Sekret Machines: Gods An Official Investigation of the UFO Phenomenon by Tom DeLongeMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
Whilst misleading that Tom Delonge's name is on the cover, Peter Levenda is the true author as part of Tom's Sekret Machine's project, an effort to create a multi-media spanning project about all elements of something Levenda calls "The Phenomenon", the idea that alien contact has and is happening all the time and that it covers a variety of different experiences and is displayed throughout histories through various mediums and ideas.
I have huge respect for this project and Tom's desire to encourage constructive thought, debate and investigation into a topic that arguably doesn't get the legitimate scientific investigation it deserves. By releasing music, video, fiction and non-fiction all around this same topic, I think Tom hopes to give some credibility to a subject that is often dismissed due to lack of terminology and tangible, traditional and lasting evidence. One of Levenda's points early on is how opinions contrary to the norm are often ignored, mocked and deemed disreputable without the necessary and proper investigation. Whether you believe or not, I think this attitude to helping make the subject less laughable and a legitimate area of study is commendable.
Levenda assumes a level of belief in the existence of extra terrestrial existence and begins by saying you may not find much from the book ahead if you don't already. I think this is untrue. I'm open to these thoughts and ideas but not a concrete believer, and still found this work quite interesting. I think because it doesn't come across as a piece of propaganda to persuade to believe in the idea of contact, but just that it gets you to consider the "what if" and maybe come around to the idea that yes, this could actually do with some proper investigation by the scientific community and should be immediately debunked.
What Levenda does in quite an accessible tone, whilst still maintaining relevant sources (or detailed at the back in a lengthy reference list) is discuss the idea of a "phenomenon" or contact. By looking at different accounts, historical, literary and religious (using quotes from texts, ancient artworks and scientific references) to show the similarities across the board in the idea of alien contact and how these themes transcend across peoples, cultures and religions, who are deemed never to have had social contact due to historical and geographical placing.
Whilst in some cases highly speculative, Levenda makes it difficult to deny the similarities that occur throughout, especially in religious texts and notions, from across cultures that indicate that there has been some kind of otherworldly influence upon the human race. It's eye opening, but not entirely convincing, which I think is what this project is set to achieve. Rather than say this is how it is, and scientists aren't willing to believe, it's more a suggestive text. Look at the similarities; the claims people have made to the "phenomenon" or alien contact, and the recurring themes across the board of religions. Don't you think the notion is at least worth the investigation? What if they're similar for a reason.
For that reason, I enjoyed this book. I'm not wholly convinced, but my interest has been piqued and I for one will read the next one, and do further reading on the subject just for my own curiosity. If everyone reads this and feels that way, then surely we're that much closer to making it a legitimate area of study, and subsequently discovering the actual truth? I think this is worth the read for that reason alone.
View all my reviews
No comments:
Post a Comment