Our first real contact with an alien civilization is yet to come. Although many believe we have found signs pointing to ancient contact in the art and the remains of early civilizations worldwide, modern man has not yet made contact with a representative of an alien race. But how would we react to this first contact? Would we be as stunned and surprised to see aliens on Earth as the Native Americans were when Columbus arrived?
We are not here to talk about whether aliens exist or not. It has been written about on many occasions. We continue to write whenever new information comes out, whether scientific or related to a rare phenomenon somewhere in the world or space. Imagine that the year is 1492, and Columbus is on his way to the Americas. A meeting between the underdeveloped tribes and communities of the Caribbean and South America and the advanced (at the time) Europeans is imminent. How did the Native Americans react to strangers arriving with huge ships from the sea? Before we answer this question, let’s think about how we would react if spaceships with representatives of an alien civilization arrived tomorrow. If these aliens that visit Earth are as advanced in their development as we often describe them, won’t we have the same disbelieving reaction as the natives when Columbus arrived?
Arawak tribes
According to Columbus himself, the Arawak tribes who inhabited the Caribbean islands that Columbus first discovered did not believe that Europeans were human. We can give the ships as an example. At that time, the tribes used the most common canoes. Huge European ships would have seemed impossible. As Columbus described them, the Arawak inhabitants thought they saw people coming from heaven, not Earth. Therefore, we can literally say that they considered the Europeans to be aliens. Of course, everything we know about the first contacts and tribes was written from the point of view of Europeans. We can’t know if Columbus’ words are true and what happened, but we can logically imagine the best possible options.
Like gods
It is not the time to discuss how underdeveloped these tribes were compared to the Europeans, but one thing is certain – the difference was from earth to sky. So now, let’s consider how we would react to an encounter with an advanced alien civilization visiting Earth in the advanced technological age. Would our shock and natural interest be so great? To the Native American tribes, Columbus and his crew were like gods precisely because of the development they showed. From clothes and ships to weapons, everything was different. However, we live in an era in which there are already countless notions of aliens. Besides, we have high-tech spaceships and technologies surpassing even people’s wildest dreams from several decades ago.
Alien race
For an alien race to reach Earth, it must be advanced enough for interstellar travel that it does not take years to get from point A to point B. But these are technologies for which dozens of theories, including several scientific models, may allow us on such a journey in the future. It will be a surprise to see a more advanced civilization than ours, but it will hardly surprise us as Columbus surprised the underdeveloped tribes. Perhaps we would be frightened by the potential destructive weapons or infections that an alien civilization could bring. But let’s face it; it won’t be a big surprise if such a race comes with the desire to destroy us. We’ve seen it in countless movies, and many people believe this is exactly what will happen in the future.
Columbus and aliens, drawing parallels?
I don’t think the reaction to aliens on Earth would be as uniform as it likely was with the natives and Columbus. But, for people like us who believe in their existence, this will be a dream come true (unless they want to destroy us). So, I would say that many of us would be most happy if we met aliens one day. At the same time, countless people refuse to believe in their existence until proven otherwise.
For these people, such a meeting would probably be a real shock, similar to the one Native Americans experienced at the sight of Columbus’s huge ships. Or maybe, the real shock will be caused by the appearance of these aliens. I doubt anyone believes they will be green or gray, with huge eyes and long arms, as they are most often described. Instead, I think they will look completely different from everything we imagined.
Are we ready? Were Natives?
How would you react if a flotilla of alien spacecraft appeared tomorrow? Would your reaction to aliens on Earth be the same as that of the natives to Columbus’ arrival? Or, no, let me rephrase the question. How do you expect to react? It is easy to say that we will be either brave or scared, but I do not think we can prepare for actual contact with an alien civilization. Honestly, I also do not think most people are ready either. If this ever happens, and I believe it will sooner or later, it will change everything. This knowledge will completely change our future and history. We can only wait and see how such an event would be. I only hope it will happen during my lifetime, not in several centuries.
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