This is going to be one of those pieces in which I remember half an idea and then try and wing it. A couple of days ago I was reading an article about the possibility of life on other planets. I planned on writing a piece about something in the article that same day but I forgot all about it. Now the only bit I can remember is the idea itself that gave me one of those wow moments. It wasn’t any great achievement or possibility of something but was in relation to us. Human beings. The author was talking about why no aliens have made contact with us. While there were a few obvious suggestions such as they don’t know we’re here, there are no aliens and they have made contact we just don’t know. He also raised the idea that they know we’re here and keep an eye on us but without revealing themselves, and it’s for our own safety. He related us to uncontacted tribes in the Amazon and for a second it blew my mind.
We as a species seem to have this sense of our own worth and greatness. Human achievements are blasted out and in our face at a near constant rate. While we accept there may be other species out in space more advanced than us, we don’t ever see ourselves as primitive. I don’t like that word because arguably it suggests a certain superiority, which always depends on who is measuring and what they’re measuring. In many ways our advanced technological societies have become emotionally primitive, we’re disconnected and cut off from what it was that helped us evolve as a species. Just imagine though for one second, we are a tribe intentionally cut off from the rest of life in the universe.
In truth I’m struggling to convey the feeling I had in full. It felt incredibly important to view ourselves in this way. Almost as if it’s something our collective ego should understand for it’s own good. It’s also almost impossible to explain what I mean without using words that are degrading towards secluded tribes. It’s my own understanding of worth, my own worth ultimately, and it doesn’t correlate with the image I like to have of myself and show others. It was such a powerful moment of comprehension because as I related to it it just exposed my unconscious sense of superiority. Not so unconscious anymore it appears. To see in others is one thing but to experience it in ourselves is another. What an interesting little moment to explore. Well I enjoyed it anyway.
Observations and Misunderstandings 