First of all, let me
just state that this isn't some sort of weird, fanatical, crazy sci-fi post.
This is just another post, similar to the original "what if?" post I
did some time ago, outlining what I think about the matter of life on other planets.
I'll come right out with it: Life
on other planets must exist. I won't say "do", though there is
literally no way to prove it, but I maintain that it must. Afterall, we
exist, and we are complex organisms. Why should this planet be so
special to be the only planet with living things in existance? Why do you think
you're so special, to be breathing and thinking right now?
Afterall, there are something like 6 billion+ humans on this planet,
nevermind the number of animals, far, far greater number of bugs, and probably
far greater number still of bacteria.
When I say "life", of
course, I am not referring to equally, if not moreso, complex life forms than
us, though that is entirely possible. Why shouldn't it be? No, I am talking
about anything as simple as bacteria. If bacteria can survive, then other life
can form, too. Afterall, all life on this planet evolved from
single-celled organisms. Planets where there is only bacteria probably has what
it takes to create more complex life. It only takes a spark.
It is generally accepted that
water is needed for life to form. I call bullshit. Water is needed for our
life to form. Life on this planet needs water. And why is that? Probably
because water was here in the first place, and that is what fuelled it, it is what
encouraged the cells to form in the way that they did. Not all planets have
water. That's a crazy thought, when it comes down to it, but I am willing to
bet that a lot of planets consist of a lot of things that are entirely unknown
to us. As far as I know, we're still discovering elements on our own
planet.
I believe our life only requires
water because it was there before life began. Planets that have an abundance of
never-before-discovered gas will probably allow life to develop that can easily
live off of that, instead. Or some other substance similar to water - or
perhaps not a liquid at all. Life just needs the right environment.
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Our own galaxy. The light at the centre is a super-massive black hole which gives the galaxy its spiral shape. |
I'm not going to say that life can
pop up just anywhere. I realise that life does require certain
circumstances - some planets will probably never, ever host life. But to
say that Earth is the only planet in existance that hosts life,
when you take into consideration the sheer size of our galaxy - let alone the ever
expanding universe - is simply bullshit. We are not that special - we're
not. We're nothing, in fact. Hell, even the scale of our Earth against just
stars in our own galaxy shows how little we mean. To say that this planet is
the only one to host life - complex or not - is simply the most
hedonistic thing to say. Ever.
It may take less time for complex
life to form on some planets than ours, or it could take longer. And, of
course, in some cases, single-cell life could be the pinnacle of evolution. But
that is an interesting word: evolution. Evolution implies change, it
implies growth. We evolved from single-celled organisms, we did not suddenly
just appear. That means that, if you hear a report of bacteria being discovered
on another planet, it is a seriously big deal. It means that that
life could some day evolve into something more complex, and more complex,
still. We are not even done evolving, ourselves. The earth is still changing,
naturally and by our own hand. We will change. We have changed. Look at
the Neanderthals. We have changed since then, our bodies have changed - and who
knows, as we continue to evolve we could grow to be even more beautiful (I say
that, not meaning we are all wonderfully gorgeous, but because I know that none
of us could look at a Neanderthal and say they were attractive). The most
gorgeous person in the world right now could be considered ugly as hell a few
thousand years from now (of course, even then, us ladies would still
consider ourselves hideous whether we are or not). Or we could become absolutely hideous.
Even on planets with extreme
conditions - absolutely frost-bite cold at night, and an oven during the day -
all it takes is for one cell to form that can withstand both for life to
evolve. That cell will multiply, and then that cell will multiply, and
then the others will multiple, and life will grow. Any that form from it that
cannot handle the drastic differences will not survive long enough to multiply
- that's what evolution and natural selection is. Evolution is the process of
adapting to natural changes, and natural selection is what kills of anything
that can't handle it - things are naturally selected to continue, and others
are naturally selected to desist.
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This is a tiiiiny sample of the Universe. All of those lights and smudges are galaxies, just like ours. |
I am not a scientist. I have done
no research to write this post. This is what I believe, based on my own
logic. Religious people can scream blasphemy all they like, I have not
written this to offend people. There are a million people who blog about
their religion, some shoving it down people's throats, and that can offend
people of other relgions as well as people who are not religious at all.
This is simply my "Jesus Loves You" post. Disprove this all
you like, but I don't believe that it can be disproved, regardless of how many
diplomas you have on your wall. Unless you live for eternity and
visit every single planet in existance, you cannot prove me wrong.
And if I have made any of you feel
worse than shit by telling you all that none of us truly matter in the grand
scheme of things, our lives matter to us. That is why, despite
believing this whole-heartedly, I continue to write my books, I continue
to send them to agencies, and I continue to hold onto my dreams - my
life and accomplishments might not matter to the universe, but it sure as
hell matters to me.