Who Are We?

PTJ’s mention of the solution to questions of the zoo theory really struck me.  To refresh everyone, the zoo theory is that the aliens are waiting to come into contact with us.  It is likely that they will make contact when we reach a certain point of development.  However, if we are under the impression that the aliens are peaceful and all around nice creatures, it is very, very unlikely that we will reach any peace benchmark in our lifetime.  When the aliens check out our news resources such as the World News section on NYtimes.com, they will see “kill,” “arson,” “kill,” “chaos,” “kill,” “war,” “kills,” “arson,” “tragedy,” and “killed”.  I do not think aliens would want to enter into our knowledge when we cannot even deal with members of our own race (the entire human race) peaceably. 

            Now, I do not actually believe in aliens nor that there is intelligent life beyond Earth, but I think it is enlightening to look at our international situation as if from an outsider’s perspective.  I look at the news and I generally get pessimistic and depressed.  I think I can see why the aliens do not want to get involved.  On the other hand, when I see atrocities in the news, it also inspires me to someday get a job where I can work to end the evils humans do to each other.  This makes me feel that perhaps the aliens are more constructivists than liberals.  I am assuming they get that our perception of ourselves is the one the media portrays.  The aliens have been confused by our own confusion of the identity of the entire human race.  We do not even know whether our innate nature and instincts are good or evil.  We have not figured ourselves out, and perhaps the alien’s benchmark for interaction is for us to put aside religious, geographical, and racial boundaries and to discover who we are as intelligent life on this wondrous orb called Earth.