I’m not suggesting that we need to act like aliens or
incorporate an alien way of thinking. Learning about other civilizations does
not mean becoming like other civilizations. The knowledge that we are not alone
in the universe, in and of itself, could help us to make changes here at home.
These would be purely human decisions about how to make our world better for
everyone. Why should we care? First Contact would present something that we
never had to consider before. If another civilization exists, suddenly we have
competition in the universe- perhaps not immediate competition for resources or
status, but competition nonetheless. We would want to consider our strengths as
a civilization and that means coming up with ideas for improving on our
weaknesses.
Global Decision-Making
There would be some immediate needs in extraterrestrial
contact. We would need a global body to make decisions and take actions
regarding alien contact for the entire human race. This could be a newly created
group representing all nations or it could be a United Nations committee. The
group would need to consider the contact process and what messages should come
from humans.
The need for speaking with one voice would make overall
global decision-making suddenly much more important. And it would force us to
consider a basic fact about our current global relations: they’re dominated by
a few powerful nations. In the wake of First Contact, who would be working to
ensure that the people of Belize have their voices heard? Who would stand up for
the concerns of citizens of Uzbekistan?
Some people might argue that the largest and most powerful
nations have the most at stake and the best scientific resources, and thus
should lead the effort. But I think that allowing that current system of global
inequity to continue would be a mistake. It could also lead to power struggles
amongst those power nations. Truly soliciting input from smaller nations, and actually
acting on that input, could prevent the power struggles, by adding additional
voices to the mix. It could also bring about ideas that we might not have
considered.
Powerful nations should view First Contact as an opportunity
to lead, not dominate. True leadership comes from recognizing the value of all
of the parts of the whole. This will not be easy for the United States, China
and Russia. Current politics makes the quest for dominance part of the
international agenda. This, however, leads to conflict and in the end, weakens
all parties. How so? Just look at the interdependence of economies. We live in
a world where economic problems in China can lead to economic problems in the
United States. When we quietly applaud as the Ruble falls in value in Russia,
we forget that interdependence. Russian economic turmoil may seem like a positive
thing for Western nations in the short term, especially for those upset by
Russian international aggressions, but in the long-term, Russian financial
issues could have a negative global impact for multi-national companies and
that has an impact on economies all over the world.
Racism, Sexism and
Culturalism
Meeting alien beings should make it quite apparent that differences
in human skin tones, facial features and cultural beliefs, are slight when
compared to extraterrestrials. We could use that perspective shift to push for a
new understanding between human cultures. We are all brothers and sisters. We
are all related. We know this. Alien First Contact would take that knowledge
beyond the intellectual level and give it new primacy. We are all humans. We
live on this tiny planet with many other creatures and organisms. We need to
take care of each other and take care of our fragile home.
The entire planet suffers from the consequences of sexism. Women
are nearly half of all humans and yet they often do not have the same
opportunities as men. This includes education and employment. There is no
greater need for positive change on Earth. All women should have opportunities
for self-betterment and the ability to make their own choices.
A renewed focus on human concerns could also have a
downside. Some people may attempt to use fear to build xenophobia towards
aliens. This would be a natural tendency, especially if the aliens look and act
much differently from us, which seems likely. Promoting a stronger human
alliance does not have to lead to such xenophobia. But the struggle to keep it
from becoming so, and thus influencing our decision making in regards to alien
contact, will likely be with us for the rest of human history.
Violence
A sudden First Contact event could help us realize that
things can change quickly. Perspective controls much of what we do. If our
perspective on the universe can change so quickly, and without much physical
action, than why couldn’t our perspective on human issues change, as well?
Much of the progress made in the American civil rights
struggle came relatively quickly once the world focused attention on the plight
of African-Americans in the South. Media attention and the leadership of some
key individuals helped to change something in the American consciousness.
Perspective is an incredible thing.
I’m not suggesting that the civil rights movement didn’t
come from years of incredibly daring and dangerous work on the parts of so many.
What I am suggesting is that there can be a tipping point in human
consciousness where one state of affairs quickly becomes unacceptable due to
publicity and leadership. What other areas might we be able to improve human
conditions based on a new perspective brought on by First Contact.
What about violence? It’s easy to say that humans will be
humans and violent conflict between humans is inevitable, but in the wake of
First Contact we could realize that human violence is a choice, not an
inevitability. We make such choices each and every day. Clearly, the key to preventing human violence
starts with solving the problems that lead to violence and that is extremely complicated.
But a perspective change could allow us
to climb out of the trenches, where we are surrounded by those complications,
and achieve a wider view. The catalyst of First Contact could lead to a change
in how humans resolve conflicts.
The Environment
It would be interesting to hear the alien perspective on
climate change as a result of industrial growth. Perhaps such problems are endemic
in growing civilizations? We could desperately use some new input on the
subject and that would perhaps encourage us to take our environmental decisions
more seriously, and, in turn, prod us to make the many changes needed to
respond to the growing crisis.
Technology and attitude changes have made a difference in
pollution and waste in the United States. But Americans have the furthest to
go, as we are among the biggest consumers. Emerging nations need to pay better
attention to environmental issues. China may seem like an extreme example now,
with widespread pollution in its large cities, but India, Malaysia and Latin
American nations are not far behind. As economies grow, consumer pollution and
waste increases. Could a new perspective help us to take bolder actions to
preserve the health of our atmosphere and ultimately our planet?
Poverty
Humans have a propensity to support economic systems that
keep other humans in poverty. Human development is closely watched by the
United Nations and other international agencies. In some parts of the world,
such as Asia, it has improved greatly in the last 30 years. In other locations,
most notably sub-Saharan Africa, it has improved marginally at best. The UN
calls people in poverty “vulnerable” because it defines a whole range of
impacts, from employment to health. Could we see humans differently in the wake
of First Contact and make significant changes to help those humans who are most
vulnerable?
I know that these are rather grand pronouncements. When it
comes to human change the devil is always in the details. Real change comes
from individual struggle each and every day. But that struggle for positive
change could be energized by the change in perspective that would come from
extraterrestrial contact. If First Contact does occur some day, we will likely
be slack-jawed in wonder for a time. Once we get back to reality, we should use
some of that wonder and turn our attention back to planet Earth. Alien First
Contact could be a catalyst for positive human change unlike anything we have
ever seen. That catalyst could also be ignored and it could be business as
usual on planet Earth. That decision will be ours to make.
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