I have written before about why I should stop watching/reading science fiction. It gets me paranoid about things. When I glance upwards occasionally to see if there is any rain clouds, my eyes (unknown to me) look for UFO’s. Flying Saucers, some might call… aliens for others… extra-terrestrials for some others… whatever we call these unknown beings I’m sure there is something out there, watching us all the time, studying us, making sense of these little humans that walk the earth, feeling all happy that we own this planet. They might probably be reporting back to their superiors that we are just a bunch of tiny senseless, stupid and selfish beings that demarcate borders and fight each other all the time because we believe in different things that most of us are not even sure exists or not. Chances are quite high that one of them might be saying to other, “Dude, do you mind watching them for a while so that I can have a drink? I promise I’ll be back in a while.”
Then the other one might be saying, “Sure. Why not? But not for more than 15 mins! That’s the maximum I can look at them… or I’ll go crazy!”
I seriously think that we humans, with our little meaningless issues have the great potential to make any intelligent alien go crazy enough that he/she’d think of driving their vehicle right onto a meteor.
Cover of Chariots of the Gods
You might be wondering why I am suddenly talking about aliens and human honor when till yesterday I was posting about going crazy and reading a book or even how I got scared on different occasions. I will tell you. One of my friends suggested this book ‘Chariots of the Gods’ by Erich Von Daniken. (I know some of you might be going, “Oh we knew this! You also start believing this guy? Here, we’re gonna hit the ‘unfollow’ button!!!) I confess that I was skeptical about this guy and the book too, but in order to be skeptical about something we need to understand what it is about. For that, I started reading it. This book was published long back (1968) and discusses strange hypothesis like the earth was visited by superhuman beings in the distant past… Von Daniken argues that all the things that are strange (inexplicable) from the human race’s past could be attributed as the work of extraterrestrials helping our ancestors. He cites examples such as the Egyptian Pyramids, the large rocks in Peru, Greek systems of building, Egyptian and Roman (even Sumerian) systems of polity, mathematics etc. He goes on to argue that the reference to gods in the religious texts or ancient works could be considered as references to extraterrestrial beings.
English: Writer Erich von Däniken. Česky: Spisovatel Erich von Däniken. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
The beginning of the book was quite interesting as Von Daniken puts forward his theory of how we cannot rubbish the existence of alien life outside our planet. He says,
“Since the latest counts give 100 billion stars in our Milky Way… we may surmise that there are 18,000 planets comparatively close to the earth with conditions essential to life similar to those of our planet… Yet we can go even further and speculate that if only 1 percent of these 18,000 planets were actually inhabited, there would still be 180 [planets with intelligent life] left!”
The problem with the book is that he doesn’t really have any solidly established facts except certain that assumptions, which I admit, he had organized beautifully. Theoretically speaking, the author seems to have done a great deal of research to come up with such a work but the things mentioned in the book are not just thought-provoking but arguable in different streams of the society. Being written post 1968, on the immediate aftermath of NASA’s moon-landing the author is seen as very hopeful of inter-galactic space travel by the end of the millennium which we know haven’t become a possibility as yet. Although, it is quite possible to say that it was a good timing for that book to be released then because if it was being published now no doubt some religious fanatic might have assassinated him. In a hurry to establish the assumptions as facts, Von Daniken challenges the church and all the other religions of covering up facts and stuff. You could often see him taking out examples from ancient texts such as the Epic of Gilgamesh, the Mahabharata and even the Old Testament in an attempt to establish them as facts. It is easy for anyone to laugh at the things he has written in the book but one thing caught my mind. It is the fact that religion or blind faith has clouded our vision… things that have been taught to us in the harder way… in school, at home, out in the open world… wherever it may be… they are standing in our way of perception. It is acceptable that most people don’t use their imagination to its fullest level.
I was talking about this to a friend over a tuna sandwich and cold coffee and he called me a believer in pseudo-history! I was hurt. I didn’t tell anyone that I was going to make an Erich Von Daniken fan club and appoint myself as the President and Treasurer. But, he jumped into a conclusion hastily and stitched my mouth with theory and abuse!
After all, it was a pleasure reading the book even though the photographs were a bit old and black and white. I couldn’t make out anything from it. Consider the book as a blend of science fiction and fantasy.
