A buddy of mine saw the movie "Signs" in the theater when it was released, enjoyed it, and bought the DVD shortly after it was made available. He invited me to watch it with him, I obliged and, well, I was disappointed.

I shook my head a few times during the movie but tried to restrain the urge to mutter something about how impractical everything was—the plot, the creatures' intentions, the creatures' physical make-up, the creatures' limitations and weaknesses, the whole dark focus of the movie…. I didn't want to ruin it for my buddy. According to the movie, the green and lanky, clawed aliens were here on a simple mission: to conquer Earth and destroy humanity. They obviously possessed advanced technology to get here, but they were vulnerable to rainwater. How stupid is that? While I didn't want to ruin the movie for my buddy by seeming too put off by the whole thing, I couldn't help but grunt and shake my head a few times. He said, "Hey, cool it, guy. It's just entertainment."

In recent decades we seem to have become accustomed to Hollywood's current trend: the darker and bloodier the better. "Relax, it's just entertainment," that resigned little voice within us seems to whisper.

Well, it's more than just entertainment. Having evolved on Earth, we humans have not only a gentle, trusting, and loving side, but also certain in-bred tendencies to stalk and kill when hungry, to mistrust strangers, to fear the unknown, and to strike when afraid. Humanity on Earth is like an attack dog in the house. If the family nurtures the dog's gentle, loving side by fulfilling its needs—especially the need for love—then it can be a gentle, playful member of the family. But if the animal is abused and teased, and its fears and resentments and rage are stirred up, then its destructive side comes out, and it can be a danger to the family and the neighborhood.

When moviemakers and other opinion-formers feed the fears and resentments and the rage of the public through the sensationalistic portrayal of violence and horror, they're stirring up the destructive side of human nature. It's not too big an exaggeration to compare them to the ornery boy who teases a confined dog until it's raging and frothing. As violence and horror stir the hormones within us, our attack side comes out, and we humans become more of a danger to our neighbors.

When it all boils over into society—when the R-rated movies, graphic news reports, and anti-terrorist propaganda all spread quickly through the population via modern information networks, stirring up our fears and resentments and our rage—then our society begins to froth, and we become more of a menace to the world community.

In a healthy society the ornery boy taunting the confined dog would be scolded by a parent or a neighbor or a babushka or any other responsible adult who witnessed the bad behavior.... In a healthy world an ornery organization like the Hollywood film industry that taunts humanity would be scolded by a responsible, over-riding organization like the UN or a federation of religions or the US government--someone in a legitimate position of responsible authority. Unfortunately it is not happening.

This is of particular concern to me because my line of research, instrumental transcommunication or ITC (an advanced form of spirit communication through technology) is made possible when the decent side of human nature attracts positive spiritual influences into our lives and into our world…but the growing climate of fear and rage in the USA and elsewhere is making that increasingly difficult. On one hand, the situation does not bode well for the spread of ITC on a large scale in our lifetime. On the other hand, the world is in growing need of enhanced ITC contacts that can bring Light and understanding into our world…. Under the circumstances, I believe that those connections across the veil will only be established by small groups of resonant researchers and scientists who are committed to decency in their thoughts, words, and actions. They will have to insulate themselves from the darkness that is spreading across the face of the globe today, much of it from Hollywood.

MM March 08, 2003