By Fred Collins
Buffalo, NY – A few weeks ago, it was reported that Bigfoot was being sought in and around the town of Clarence. I don't claim to be a psychic, but I would like to make a prediction. No furry, two-legged, man-like beast will ever be found in Clarence, or in Oregon, Tibet, or anywhere else. Nor will a Mesozoic monster ever be found in Loch Ness, Lake Champlain, or Silver Lake. I am sure that a vast number of species exists that have not been discovered by science. Other species that were thought to be extinct, like the coelacanth, may be re-discovered. But Nessie or Sasquatch? Forget it!
Another prediction: You will not be abducted by a flying saucer, or a spaceship of any other shape, from another planet. No extraterrestrials have ever visited Earth. Aliens did not build the pyramids in Egypt or Mexico. They are not making circles or other shapes in crop fields.
In the vast universe we live in, intelligent life has probably developed on a planet other than ours. But would they really make an incredibly long journey here just to abduct a few unlucky persons for some bizarre medical research? Ridiculous!
Such beliefs may seem modern, but there's really nothing new about them. Mysterious lights in the sky have been seen for centuries, but in more primitive times they were assumed to be ghosts, fairies, or leprechauns. Before "alien abductions" some people believed that they were visited at night by a demon known either as a succubus or an incubus.
Mermaids, unicorns, griffins, and dragons were once believed to exist in the unexplored regions of the world. The people who claim to have ESP today were once known as shamans, wizards, brujos, or witches.
There was a time when I did believe in all of these things. I was convinced UFO's were cautiously exploring the planet, learning as much about us as they could until the day when they would openly contact the President or the United Nations. When this happened, I was also sure that the aliens would explain what was causing the mysterious disappearances of ships and planes in the Bermuda Triangle.
Psychics, I had heard, were being used by the military. Telepathy was being studied to replace telephones and radios. Mind readers would be used to gather intelligence, and psychokinetics would be used to deflect enemy missiles. None of this ever happened. It never will.
Since I do not claim to be a psychic, I would like to make one more comment: All psychics, seers, clairvoyants, psychokinetics, astrologers, mind readers, telepaths, and mediums can be described by one word - fakes.
The human brain and mind are enormously complex, possibly possessing capabilities we are not yet aware of. But the only abilities any "psychic" has ever demonstrated are no different from the abilities of an average stage magician.
Call me narrow-minded if you want, but if I'm wrong, I'll be glad to admit it. All I require is proof. Show me a psychic who predicts the winning numbers for the Powerball lottery. Bring back a tissue sample of the Yeti for DNA analysis. Bring us a working model of a cold-fusion reactor the next time aliens take you aboard their saucer.
Meanwhile, there is a host of real problems - economic, social, political, ecological, etc. - confronting us. Very few of these problems have easy solutions. But we won't get any help at all from psychics or extraterrestrials.