Why Are We Looking for Life Elsewhere?

We are searching for life on other planets, anywhere in the universe. I am all for it and very excited at the prospect of finding life or finding another planet that can sustain life in such a way as Earth does. But what do we expect to find there? Imagine that you went to Europa, the moon of planet Jupiter, and found an animal there that looked like the house cat you have seen so many times. Although it is highly unlikely, but you will be enthralled at finding a form of life so complex and so beautiful that you will think of it as such a marvel of Nature. You will guard it closely and protect it from harm because it is so precious. Why not regard the non-human forms of life on Earth in the same light? Why not think of them as marvels of nature and of this universe? Why not accord them the same honor, respect, and awe that we will accord to a creature from another world? Just because when we opened our eyes and gained consciousness, these creatures were already here? So, we can take them for granted and go looking for life elsewhere?

I understand that in our search for life elsewhere, we are guided by our scientific curiosity and a desire to find out if we are all alone in the universe and, if not, a desire to communicate with those other forms of life. But what have we done to earn this right? Have we got a clean slip of behavior on Earth? Will those creatures from other planets also have to learn to fear and dread us and our destructive powers? Will we want to control them and subdue them as well, just as we control and subdue Nature on this planet?

Earth is probably the most verdant place in the universe. If we looked at the diversity and abundance of life forms found on Earth with fresh eyes, we might commit ourselves to conserving life here instead of searching it elsewhere. How I wish we could accord the same respect to all forms of life – be they trees, animals, or humans. These creatures are right here in front of us, but we even fail to notice them. Why are we only able to see the goals in the distance that we set for ourselves and, in our hurry to be productive, we are blind to everything else on the way? We must surely see that we are as much a part of the intricate web of life on this planet as any microbe, plant, or animal is, and of all the forms of life, we are the most dependent on them. We came through them and not in spite of them.

Let us not forget our origins and let us not sever ties with Nature and isolate ourselves. All evidence indicates that we were not placed here independently, and even if we were, we still must be able to marvel at what we found here just as much as we would marvel if we went to another planet and found any semblance of life there. As it is now, earth is becoming a monoculture of human beings such that every other form of life is pushed to the periphery. If the other species are still surviving it is a wonder because we have not made any provisions for any other form of life. These creatures form our ecosystems, and if we try to preserve them as specimens in artificial settings, what happens to the ecosystems that support our own existence? Modern humans are convinced that this planet belongs to them alone. Why such an assumption?

In my opinion, the feast for our eyes is right here. The amount of diversity ever to be found anywhere is right here. Let us wake up before it is too late, because it is not in our power to bring those lost species back. I believe that it is a noble mission to try to find life elsewhere because life is so unique an attribute. But I am afraid that if we can not respect and value life here, we will not be able to respect it anywhere. It may just be another goal mankind has set for itself, a goal like any other.

Let us not find more life unless we first learn to look at what we have here – with awe and wonder and respect. Then we will be ready to find, appreciate, and nurture life elsewhere!