- #1
BTA
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I asked myself this question today, found that exact question asked here (February 10, 2005)... and I could not say anything, not even a squeak. Well, boil that dustmote!
"Why would aliens come here?" I ask and the voices in my head speak.
We are far from the galactic center of an average looking galaxy. Galaxies cluster together in “galactic clusters” and those clump together in “superclusters”. It is just like dust collects under a bed, except we call those “dust bunnies”, or, at least, I call them dust bunnies.
So, Humans are doing something Interesting on this planet. But, it is a TINY planet in an absolutely huge universe. One grain of sand among all the tiny grains of sand on a huge beach does not begin to describe our planet in this galaxy, or this galaxy in this galactic cluster.
Maybe, distance does not matter. Quantum physics says time and space are relative. Time is not a line that started way back there in the past and goes straight from there to way over there in the future. No, quantum physics says any moment in all of time is as easy to get to as any word on any page in a book. If you know how to go there, it is easy. And, space, a specific position or place in space, is a relative term. Imagine drawing a dot on a page, and another dot somewhere else on the page. Put your eye up close to one dot, the other dot is far away. Step away from the paper, the dots are close. Fold the piece of paper so the dots touch. Tear the paper so one dot is one one piece of paper, mail one piece half way around the world. Copy the sheet of paper several times before you tore it apart, can you tell which is the second copy?
And, you know, there is more than just time and space.
So, even with our level of technology, we can easily imagine something else is possible: it might be easy. But, there are still so many other interesting things going on, even more interesting than us.
We have been making radio waves radiate out in all directions for about 100 years, at the speed of light, 100 light years away is how far our noise has traveled, not that many stars that far away. And, if you walk away from a light in the wilderness, you soon do not see the light. So, there further away from us some aliens are, the less chance they hear our radio noise. And, what if they are not listening to radio waves? Blind people do not see fireflies and deaf people do not hear dogs barking.
So, why would aliens come here?! Most of the reasons given on TV and in books are just our fears, not real, good reasons. Also, aliens might have alien reasons and alien motivations, alien to us. Look at how many strange things other people, people that you know, do. Aliens are stranger than that.
BUT, we created many nuclear explosions... I think nuclear blasts create many kinds of noise, some that we are not even aware of. And, we experiment with many other things besides nuclear explosions.
If you saw a splash in a pond, wouldn’t you look to see what it was? If you heard, saw, felt or smelled something odd or unexpected, wouldn’t you investigate or call someone else to go over there and have a look?
Maybe, the dinosaurs that could leave, left when things got too hot for them and they came back to reminisce. Maybe, someone was just passing through when they noticed us and now they keep coming back, for whatever reason. Maybe, they tossed out their trash or removed the barnacles or parasites off their ship billions of years ago. Maybe, they planted a seed or reproduced then went away to let their offspring learn on their own. Maybe, they never left us alone and that is why we believe someone is watching over us. Maybe, we believe someone protects us because it is our nature to feel vulnerable.
"Why would aliens come here?" I ask and the voices in my head speak.
We are far from the galactic center of an average looking galaxy. Galaxies cluster together in “galactic clusters” and those clump together in “superclusters”. It is just like dust collects under a bed, except we call those “dust bunnies”, or, at least, I call them dust bunnies.
So, Humans are doing something Interesting on this planet. But, it is a TINY planet in an absolutely huge universe. One grain of sand among all the tiny grains of sand on a huge beach does not begin to describe our planet in this galaxy, or this galaxy in this galactic cluster.
Maybe, distance does not matter. Quantum physics says time and space are relative. Time is not a line that started way back there in the past and goes straight from there to way over there in the future. No, quantum physics says any moment in all of time is as easy to get to as any word on any page in a book. If you know how to go there, it is easy. And, space, a specific position or place in space, is a relative term. Imagine drawing a dot on a page, and another dot somewhere else on the page. Put your eye up close to one dot, the other dot is far away. Step away from the paper, the dots are close. Fold the piece of paper so the dots touch. Tear the paper so one dot is one one piece of paper, mail one piece half way around the world. Copy the sheet of paper several times before you tore it apart, can you tell which is the second copy?
And, you know, there is more than just time and space.
So, even with our level of technology, we can easily imagine something else is possible: it might be easy. But, there are still so many other interesting things going on, even more interesting than us.
We have been making radio waves radiate out in all directions for about 100 years, at the speed of light, 100 light years away is how far our noise has traveled, not that many stars that far away. And, if you walk away from a light in the wilderness, you soon do not see the light. So, there further away from us some aliens are, the less chance they hear our radio noise. And, what if they are not listening to radio waves? Blind people do not see fireflies and deaf people do not hear dogs barking.
So, why would aliens come here?! Most of the reasons given on TV and in books are just our fears, not real, good reasons. Also, aliens might have alien reasons and alien motivations, alien to us. Look at how many strange things other people, people that you know, do. Aliens are stranger than that.
BUT, we created many nuclear explosions... I think nuclear blasts create many kinds of noise, some that we are not even aware of. And, we experiment with many other things besides nuclear explosions.
If you saw a splash in a pond, wouldn’t you look to see what it was? If you heard, saw, felt or smelled something odd or unexpected, wouldn’t you investigate or call someone else to go over there and have a look?
Maybe, the dinosaurs that could leave, left when things got too hot for them and they came back to reminisce. Maybe, someone was just passing through when they noticed us and now they keep coming back, for whatever reason. Maybe, they tossed out their trash or removed the barnacles or parasites off their ship billions of years ago. Maybe, they planted a seed or reproduced then went away to let their offspring learn on their own. Maybe, they never left us alone and that is why we believe someone is watching over us. Maybe, we believe someone protects us because it is our nature to feel vulnerable.