I Want to Believe

Written by JasononDecember 19th, 2024

For the past few weeks, my X timeline has been inundated with images of lights over cities worldwide, with claims that humanity is on the brink of joining a fabled "Galactic Federation". This coalition supposedly includes "Greys", often depicted as little green men, alongside shape-shifting lizards and entities made of sentient plasma. While there are likely other species in this expansive group, I've never delved deeply into these tales; they've always seemed too fantastical. However, my main skepticism stems from not having personally witnessed anything in the sky I couldn't identify within minutes.

Growing up, I was an avid viewer of every "Star Trek" episode and reader of every related book, harbouring a deep desire to see evidence of extraterrestrial visitors. For over thirty years, I've enjoyed nighttime walks to observe the celestial wonders — stars, planets, satellites, meteors, and human-made debris. I've ventured into remote mountains to escape light pollution, spending hours gazing at the same patch of sky, hoping for discovery through powerful telescopes.

Yet, nothing has appeared genuinely otherworldly. The satellites are unmistakable human creations, the brightest moving lights are typically commercial or passenger jets, and fiery objects descending through our atmosphere are either ancient space rocks or modern metallic debris. My recognition of these phenomena comes from years of studying, sparked by my grandfather's collection of late '80s National Geographic magazines, chronicling the Voyager probes' adventures.

In my youth, I played with model spaceships, dreaming of exploring new life and civilisations. Realising I couldn't become an astronaut due to colour blindness, I turned to software, imagining I could code autonomous probes to explore for us. Life, however, demanded I focus on practicalities like paying bills, but my curiosity about the cosmos never waned. On clear nights, I still make a point to look up, pondering.

What's out there? Is anyone looking back? Could I meet an alien? What could we offer our cosmic neighbours? Will humanity mature enough to responsibly colonise the galaxy? Have we learned from our Earthly mistakes to not repeat them in space?

As the internet matures, it's evident humanity has not. We continue to bicker over trivialities, leading to senseless loss and environmental degradation. Yet, I remain hopeful that an encounter with an alien species might shift our focus.

"When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things." – 1 Corinthians 13:11

When reports of lights in the sky started coming from the Atlantic coast of America, I hoped for a global event. For years, this pattern has appeared in winter, with sightings of orbs and disks often debunked as CGI or misidentified aircraft lights. This year, however, the scope seems broader, with reports from around the world, including China. Living not far from China, I wonder if I might witness these mysterious craft myself.

One theory among UFO enthusiasts is that sightings correlate with nuclear sites. Japan, with its 33 nuclear power plants (only 13 operational), should be a hotspot, yet my visits to Kashiwazaki, Mihama, and Ōi reveal nothing unusual. Even at Omaezaki on the Pacific coast, where Ayumi and I observed from sunset to sunrise, the sky was just as expected.

I want to believe we're being visited. Why can't I see what others claim to see? While it's easy for humans to lie, it's hard to believe all these reports are fabrications for social media clout. Could the focus on New Jersey sightings be due to human-made objects meant to sow confusion? Perhaps extraterrestrials are more interested in nuclear weapons than reactors, or maybe Japan's cultural exports like manga and anime don't pique their interest?

There's no definitive way for me to know, but the absence of unexplainable phenomena in Japan's skies is striking. As someone with the means to drive to these locations, I should have seen something by now. Nightly, I scan the stars, identifying constellations and satellites without aid. Where is my "WTF?" moment?

I keep saying I want to believe. All I ask for is a little evidence.