Introductory message

Introductions and first impressions are tough to get right. The earliest statements put forth by an individual have the potential prospect of making that individual a respected intellectual figure, a laughing stock, or anywhere in between. Because of this, it is quite difficult to find a place to begin statements or introduce oneself to an audience of any kind. Statements, especially strange or unusual statements made by unknown individuals are difficult to make without being dismissed as a fresh face in the lunatic fringe. These people are (likely) rightly dismissed by their intended audience, and business continues as usual. I'm sure anyone could think of examples of these things on their own, so I will neglect to cite examples of this kind. That is not the point of this blog, or this post.

This presents a particular problem to the individual that believes something unusual. If they have something they believe that is true -but is unusual- what should they do about it? Just because a statement is strange, it does not necessarily invalidate the claim, nor does it prove that the individual making the statement is crazy. If they choose to speak out in favor of the idea, they could potentially face a considerable amount of scorn from the public for what they say. The other possibility is to say nothing, to avoid the label of a social outcast. But the downside here is that by refusing to speak, to not speak out, is to sacrifice the ideals of truth in favor of personal comfort. And in my view, this is not something that ought to be done by individuals within a civilized society.

This means that someone with a strange claim should speak out and claim it, even at the cost of being labeled by greater society as a lunatic. What hope do they have to negate the title that they have (most likely rightly) earned through their statements? The only real answer is to gain respect by exhibiting deep thought about one's subject matter, the implications of it, what led one to conclude it in a calm, rational matter. If you are one of the individuals persecuted for something you said, make efforts to show that your position is defensible by showing your reasoning and evidence are sound. Censoring your critics, or attacking them personally is essentially an attempt to engage them in a shouting match. Shouting matches rarely contain much thought. In fact, genuine thought is suppressed such displays.

Respect can also be garnered by discussing other issues in an intelligent fashion. After all, just because two people disagree on an issue or claim, they can still respect one another. Through communication, patience, and critical thinking, two rivals in a discussion can even find their own positions stronger. Critics serve a valuable position to a thinker. They can provide a different viewpoint, they can bring up flaws with a position that the individual may have missed and can then consider. Because of this, I will invite thoughtful criticism of anything said in this blog.

With my initial statements out of the way, I would like to introduce myself to you.

I am an alien. Or rather, in my past life, I was an alien living in an alien civilization. I vividly remember my past life, and how different it was from anything human. My alien past is something that impacts my human life, informs it, and provides me (what I believe to be) unique insight into human civilization. This statement is not something I expect you to take my word for, and I will provide absolutely no evidence that this claim is true in any way. I may discuss certain aspects of my past here from time to time, but if so, I will do it on my own time, when I feel comfortable discussing it.

All I'm here to do is to provide an outsider's perspective on human society. Humans have an amazing capacity to understand, to reason, and to improve, yet that potential is rarely ever tapped. It is my hope that by speaking about philosophical and social issues, I can help humans to think, to improve, and to encourage growing their already incredible civilization through the continued refinement of reasoning and educational activities.