LOOK HOMEWARD, AGENT MULDER
 
One of the most watched programs on television today is The X-Files. One of the two main characters in this series is F.B.I. agent Fox Mulder, who, as a child, witnessed his sister's abduction at the hands of mysterious beings. As an adult, he constantly pursues and investigates cases of paranormal activity, all the while searching for "the truth". A major subplot that is often addressed and never quite resolved throughout the series is whether there are actually alien beings who abduct people for some nefarious purpose, or whether it's all a conspiracy by the government to conceal something even more sinister. 

After following the series for more than a year, I realized that there really are aliens in the world today. They are not, however, the creatures that buzz the atmosphere in UFOs, but the human beings who alienate themselves from others. We, the human race, tend to place ourselves above all other creatures, treating them and the environment like possessions, to be used and discarded. By doing so, we detach ourselves from the rest of God's creation, and become, in effect, aliens in our own world. Not satisfied, we segregate the human race into nationalities, races, religions, and social classes, and hold those "different" from us at an arms length. 

Perhaps this is one of the reasons behind the success of The X-Files. We watch the show and we shudder, as we catch a glimpse of the aliens in ourselves. 

--- Andrea L. Peterson 

andrael@skyinet.net