Aliens 1

I cannot believe that we are alone in this wonderfully immense universe. Millions - that's right - millions of galaxies like the one our planetary system is a part of, dot the skies as so many starry lights. But most of those starry lights are galaxies. We cannot even be sure of the number of inhabitable planets in our own galaxy, the distance between stars and planetary systems being so far apart we cannot reach them in real time by light waves, radio waves, or any other bands of communication.

I believe it's time for a reunion between our starry ancestors and ourselves. And we really should stop using the term "alien" to refer to beings from other planets. Science fiction has created such astounding creatures that we really believe that beings from other planets would look so different from ourselves. Or would they? Something in our collective human memory wants to believe we were seeded here on this planet, or that the biochemical organisms on Earth were manipulated in order to creat quantum leaps in evolution. Today's science reveals that such manipulation is entirely possible - and we have not figured out the full scope of DNA manipulation. Perhaps others have. Let's just call beings from other planetary systems "people" from other worlds, instead of the demeaning and fear-provoking term "alien." Perhaps we might find ourselves more open to cultures more advanced than us, and finally open our minds and hearts to the amazing diversity this material universe offers.

But first, I guess we have to stop calling one another "aliens" - something that doesn't belong to our perceived provincial view of human communal life. People who live in other countries ought not be called "aliens" by Americans. Every American, even those who lived on this continent before Europeans invaded, and the ancestors of every American citizen, came from another place on the earth. It is time to connect the dots. We are all citizens of the Earth, a collective of communities each with unique traits, abilities, skills, and history. We are here for one another. We are here to teach one another. We are here to experience the diversity of nature and of human life.  Let's start living it.