Because aliens landed here long ago... these are not what they appear to be...

“If aliens did land in France 10,000 years ago… (the word “did” presupposes something), then the marks on the rocks have to be those of their space ships… (because that is the only option we’ll entertain)” BASED ON THAT FACT, “Similar spaceship marks have been found on every continent and nearly every country… (a reasonable conclusion)” THEREFORE, (because the “if” expressed earlier is true) “we must consider what we must do to prepare for the inevitable time when they contact us…” etc.

“If… then” ==>evolves to become ==> “Because… then…” ==> “…and because of THAT… then…” ==>”…and because of THAT… then…” ==> ad infinitum… – creating long lines of belief truth connections where perhaps relationships don’t actually exist – and neither does the truth.

We then base future beliefs on these and thousands or perhaps millions of other faulty “if… …then” “because… then” non-relationships. We misrepresent, erroneously attribute, and incorrectly reference all the time – and then base future understandings and “truths” on those thinking errors. It’s not that we are stupid – we just make human thinking errors. Just because we have big brains doesn’t automatically mean we know how to use them, ya know!

In most cases these trains of beliefs are started when we were very young. It’s not our fault that as very young children we believed everything we were told. We made an observation or had an experience we didn’t understand – which is reasonable for a baby – and then in an effort to make sense of our world, we attributed what seemed like a reasonable and rational cause to what we experienced, or we were told some “truth” by an adult who themselves didn’t know either. The problem is, our brains simply don’t have the capability to make correct “cause-effect” relationships until we are much older. By then, we’ve already established our underlying “truths”. Catch-22.

I was watching the TV last night. It was a favorite of mine – Ancient Aliens. I don’t know if I want to entertain the possibility of aliens visiting earth – maybe it is true, maybe not – the evidence I’ve seen so far hasn’t convinced me either way. The interesting part for me is not the theory or the “evidence” – it’s the presentation of the theory as if it were true (much like religion). The basis should be considered – IF the theory is true, THEN the evidence means this or that. BUT – and this is important – IF the theory is NOT true, THEN the evidence means something entirely different.

IF there is a God, then the observations I make concerning nature mean this or that. But IF there is NO God, then that same observed phenomena means something entirely different. It’s not the evidence that is suspect – it is our interpretations I’m questioning. “IF” does not mean “BECAUSE”. The question then becomes “IF there is a God… then…” rather than “BECAUSE there is a God… then…” Basing your life on “because” rather than “if” feels secure and certain when in reality, “because” is perhaps the sandiest of foundations.

Oh, and one more thing – people have been known to lie.

Click here to check out my book, “What Were You Thinking – Common Thinking Errors and What to Do About Them”