Life in other places - how would the discovery of extra-solar intelligence affect us?

Unless you’ve been hidden under a rock or sequestered in an outpatient lead chelation clinic (what can I say, I like the taste) you’ve heard that there are other planets out there that may harbor the conditions that lead to life. Mainly, water. In all it’s liquid glory.

Such a planet, one of which is a definite water bearing place which was given some scientific designation but which I’ll call ArsGeekLand is big. Not just in size, but in meaning. This thing on which we’d experience about 1.6 Gs, has a 13 day year as it hurtles around a red dwarf star. Sure, the stars a bit dimmer and well, red, but the planet is in the sweet spot, so to speak, where life as we know it may be more possible. And where is that? Anywhere where liquid water could exist.

Astronomers and other folks with PhD’s and research appointments are theorizing that the ground temperature on ArsGeekLand is between 0 and 40 degrees Celsius. This means that if water’s present, it’s probably sloshing around quite a bit. And this is good for all kinds of things like amino acids circulating around, single cell life forms and possibly even cost accountants.

So what’s the big deal? This planet is a bit over 21 light years away! If we were traveling at 2,000,000 miles per second, it would still take us, um. . . carry the 1, divide by 186 . . .er . . . a long time to get there. A *real* long time. Why does this matter to us?

It matters because it’s suddenly made us as a race a lot less relevant to the Universe as a whole. At least, in our minds. See, if there’s another place out there that might harbor life – and people in the know are saying places like ArsGeekLand may be relatively common; well that means there there could very well be other life out there. If there’s other life out there, then it follows that some of it could/have/will/is evolving to be more advanced than us. Which means we ain’t unique anymore. No longer would we look out into that great starry void, raise our arms to the sky and shout “Why God! Why can’t Steve Jobs design cars!”

No! If there’s even the remote possibility that we’ll have proof of other life outside our little blue sphere, then we’ve got to start considering all the implications. First, we should realize that we’re not alone. After locking our doors, we should also realize that if we’re not alone, then we’re not the center of it all.

If there’s other life out there, what does that mean for major world shaping institutions such as world religions? No longer is mankind the only thing going. Does that make us any lesser in the eyes of whatever god it is you worship? Is it an easily reconcilable thing?

If definitive proof of life outside of our solar system ever comes in (and this discovery by the way is not that proof) then it’s going to take a big shift in thinking for everyone to cope. How important is your life if there’s a whole civilization out there that isn’t even aware humans exist? Or have surpassed us in technology and achievements? We’ve known for a long time that spatially we’re not the center of the Universe but a revelation like that would make us rethink our importance as well. Psychically we’d no longer be the center either.

Ouch. That may be tough for a lot of people to swallow.