The existence of extraterrestrial life cloaked in a veil of secrecy and skepticism. Time after time, people see amazing things - even our own government has declassified unexplainable aerial phenomena - only to have it brushed under the rug as a camera glitch or weather phenomenon, treated as such.

Acceptance of facts contrary to our own beliefs is difficult - almost impossible. A single person accepting a drastic paradigm shift takes time and a lot of adjustment to a new way of thinking. If tomorrow proved the existence of alien life, beyond a shadow of a doubt, individuals would have to face truths about religious and spiritual beliefs, and the very meaning of being human would change. On a national or global scale, accepting hard truths can either bring us all together as a species, or rip us apart.

A flying saucer hovered over O’Hare International Airport in 2006 until it shot into the clouds leaving a hole of blue sky in the clouds. Because it wasn’t detected on radar, it was discounted as a weather event. Over a dozen people saw this event take place, many of which were airport employees. But it was easier to brush it aside and dismiss it than bravely ask questions and dive deeper into what could have happened.

When the evidence points to the more complicated, more messy answer that alien life exists on our planet, it triggers a cognitive shutdown - nothing more can be known, so there’s no need to dwell on it. We as a species treat alien life like a fairytale or ghost story because we’re not ready to face that reality.

Embracing new and mysterious things is what got us this far as a species. Let us also embrace truth, look for the miraculous, and appreciate our place in the universe. Cynics witness something amazing and aim to shut it down or tear it apart. When your mind is open, anything is possible, and the universe is a more beautiful place.