What makes a truth? What makes a lie? Obviously, truth needs proof. If you are to make a statement and actually have people believe it, especially when it is a subject that is often mistaken as a possible hoax, you need proof.
Alien enthusiasts love hearing or reading about alien abductions because this is the closest verification of life in outer space. However, a supposed abduction story can't be taken seriously unless there is proof that a person was indeed abducted.
Television shows, like “The X-Files” touched on the topic. Fox Mulder, played by David Duchovny, an agent on the paranormal is more of a believer than his partner Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) because he believes that his little sister has been abducted. He hadn’t seen her since.
But that’s TV. What about real life? The 1993 movie “Fire in the Sky” is said to be based on real life. The alien abduction apparently took place in White Mountains, Northeastern Arizona on November 5, 1975. Travis Walton, a logger, saw a bright light with his co-workers. As he approached the light, Walton was pulled upwards by some force field.
Walton’s companions were charged with his murder despite their reports of an alien encounter. After five days, Walton returned and narrated what happened when he was abducted. According to him, the aliens used him as an experiment and studied his bodily functions.
From then on, there were abduction stories left and right. Lately, people don’t seem to care anymore. Because of the hype, the majority’s opinion on UFO reports is the attempt for fifteen seconds of fame.
Despite this, there are still sites and organizations that devote their time to investigate supposed abductions. An example of a cliché location when it comes to UFO abductions is the Bermuda Triangle. It is said that within its confines is a third dimension that whoever passes through the triangle will mysteriously vanish. Silly, right? Impossible. But there have been stories of pilots passing by the Bermuda Triangle. Their families will file missing reports because they weren’t able to fly back home, only to return years later. It was as if the pilot passed through a time warp. Hard to explain but it happened.
A case such as that of Walton’s already happening opens the door that it could happen again. These few stories ignite the curiosity of alien enthusiasts and UFOlogists to know more about our neighbors from that galaxy far away. There may still be skeptics but that’s the case in all ideologies anyway: you either believe it or don’t believe it. There may be those who don’t need proof. They just believe.