Maybe we haven't met aliens, because nobody makes it past this point in evolution?

[Tyler Durden]

Billyuns and Billyuns of Stars/Galaxies/Etcetera, but nobody's dropped by to say hi. I had some thoughts on the subject this morning.

First thought: Maybe we're FIRST.
Hey, SOMEBODY has to be first. Maybe it's US. Maybe the next guys in the Evolution Contest are still doing the alien version of busting rocks and living in caves. Maybe we'll last long enough to say hi to THEM. Maybe not.

Second thought: Maybe we SUCK.
Maybe the rest of the civilized universe has decided we should be left to self-destruct on our own. Some science fiction writers have proposed that our thoughts and ideas are actually forms of toxic waste. Big surprise; we could be the social lepers of creation.

Third thought: Maybe NOBODY makes it where we are.
Sure, if someone makes it past the "Marconi" stage, we'd see their version of "I Love Lucy" eventually. But maybe civilizations do the same thing as the Romans: they get to a certain point, then it's HARI-KARI time ala NUKES. Could be. Maybe we'll get past this point, maybe not. Maybe someone else will eventually.

Just more neo-agnostic cosmic musings so I don't think about them at midnight and spend the rest of the night having anxiety attacks.

ON EDIT:

Someone said Space was really big. Yep. Forgot that one.

Fourth thought: Einstein was right.
Sort of goes along with 1 and 3 in a way. Space may be just TOO GOD DAMNED BIG for visits. Trips are one-way. Of course, we may have to do that anyway: the Sun's not "forever." Maybe we'll hear their "Howard Stern" in a while and be GLAD they can't come to visit.

[Az]

1. Or it could just be that space is really really big

To quote this interesting book I have "Space," it says, "is big. Really big. You just won't believe how vastly hugely mindboggingly big it is. I mean you may think it's a long way down the road to the chemist, but that's just peanuts to space.

We dream of moving faster than the speed of light. But if that is the law then we could be in a universe teaming with life but everyone is simply trapped by space and time. Nothing more effective than empty space to trap a person. That stuff is everywhere.

[Tyler Durden]

2. Yeah, I edited in a Fourth. Slipped my mind...

It does sort of key into #'s 1 and 3 sort of.

[Ariana Celeste]

3. I'd go with 3 or 4

I personally think it's a little arrogant to believe we are the first, or we are the only, or we are the most advanced. But I also don't like to think we just suck so bad that other lifeforms would just pass us by (although maybe that could be a good thing, right?).

:).

[WindRavenX]

4. Complex life takes a long time to evolve

And during that time, conditions for life must be favorable. Most hypothesize, myself included, that this critical step of having the time to let life reach that point is extrodinarily rare-- there are so many things that can go wrong. MEE (Mass Extinction Event). Variable Star. Being too far/close to the sun. Being tidal locked. Not being in a habital zone long enough...

And on and on.

We're not the first. But we're in a very rare club, probably. And far, far away from anyone else.