Why Extra-Terrestrial Life Must Exist

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.

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.

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.