Monday, January 6, 2020

Extraterrestrial First Contact: What We Would Want From Them


As a human, I have a few thoughts on how I would hope extraterrestrials would behave during a high-information First Contact event in our solar system.

Be clear. First Contact would be a stressful moment for humans, especially if the extraterrestrials arrive in our solar system. I think humans would want a clear reason for why aliens are saying hello and what their agenda is in making contact with us.

Be honest. This may be just a human characteristic, but we prefer beings to say exactly what they mean and act accordingly. Dishonesty would be the quickest way to harm a relationship with humans.

No mystery. Humans will concoct enough conspiracy theories and misinformation on their own. We don’t need mysterious alien communication to make it worse. Please be straightforward.

Let us know what you want, right away. Don’t keep humans in suspense. It seems unlikely that beings would travel to our solar system without a reason. Let us know why you are here and what you expect to happen.

Don’t be threatening. Human governments would be on high alert if First Contact occurred in our solar system. We would feel threatened. If that is not your intention, please do everything you can to show us that you are peaceful. Avoid confrontations and clearly state any actions you plan to take, well before you take them.

Don’t interfere with our institutions. Aliens could manipulate international relations to achieve power. They could attempt to influence governments or other human institutions. This would ultimately be perceived as a great threat. Please work with all humans and all countries collectively, and do so openly. Transparency would be critical to success.

Respect our Neighborhood. Our solar system is our neighborhood, please respect our right to have a safe territory.


Respect our right to self-determination. Humans pride themselves on independence. Allow us to decide how First Contact will progress and how much or little interaction we would prefer.


Photo by Melinda Gimpel on Unsplash

No comments: