Space: Whats more disturbing to you, the idea that we are one of a billion different civs, or alone

reply to post by judus


yea u like that metaphor now only i start to get the mean

it is a pity that there is nothing right, but u keep meaning u or urself not the whole fact result

reply to post by SaturnFX


I suppose it depends on what you judge to be significant or insignificant. Personally I believe there is life everywhere in the universe and that it is all interconnected in some way. Even if we were wiped out it doesn't mean we were 'insignificant'.

If we are are alone (which I don't believe), to find that frightening would mean you don't believe in an eternal soul. I don't mean a soul in a religious way, just a matter of fact way from my experience.

Either way I wouldn't call either of the two possibilities disturbing. In fact it's an exiting time as we are on the brink of finding which it is!

Originally posted by SaturnFX
Space: Whats more disturbing to you, the idea that we are one of a billion different civs, or we are alone


Just a thought
With us being just one of countless other civilizations in the milky way, it makes me feel totally insignificant...our planet and species could die out and it wouldn't matter even a little bit.

On the other hand, What if we are truely alone...that this one planet, this one ball is all there is in regards to advanced life...and should we get wiped out, thats it...no more intelligence. What a lonely outlook.

Which thought is more haunting to you? insignificance or solitude

edit on 14-5-2012 by SaturnFX because: title shortening a bit

Neither...

Considering the shear size of the universe, its utterly ridiculous to believe we are the only life in the universe...

And even if we were "alone"... in the universe, we are never ever truely "alone"...

Even if our planet gets "wiped out"...lol

Death is just the next step...

reply to post by DrHammondStoat


These are exciting times.

But for one who has always be leaved that we are not alone, if I do get to know the answer in my life time it wont be much of a surprise as I have always sort of knew or thought I knew.

Sort of like getting a present for your birthday that you already knew you were getting. I suppose I will have to act surprised.

I will love the told you so.

In fact I have just had a great Idea I may start mass producing merchandise with the Logo " I Told you SO"

ITYS PUNK

Originally posted by judus
reply to post by DrHammondStoat

 

These are exciting times.

But for one who has always be leaved that we are not alone, if I do get to know the answer in my life time it wont be much of a surprise as I have always sort of knew or thought I knew.

Sort of like getting a present for your birthday that you already knew you were getting. I suppose I will have to act surprised.

I will love the told you so.

In fact I have just had a great Idea I may start mass producing merchandise with the Logo " I Told you SO"

ITYS PUNK

What if we get a visit from our first ever interstellar species and it turns out they are just advanced jellyfish...and they only have interest in talking to our jellyfish, seeing us as some weird hoarding land insect.

Alien life does not necessarily mean little gray guy whom is pretty much humanoid...could be spidermonsters or crab people.

I dont find either disturbing.

A possibility I find more poignant is that there are many civs but they are fated never to meet. Many have come before and many will come after but the vastness of time and space prevents any interaction.

reply to post by SaturnFX


True, first contact could be crab people, why not. I believe life in the universe is as disverse as all the wierd things we see in nature. I think us human beings are obsessed with getting things instantly and in line with our ideals, maybe these things will take time and take forms that we find strange.

Originally posted by judus
reply to post by DrHammondStoat

 

These are exciting times.

But for one who has always be leaved that we are not alone, if I do get to know the answer in my life time it wont be much of a surprise as I have always sort of knew or thought I knew.

Sort of like getting a present for your birthday that you already knew you were getting. I suppose I will have to act surprised.

I will love the told you so.

In fact I have just had a great Idea I may start mass producing merchandise with the Logo " I Told you SO"

ITYS PUNK

I feel much the same. I feel pretty much certain we are not alone through things I have experienced, it's hard to explain to others who haven't.

i have thought about getting 'i told you so!' T shirts printed too! i'm just not sure we will ever get a definitive, aliens on the white house lawn moment anymore. I think things will change when the majority of people on earth are ready to accept it.

The one in a billion is bad. The concept that we are alone is worse. As scary as it is to think that aliens can come explode us into oblivion at any time, the concept that we are the only ones is a bit scarier.

I would find that being alone would be horrible, all that effort and resources put into space travel and searching for life in the universe would be wasted.

Then again what would people think to the idea of not being alone but being the first civ to go into space?? As in other civs are at a really basic level or even at a microbe and bacteria stage. We would technically be alone in space but not the universe.

I mean there has to be a civ who is the first to travel in space. does anyone consider that humans may be the first??

Dont get me wrong i would love it to be teeming with intelligent life, life which can travel all over the universe, can visit us and neighbouring planets, solar systems and galaxies, but its got to be said that humans being the first can be a possibility and not be written off.

Being alone, but the chances of that are SO low.

reply to post by SaturnFX


I think it's actually comforting that if there are other people out there that they don't appear to have much of a controlling interest in us. The fact that we govern ourselves is very apparent considering the inadequacy of our government. That means there probably isn't some vast cosmic conspiracy to control us, the fact that our government is so stupid.

If they are out there, they are probably keeping their distance from us for good reason. We are a crazy, chaotic species.

Myself, I would wish we were alone. Or at the very least exiled away from the rest of the inhabited planets. We don't need any more beings to steal from, murder, rape, or blow up. We do enough damage already.

If they are smart, they would never let a human set foot on their planet. Or even chance humans knowing they exisit. We would complicate things way too much.