The Complexities of Human Existence

By Blake Robinson

I typically do not like to think about the existence of aliens. The idea of another intelligent species inhabiting another planet somewhere in this galaxy or universe stretches my imagination too far. I am still unsure if our existence is even real. We may be a large-scale simulation as a part of a young being’s science fair project. Although we have many socioeconomic problems here on our own planet, they all seem so pointless considering how vast the universe is speculated to be. We, as an entire society on planet Earth, focus on the things that impact our own lives and make judgements and decisions that both ensure our own survival and ensure that those around us find us valuable enough to keep around. We worry about a test, a friend that wronged us, an unreciprocated love, what food to eat, what material to choose as a starting point for a senior project, what people are going to be at your dads 51st birthday, and our own sanity as we navigate being a part of a society. These things worry and stress us all; we could be test subjects in a simulation. The main worry of a human from an evolutionary standpoint, if this is a theory you accept, is survival. Specifically surviving long enough to reproduce and create offspring to continue the lineage of your own genetic code. However, within this main goal comes all the other little things that add pressure to our lives. One’s social and economic status directly impact our ability to reproduce successfully while also living a fruitful life that is filled with more happiness than grief and despair. From this perspective it makes sense why these simple things mean so much to us. Every little action or achievement adds up to how we are viewed by others, being accepted, and working together has been crucial to human’s domination of Earth. And although we have been dominating the game of Earth for hundreds or even thousands of years now, we still fight with one another over things even more arbitrary than our basic goals as humans, such as what god to believe in and the coinciding moral code. I think many disagreements stem from perspective. Some focus on now or the upcoming years particularly, while others are more concerned with how the future humans will manage. Our world here on Earth is so extremely complex yet can be broken down to human’s basic needs and wants. I like to think we are in some sort of simulation, with predetermined levels of different attributes, and some omniscient creature is just observing to see what attributes prevail. When I get too stressed or overwhelmed, I just remember that a third grader is testing me for his science project to determine the correct mix of attributes for his programmable farm of pets. That helps me put things in perspective and to not beat myself up so much. I also think about how extraterrestrial beings could appear at any time and shake up Earth at any point, so it is likely best to just chill out until the day comes.

 Now, everything previous were mere speculations, but it does raise the question: are humans so unique that we broke an evolutionary barrier that has never yet been passed? Would this mean that we are the only intelligent beings, from our standards, in the universe? Or have we just not yet encountered the barrier that have caused other civilizations to fail? Or is it a communication issue and there are others among us? Either way, our individual existence and experience on Earth is lucky, so we should try our best to worry less and enjoy more.