*Originally published on 6/29/09
Since the dawn of time, man has looked up at the stars and wondered whether or not we are alone in the universe. The possibility of life on other alien worlds has been fodder for fiction for decades. Whether it be in short stories, novels, movies, or comics, the idea of coming in contact alien life is a fascinating one. Oddly enough, whenever somebody comes forward and says that they either saw an alien craft in the sky or that they were abducted, he or she is immediately laughed at and dismissed.
Why? Is it really that far-fetched? Skeptics are quick to make their case that life doesn't exist on other planets, but when given some thought, the idea that we're alone is almost stupid. The universe is a vast, vast place. Our galaxy alone is home to millions of stars and there are tons of galaxies outside that and even past the ones we know. With all those stars, and all those systems, and all those planets, is it really that ridiculous to say that life spawned on another one? If you want to make the argument that alien life exists, but they're not visiting us, I can understand that. The closest star to ours is about four light years away so space travel is a difficult task to undergo. Even taking this into account, people who claim to have seen something in the sky or come into contact with extra-terrestrials shouldn't so quickly be dismissed. I'll grant you, many are loons, but there are a few encounters that aren't so easily explained.
One thing I never understood is how some planets are dismissed because their environment couldn't support life. Couldn't life adapt to whatever situations the planet has? I mean, the deep ocean shouldn't be able to support life because of the insane amounts of pressure, lack of light etc, yet there are some creatures that thrive down there, really weird looking ones too.
I think it's just important to keep an open mind. I'm not saying that we should all go the way of Fox Mulder and believe in some vast government conspiracy to hide the truth. There is, however, quite a bit of evidence to support the idea of alien life.
You know what I never understood? The military insists that there is no Area 51, not even a base to speak of. Yet, those who do drive out there are met with soldiers who insist that you turn around. If there's no base, then let the people drive. You can deny the existence of a crashed vessel and admit that a military installation is there. I don't see what the big deal with that is. Telling us that there is no base, but that we can't drive past due to military regulations is nonsensical.
The government conspiracy angle never made much sense either. Oh, it's entertaining to hear some of the theories that people come up with, and the government is known to keep us in the dark about a lot, but why hide the existence of alien life? Men in Black gave a pretty reasoned argument why people NEED to be kept in the dark, but I'm not so sure I agree. As long as people are presented with the information calmly and rationally, I'm sure the general public can handle such a revelation. There will be a few people who can't, I'm sure, but overall I don't see anyone really freaking out over the idea. It would take some getting used to, especially if we remain in constant contact with the alien race, but given enough time things would work out.
I for one, hope to see the day we make contact with life outside our solar system, unless they're invading. In that case, I want the day to be very far away and occur long after I'm gone.
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