The Five Stages of Ontological Shock

Pop psychology identifies five stages of grief that the typical person passes through when facing a serious loss, tragedy, bereavement, or news of terminal condition. The five stages are denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. I’m watching the five stages play out in the journalism and media covering Wednesday’s historic congressional hearing on UFOs. It’s also on display in the snarky comments on social media as people accustomed to relegating UFOs to the realm of sci-fi fantasy or conspiracy theory nut-jobs are confronted with the news that UFOs are real, we are not alone, the government has been gaslighting us at least since 1947, and our military and intelligence community has recovered both UFOs and the remains of their non-human pilots. Here are the five stages of ontological shock that accompanies UFO DISCLOSURE:

DENIAL

There is no evidence. Just hearsay. Not interested. Not looking. Not listening. The Pentagon says it’s all airborne trash, weather balloons and drones.

ANGER

It’s a small cadre of UFO enthusiasts. Ridiculous! Conspiracy theories and science fiction. Why doesn’t congress focus on the real issues. It’s all a psy-op. You have to ask, why now? They are trying to distract us.

BARGAINING

The Pentagon’s AARO does study Un\identified Anomylous Phenomena, but they have found no verifiable evidence of non-human intelligence or a UFO crash retrieval program. Perhaps there are unexplained things in the sky, but that doesn’t mean you go full-on conspiracy theory. OK, maybe some type of exotic craft have been recovered, but not non-human pilots.

DEPRESSION

I don’t know what to believe any longer.

ACCEPTANCE

Show us them dadgum aliens.