Related articles
- Aliens & UFOs – Re: Draconians (disclose.tv)
- The Resurrection of The Chariots of the Gods (dgmattichakjr.com)
- The Paradigm Symposium (gnostalgia.wordpress.com)
- TV Show Says Aliens Visited Easter Island (news.discovery.com)
- In Search of Ancient Astronauts (Full Version) (undergrounddocumentaries.com)
- Ancient Mysteries – Tayos Lost Metal/Gold Library (disclose.tv)
Want to get really shook up? Read David Ike’s books or listen to his lectures on You Tube
Googling and Flipkarting David Ike presently.
As soon as I give an application to my own expenditure methods, I shall be a ordering his books.
Thanks, June.
I will read/write about Ike soon.
I haven’t thought of this book in years. I read it way, way, way back in 1968 when it came out and made such a splash. I was a youth. At that time, it totally engaged my fancy. I think I tried to write a short story from some of the ideas. I remember that I thought what Erich von Däniken proposed was no more outrageous than our religious mythologies. However, even though Shklovskii and Sagan thought there was a possibility of extraterrestial visitation and contact during the paleolithic age, Sagan cited the book as an example of “sloppy thinking.” Erich von Däniken has taken a lot of flack, but he’s sold a lot of books (63-or-68 million, something like that), had and still has paid speaking engagement, and a movie was made from the book. He’s had some rewards. He also went to prison, but after all this time I don’t remember why!!??
Anyway, Manu, it’s a fun book, provides an intriguing perspective, and it introduced me to “The Epic of Gilgamesh,” which I also thoroghly enjoyed and have read more than once since those high school days long ago.
Good review. Blog on …
Thanks Jamie.
It’s always good to know what happened then from someone who saw it than from Wikipedia. From reading Daniken I slipped to Sagan now. The Epic of Gilgamesh is a wonderful read as well but a sure question-raiser. These things are giving my idea of UFO’s a different dimension and no wonder why Daniken was intrigued, then.
Thanks for the support.
FYI: I had to see if the movie was available. It’s online.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-373807185570806915
It’s very old fashioned and you’ve probably had enough of our friend Eric by now.
Oh thank you, Jamie. It looks like a documentary. I am actually very much interested in this subject now and will be downloading this as soon as I get to my workplace today
We have a simultaneous discussion going on about in a reading group and some people are raising counter-arguments. Any information I can get is an edge,
Thank you for being honest and brave enough to write about an author so many ‘intellectuals’ would deem as a quack. Socrates said, “I know one thing, that I know nothing”, and so it is for us all. The unknown is just that, unknown. And there is nothing that science can say that will uncover the truth and mysteries about life and the other worlds. Many people claim to have seen UFO’s, some have visions and see beyond our universe, and others know things by intuition. Nothing should be discredited since “nothing is exactly as it seems, nor is it otherwise.”
Great post.
Thanks Moon,
for the great comment. As you said ‘Nothing is what it seems’. I have been at the receiving point several times for talking ‘about’ this guy. People have a problem with people who think differently. In my opinion that is what this guy did… to offend so many people by discrediting their so called beliefs and doubting their systems of belief.
oh yes, you are absolutely right. People get offended when their beliefs are put into question. But isn’t that what life is, one big question anyway?
I guess so.
There are those people who live their entire life questioning each and everything. Most of the time they might be correct… or seem to have a point… but do we take them seriously because we blindly believe that just because the majority follows something that is correct.
lots of things exist beyond our imagination and logic..where logic fails magic begins…stll it exists.
It does. Thanks Soumya
I think what people called magic is science beyond their comprehension.
He was one of the names I saw in the register at the UFO Museum in Roswell.
His books have been read and commented on by Carl Sagan and all. That gives him some credibility but the guy seems to be under constant fire from all over.
Thanks for the comment
What we know and have proved, is science but what we don’t know and have not yet proved, is also Science – a bigger one because we don’t know even 1 %.
True. And, what we haven’t proved has to be proved by fighting a lot of mythical demons created by the religious monopolies all over the world.
It’s good to be open-minded, and see things from other perspectives, too.
Chariot of the Gods does make an interesting read.
Sometimes, it helps to have a theory or at least an idea about our existence, and it’s purpose; even if it is being merely something genes use to propagate themselves, or servants of aliens.
Religion is often a sensitive topic, indeed.
Variety is the spice of life, and it doesn’t hurt to have read many different theories to explain something.
(P.S. That’s quite a long comment.
Just keep reading and keep your mind open)
Thanks Suchitra,
That, indeed, is a long comment but they often bring a lot to think about. The mythologies and histories often exist as a prism in which the truth is juxtaposed as many shades, I guess. It is for us to examine each and everything that we see/hear and dig the most sensible one as ours.
Thanks for commenting.