Hi ATS. As i've recently celebrated my 8th anniversary with AboveTopSecret.com, I began to think of the things i've learned over the many years. In that span of time, i've learned a lot, and my opinions and ideas have shifted dramatically with the new information that wonderful users like you post. I've gone from someone who was quite skeptical about everything from OOPART to ancient aliens to believing gray aliens were humans from the future to wondering how the bermuda triangle worked to who jack the ripper was and even things such as whether or not bigfoot and the loch ness monster exist.

Throughout this change i've noticed some things about myself. I'm wiser, and I can pick apart new things i find easier. And the number one thing i learned was how my fears have changed. Essentially I'm only afraid of TWO things.

1. Sharks. They look so cool but i'm terrified of them. Nuff said.

2. We're alone in the universe.

Math tells us that we're probably not alone in the universe. That statistically speaking, many other planets in the abyss we call space are inhabited by life, and probably life just as smart as us. It took us 4 billion years to reach our current level of intelligence. Along that 4 billion year path there have been a few steps back, but obviously none to far back to prevent our development.

But what if out of those hundreds of billions of planets there is no other life. What if life is just a total scientific anomaly? What if nothing in the history of time has ever happened to create life on another planet? Or what if life was created but died off far before speciation could occur?

I'm not really looking for answers, just sharing my thoughts on my biggest fear- that life might actually be a fluke and when you look up at the sky, nobody is looking back. It makes me feel so empty.

Happy holidays to all

what if out of those hundreds of billions of planets there is no other life.

If that were true id feel extremely special lol

Originally posted by FeelingPure

what if out of those hundreds of billions of planets there is no other life.

If that were true id feel extremely special lol

Really? I look at it from the viewpoint that once we become extinct, no one will ever know we existed, because there's no one to even look for us. We popped into life and will pop out again for no rhyme or reason. I find this really REALLY sad.

Originally posted by Schmidt1989
1. Sharks. They look so cool but i'm terrified of them. Nuff said.

You have good protection against them: don't enter the water.

2. We're alone in the universe.

I don't understand what's there to fear if we are alone in the universe. Monotony and boredom I understand, fear I do not.

PS: congratulations on the 8th anniversary, fellow "class of 2004" member.

My fear is we don't work out a way to get FTL travel and are restricted to sub light speeds forever. People talk about Alcubierre drive but honestly, even with the revised math it would still require many times the power of the most powerful nuclear bombs detonated here on Earth.

With that said, NASA works at such a painfully slow pace (A scouting mission to Europa MIGHT happen in the 2020s apparently and after that PERHAPS a mission to drill down into the ice in search for life. (They should go to Enceladus)) that it would take more time for NASA to finally start up a mission then it took to make the warp engine in the first place.

Yeah...I really worry that we're going no where fast.

I fear the Voyager touching the sides............ it's close now, thought it was going to happen on the 21st dec, i've never believed in all that other hoo haa....just, dont let it touch the sides.

Truman Show: remember when his boat hit the sides? his world ended as he knew it.

I'm more scared of the thought that we are NOT alone in the universe, and that aliens may arrive here and exterminate or enslave us.

Originally posted by wildespace
I'm more scared of the thought that we are NOT alone in the universe, and that aliens may arrive here and exterminate or enslave us.

That seems to be the more rational fear rather than the fear of no other intelligent life.

One thought to ponder is that if the big bang theory is correct, there was no intelligent life when the universe began. One consequence of this, is that some place had to be first to develop intelligent life. Even if that was our planet, this doesn't preclude the possibility of intelligent life developing elsewhere, later. Life such as ours won't develop in a first-generation star system...because it wouldn't have the needed heavier elements. If a 2nd or 3rd generation star system with supernova remnants is a prerequisite for intelligent life, then such life may not have developed early in the universe.

The Fermi paradox does seem to have some validity.