The U.S. military takes UFOs seriously. Why doesn't Silicon Valley or academia?

Considering the extremely great probable age of such civilizations (on the order of many millions of years), and that such beings would be much more highly evolved, they would seem to most likely look upon humans as we do tribes and groups of monkeys or even lower animals on the cognitive and spiritual scale. They wouldn't relate to us much at all except as interesting animals to be studied, certainly not as modern civilized Europeans would relate to also human barbarians.

I don't know about that.

While I know there's a debate on whether a "bright line" of consciousness or soul or inner life exists with other forms of life on our planet, I would wager that an advanced race capable of knowing humans, at least, pass this test would make them not view us as animals subject of study.

Perhaps not as this is also dependent on shared morals/ethics, but I like to think its possible if not even likely.

Considering the extremely great probable age of such civilizations (on the order of many millions of years), and that such beings would be much more highly evolved, ....

What about love and hate? How would those aspects develop over many millions of years, I wonder.

What about love and hate? How would those aspects develop over many millions of years, I wonder.

I like to think that Earth, as insane as it sometimes appears, is here to teach us this very lesson. 

Maybe this is just wishful thinking? If it is, I might be inclined to welcome permanent nothingness when my time here comes to an end. 

Considering the extremely great probable age of such civilizations (on the order of many millions of years), and that such beings would be much more highly evolved, they would seem to most likely look upon humans as we do tribes and groups of monkeys or even lower animals on the cognitive and spiritual scale. They wouldn't relate to us much at all except as interesting animals to be studied, certainly not as modern civilized Europeans would relate to also human barbarians.

I wonder how this translates into the hereafter, though, when our spirits and their spirits return home (until the next incarnation) ?
Is this many mansions?

I don't know about that.

While I know there's a debate on whether a "bright line" of consciousness or soul or inner life exists with other forms of life on our planet, I would wager that an advanced race capable of knowing humans, at least, pass this test would make them not view us as animals subject of study.

Perhaps not as this is also dependent on shared morals/ethics, but I like to think its possible if not even likely.

Yes, that's another way of looking at it. Very good point.

What about love and hate? How would those aspects develop over many millions of years, I wonder.

Another good point!

I like to think that Earth, as insane as it sometimes appears, is here to teach us this very lesson. 

Maybe this is just wishful thinking? If it is, I might be inclined to welcome permanent nothingness when my time here comes to an end. 

This lesson thing and how it works and why, is something I'm going to pay special attention to when I croak it.

I don't know about that.

While I know there's a debate on whether a "bright line" of consciousness or soul or inner life exists with other forms of life on our planet, I would wager that an advanced race capable of knowing humans, at least, pass this test would make them not view us as animals subject of study.

Perhaps not as this is also dependent on shared morals/ethics, but I like to think its possible if not even likely.

One solution to this puzzle: perhaps, as the abject failure of naturalistic (materialistic) origin of life research continues and it appears more and more to be a 1 in billions low probability that has happened just once, there is no life (or at least intelligent life) outside the Earth. Apparent ETIs would be (despite many reasonable arguments based on experiential evidence) purely originating from the human collective unconscious. Not a new theory of course, especially with Vallee. This would alleviate the apparent cognitive dissonance between the spiritual view of human existence and the scientific view of humans as just another evolved intelligent race in a Universe having many of them at different levels of development.  The problem doesn't really exist because there are no others, no UFO ETIs - the spiritual realm is exclusively inhabited by formerly human beings, or beings inhabiting other levels of the spiritual realm. I think this would be the position of traditional spiritualism.

Another solution to the puzzle: extremely advanced unimaginably ancient extraterrestrial physical beings are on their own spiritual paths, sharing the greater spiritual realm with humans, in different regions and levels, but sharing the basic universal human spiritual elements or qualities of love and compassion. These unimaginably advanced (by many millions of years) ETIs would relate to humans perhaps as we do to beloved pets like dogs, where we instinctively recognize the existence of a sentient conscious being akin in many ways to us, just on a lower level of cognition, and that these lower beings still experience their own version of love and aspirations. Some pet owners would agree with this. In this sort of advanced relationship between beings of fundamentally and greatly different levels of development, there would be no dispassionate purely objective scientific study of humans, but instead a policy of very limited interaction permitted primarily in an altruistic attempt to help humans along in their struggle.

Another solution to the puzzle: extremely advanced unimaginably ancient extraterrestrial physical beings are on their own spiritual paths, sharing the greater spiritual realm with humans, in different regions and levels, but sharing the basic universal human spiritual elements or qualities of love and compassion. These unimaginably advanced (by many millions of years) ETIs would relate to humans perhaps as we do to beloved pets like dogs, where we instinctively recognize the existence of a sentient conscious being akin in many ways to us, just on a lower level of cognition, and that these lower beings still experience their own version of love and aspirations. Some pet owners would agree with this. In this sort of advanced relationship between beings of fundamentally and greatly different levels of development, there would be no dispassionate purely objective scientific study of humans, but instead a policy of very limited interaction permitted primarily in an altruistic attempt to help humans along in their struggle.

We're all just spit-balling here so.....

I guess the difference I'm pointing out is that it either is or appears to be not possible to relate to any other life form on conceptual or imaginative level for us humans.  Sure, dogs and other close friends of ours in the animal kingdom exhibit emotion and empathy, but we're not talking concepts with anything other than fellow humans.

The theorized ancient beings would seem to present an exception to this.  In theory we would be able to communicate in sophisticated, conceptual terms perhaps (and likely) well beyond what our current intelligence even allows.  A benign, compassionate ancient race of beings would seem quite capable of counseling us/helping us if they were so inclined.  Seems completely different than the traditional inter-species communication limitations we currently seem to have with all other life forms presently.

Of course, there could be such a delta in our existences so as to make the ancients unwilling to interact with us.  Perhaps even for benign reasons. Who knows?

We're all just spit-balling here so.....

...Of course, there could be such a delta in our existences so as to make the ancients unwilling to interact with us.  Perhaps even for benign reasons. Who knows?

Good stuff. I do feel after a certain - perhaps soft? - threshold you can recognize intelligence/sentience.

But the criteria might be a bit different as you go "up" the scale. Perhaps the Object/Subject barrier breaks, perhaps their use of Psi and OOBEs far exceeds ours. Perhaps they've longed abandoned the Physicalist Faith and thus advanced deeper in their ability to manipulate reality.

All those weird emerald technological cities people see on DMT, where the supposed "natives" are surprised by human "spirits" showing up...there's work being done on extending the DMT state so to (hopefully) ease exploration of wherever people go. Perhaps it is just in their own minds, but will be interesting to see what those entities have to say for themselves. Even Sam Harris used to bring them up at atheist conferences...