The word “sinister” is Latin for left. Back in the day, left-handed people were believed to have the evil eye or were considered in some way to be demonic. Today we know that is a pile of dung. But more importantly, that line of thought tells us that we as a species can immerse ourselves very easily in misinformation without probable cause, and have been known to do exactly that throughout history.
We are a suspicious, distrustful lot. It’s no wonder then that we can look at someone with different skin color or physical features and pass judgment on them without giving it too much thought.
It bothers us when we hear a group of different-looking people speaking words we can’t understand. It just rubs us the wrong way. We immediately feel put on the spot when we walk into a place crowded with people that look different from us. This feeling is greatly diminished when we are in a mixed group. We feel not so exposed by our glaring difference from the others present.
This psychological bent makes me wonder how we can ever come to any real equality in our dealings with each other. I don’t know if that’s possible. World cultures are by nature unique to themselves. So whether it’s language, religion, or social customs, we will never feel completely “level” in a foreign environment.
How then are we to deal with alien beings from a different star system or dimension? If we can’t get along with human beings that are different from us, then dealing with alien beings from other worlds would seem impossible from every angle.
It is my sincere belief that this is one of the strongest reasons for alien resistance to open contact. They are well aware of the type of people we are at heart. And I don’t think they blame us for this. They know that we just can’t help ourselves. That’s just the way we’re built psychologically.
The only saving grace we have regarding this limitation is our built-in ability for compassion. Without that, we would be completely lost. It is that quality that summons outrage in us when we witness a man slowly and deliberately kill another man of a different race with his knee to his throat while the entire world watches in complete and utter disbelief.