dread the day when the cards are put on the table for all to see. Exposure is not a soft collapse nor a comforting experience. More often than not, there is a growing sense that our governmental leaders are more than fallible than we previously recognised, as well as the sciences which back them. Actions or more appropriately perhaps, answers speak louder than words.
Another aspect is the behavioral pathology of a certain type who can be found from time to time in a position of responsibility whether it is a political, coorporate or religious setting, as in cults. If confronting a growing crisis that induces fear, then fear itself may or may not become a tactic in of itself. In other words, this situation may breed an opportunity for those for whom the precept of control is akin to a sociopathic and psychotic prescription for success. Again, the topic is fear in an office setting.However, imagine this type as a powerful world leader. What is the ultimate expression of this behavior, is it warfare? Think of Adolph Hitler who utilised a perversion or perhaps the ultimate expression of darwinian theory applied by a psychopath, who utilised fear as a weapon of mass control, propaganda, and genocide. So when fear is lurking and building beneath the surface of a situation, as in the case of post WW1 Germany filled with the entropy of unemployment, extremely high inflation, depression, anxiety and self loathing...here comes the ultimate sociopath to the rescue. There is a warning in this, make no mistake about it. Should such a world situation arise once again, there will be those who will exploit it. Should anyone reading this happen to have an opportunity to view "Downfall", I highly recommend it. This account of Hitler's last days in his bunker are very accurate as the entire script was the result of a witness, Hitler's secretary, who recorded those events with precision. Even as the world fell around him, confined to a small underground suite of rooms, he exhibited a psychopathic delusion of control. His subordinates behavior is also fascinating in their willingness to believe in what every ounce of common sense told them, each time with a more jarring revelation of defeat, was a dark fantasy of a madman.

Here is the behavior of such a person:

Glibness/Superficial Charm. Language is used to confuse and convince their audience. Captivating invented stories, superficial self-confidence, they can spin a web of lies creating articifial reality. Very good in verbal confrontations, well trained to destroy their critics verbally or emotionally.

Manipulative and Conning. Never recognize the rights of others and see their self-serving behaviors permissible. They appear to be charming, yet are covertly hostile and domineering, seeing their victim as merely an instrument to be used. They dominate and humiliate their victims converting them into office slaves.

Grandiose Sense of Self. Feels entitled to certain things as "their right." Craves adulation and attendance. Creates an us-versus-them mentality.

Pathological Lying. Has no problem lying coolly and easily and it is almost impossible for them to be truthful on a consistent basis. Can create, and get caught up in, a complex belief about their own powers and abilities. Extremely convincing and able to pass lie detector tests.

Lack of Remorse, Shame or Guilt. A deep seated rage, which is split off and repressed, is at their core. Does not see others around them as people, but only as targets and opportunities. Instead of friends, they have victims and accomplices who end up as victims. The end always justifies the means and they let nothing stand in their way.

Shallow Emotions. When they show what seems to be warmth, joy, love and compassion, it is more feigned than experienced and serves an ulterior motive. Outraged by insignificant matters, yet remaining unmoved and cold by what would upset a normal person. Since they are not genuine, neither are their promises.

Dominating and expect unconditional surrender. they are very harsh in testing it from their devotees and expect them to feel guilt for their failings. Expects unconditional surrender.

Need for Stimulation. Corporate psychopaths are not necessary living on the edge like regular criminals, yet they like testing subordinates reactions with bizarre rules, punishments and behaviors. Verbal outbursts and physical punishments are normal. Verbal conflict is what replaces for them sexual life.

Callousness/Lack of Empathy. Unable to empathize with the pain of their victims, having only contempt for others' feelings of distress and readily taking advantage of them. Their skills are used to exploit, abuse and exert power. Since most normal IT professionals cannot believe their boss would callously hurt them, they rationalize the behavior as necessary for their (or the group's) "good" and deny the abuse. When you became aware of the exploitation it really looks like "office rape" and corresponds to the behavior of serial rapist.

Poor Behavioral Controls/Impulsive Nature. Rage and abuse, alternating with small expressions of love and approval produce an addictive cycle for abuser and abused, as well as creating hopelessness in the victim. Try to instill the belief that they are well-connected. Demonstrate no sense of personal boundaries, no concern for their impact on others.


Lets look at the psychology of fear in a legal setting as it relates to the lack of a striong integrated self image.

An experimental study tested the effect of fear appeals on the processing and acceptance of action recommendations. Based on assumptions from a motivated information processing perspective and self-integrity theory, it was postulated that that the effects of fear appeals on persuasion are mediated by a motivation to restore the integrity of the self, and not by perceptions of threat, or the emotion of fear, related to one’s health. A 2 (vulnerability: hi, lo) x 2 (self-affirmation: hi, lo) x 2 (argument quality: weak, strong) factorial design was employed to test predictions. Results were in accordance with hypotheses. It was found that increases in vulnerability induced an overly positive perception of action recommendations, and increased persuasion regardless of the quality of the arguments in the recommendation. However, intention and actions to engage in the recommended action dissipated when participants had been given the opportunity to affirm the self.

Many times as I go about my errands, my eye glimpses a circling hawk, held in the air, its natural habitat, suspended by the updrafts which arise from the ground. Here and there, similarly engaged people such as myself see creatures of the sky who hover, fly in formation as if searching, as if surveying, as if measuring some unattributable aspect of what lies below them. They are creatures of camoflauge, of tactical poise assurred in the arts of misdirection, paradox and stealth. These we call UFOs.
The hawk has great courage in a small body; its determination arms it better than its claws do. It is called a robber bird because it greedily snatches food from other birds. The hawk is known as a harsh parent, refusing to feed its young when they are able to fly, but rather beating them with its wings to drive them out of the nest. This is done to teach them to catch prey while they are still young, so that they will not become lazy when they are adults. There are two kinds of hawks: wild hawks, which catch and eat domestic birds; and tame hawks, which return the wild birds they catch to their master. Much like mutilated cattle, much like a mirror image of experimentation below them..masters of mimicry. We ask ourselves, why do they wait, why do they avoid us..what is, if anything, will signal their final descent...These creatures of the sky intentionally demonstrate their capability to invade military installations or airports, all the while waiting...waiting...Fear of preditation, fear of the unreal just beyond the layer of technological shelter, of reliance on it's predictability and hence the sheltered security we assume is ours as a possession. However, something defys that, does it not?


In this looking back at our history for clues as to what or whom we are, we are left in a situation wherein we climb, measure and quantify the bones of history found in ruins that reminds me of a E. A Robinson poem, "The House On The Hill." It could easily also be the desciption of our large urban areas as seen in a future yet to unfold. Or it could be a metaphor for ourselves, our world as an engima and yet when we are drawn into an empirical search,outside of our collection of facts, we find the cupboard empty.

"They are all gone away,
The House is shut and still,
There is nothing more to say.

Through broken walls and gray
The winds blow bleak and shrill:
They are all gone away.

Nor is there one to-day
To speak them good or ill:
There is nothing more to say.

Why is it then we stray
Around the sunken sill?
They are all gone away,

And our poor fancy-play
For them is wasted skill:
There is nothing more to say.

There is ruin and decay
In the House on the Hill:
They are all gone away,
There is nothing more to say."

In Part Two, we will go deeper into this dark and penetrate the shadows of fear and perhaps its origin in relation to entropy, when considering the UFO situation. We will also explore Islamic tradition and the very specific variant of a set of predictions....not vague metaphors. We will see that for a few, time is counted.