Extrterrestrial Contact: La Resurrezione

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The Pope Francis visit to America is big news and there are plenty of Catholic angles I could discuss on this blog. The Catholic Church has had a welcoming response to the idea of extraterrestrial intelligence for some time now. They are one of the few major religions to take the topic up in public. I have written about that on this blog, and so I pursue another topic here; one of a more esoteric nature.

I viewed a picture of it in the New Yorker and the piece has haunted me all morning. I wonder why the Catholic Church would place such a sculpture in an area of religious significance. The danger of nuclear war is a bold subject to adorn a public room in the Vatican. I would imagine the larger message is that humanity can withstand even nuclear war with faith, and rise up out of the ashes, as Christ is doing. It is for sure a warning about the perils of the nuclear arms race, but perhaps also a gesture of assurance: life will go on.

This is my larger point: humans can survive and grow under incredible hardship. I am not suggesting that First Contact with an extraterrestrial civilization would have an impact on the human race such as war does. First Contact could, and hopefully would be, completely peaceful. And yet First Contact, especially high information First Contact, where there is a real conversation with extraterrestrials, would be challenging and challenging in ways that we may not expect or fully understand, at first. First Contact could stress our systems of economics, politics, international relations and religion. Even more challenging would be the impact to human science and the process of knowledge building.

We have always known this vacuum of lonely human existence in the universe. To experience the intellectual atmosphere of another civilization, or perhaps even multiple civilizations, would be something revelatory. There would hopefully be many great joys in the process of finding out about another civilization and another way of thinking. The universe could open up to us in ways we have never even imagined. And yet many people will not be able to accept such a revelation. First Contact would create upheaval in the short and long term. I think we could easily withstand the short term challenges: debate, protests, and even civil unrest. It is the long term challenges, the things we have not ever considered yet, that scare me the most about that scenario.

I may be making much more out of this eight ton sculpture than the artist ever intended. But this is my message if we ever do experience First Contact someday: Tremendous opportunities usually come with incredible challenges. Take heart and know that we can persevere and come out better for it.

http://www.firstcontact29.blogspot.com/