This week: Extraterrestrial Life Edited by: NaNoKit  
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Are we alone in the universe? If not, what would this mean for us? For our faith?
This week's Spiritual Newsletter is all about life and meaning.
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Do you believe in extraterrestrial life? What about extraterrestrial life forms with the technology to visit our planet? Do you believe that beings from other planets have already visited us? Or that they may visit us at some point in the future?
NASA estimates that there are at least 100 billion planets in our galaxy alone. And a low estimate places the number of galaxies in the observable universe at between 100 and 200 billion . It is not difficult to imagine, then, that somewhere in the universe exists a planet with very similar conditions to our Earth. As it’s been proven that life can exist – because, well, we’re living it – we know that life can exist elsewhere, too, if the conditions are right. I don’t think, then, that it’s too farfetched to believe that extraterrestrial life is likely. What form it takes, however, is a different matter.
In movies and TV series about space travel or visits from other planets most aliens tend to be depicted as humanoid. Not always, but it’s a trend. I suppose this is because we imagine intelligent life to be similar to us. It is possible, though, that life on other planets is very different. It may even take forms that we currently do not recognise as life.
It can also be the case that there were living beings on other planets in the past. Or that there is life out there – perhaps even life with the ability to travel through space – but we’re too far apart to know of each other’s existence. Wouldn’t that be a shame?
Well, I guess that depends on if you believe they’d be friend or foe. I would like to think that when we meet beings from other planets we’d recognise the wonderful opportunities this would bring and we’d agree to peaceful cooperation, but a look at world history does not inspire a huge amount of confidence. And we do not know their world history.
It would also be interesting what such a meeting would mean for our various religions and spiritual paths. Would extraterrestrial life forms have the same or similar faiths to our own? Would they believe in the same higher power or powers? Or does each planet have its own faith, and its own God or Gods? If so, what would they be like?
What if we eventually meet up with beings from various other planets, and they all have the exact same faith? What if this matches with one of our own? Would we conclude that this is the correct faith, or would we believe them to be wrong if our personal beliefs were different? Would we attempt to convert them?
I think that if we ever learn that there is life on other planets, it will be a momentous occasion. It’s a big shift from belief to knowledge. Yes, we’ll still have to go to work/school and pay our bills, but it’s no small thing to know that we are not alone in the universe.
I don’t know about you, but I hope that we are not alone. If we are, then why here? Why us? If we are the only life ever in such a vast universe, what is the meaning of it all? Much of it we will never see, never experience. So much beauty, unenjoyed.
I hope the day will come when we’ll find out. It would be nice if that were in my lifetime. I have a seemingly endless curiosity, and this is one of those questions that I cannot find the answer to – at least, not yet. The truth is out there. What do you hope that it’ll turn out to be?
NaNoKit
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Spiritual: August 02, 2023 Issue [#12097]
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