Intergalactic Petting Zoo

"My goal is simple. It is a complete understanding of the Universe, why it is as it is and why it exists at all." --Stephen Hawking

I am shamelessly addicted to the TV show "Ancient Aliens" on the History2 Channel. Part of the reason for my addiction is that I am frequently stuck looking out at the world via newsfeeds, everyday mundane activities, stories around the world about horrible things, frustration with issues regarding our state and federal governments, and wonder, "Is this it? Is this the best that mankind can do?" Our world is a mess, full of hate, violence, bigotry, apathy, disparity of wealth, resources, advantages, and some of the most popular things we watch or read about involve the utter downfall of others! Then, when it all becomes too much for me to bear, I go to my fallback method, one of my nightly rituals (if the weather cooperates), and curl up in a chair on my back deck, my eyes watching the night sky. Since discovering the show "Ancient Aliens", looking up has taken on a whole new meaning.

To me, the question of "Are we alone in the Universe?" is pretty silly, as I believe the odds that we're "it" are astronomical! To quote Truman (Billy Bob Thornton) from one of my favorite movies (Armageddon), "It's a big-ass sky!" The Ancient Alien Theory postulates what could be found in that sky, and not all of their theories are whacky! I want to believe that somewhere up there other sentient beings have done "it", living, better than we have. I want to believe that in our own arrogance and self-absorption, we are merely the little kids on the Universal block and there is hope for us to evolve beyond this "small child who destroys his/her toys" phase. Let's face it, we're the only creatures on this planet who destroy our own habitat, essential for our very survival, usually for money. We are also the only creature on this planet that kill for no reason! That doesn't bode well for our future!

Usually, the last thing I do at the end of the day after soaking up the night sky and before I say my prayers (which often involve me pleading for God to take pity on us and save us from ourselves), is turn on an episode of "Ancient Aliens" and watch for awhile. I let myself believe that life exists out there and at some point in their history they were as screwed up as we seem to be. I allow myself to hope that not only is there something "more", so much more than we can possibly imagine, but also that as a people we can actually get there. Of course there's always the possibility that they will come here (and if you believe the Ancient Alien Theory, they already have), see that we're not much more evolved than the beasts on Earth, and stick us in some Intergalactic Zoo somewhere out past Orion's Belt (insert shudder here)!

*Image from vintervila.deviantart.com.

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