Fireflies in the Universe

I wonder sometimes if there is life out there in the universe, as I suppose we all do.  I think many people, including me, would find it exciting and interesting.  I know a few people that would find it somehow comforting if we were not alone in our existence.  So, I try to imagine what could be out there.  I wonder what's out there right now.  But, I also wonder what has possibly been out there in the past, and what might come to exist in the future.  I was looking at some photos from the Hubble telescope and it struck me how entire universes look like little fireflies in contrast with the darkness of space around them. 


Have you ever been near a meadow at twilight? When I first moved up North, we went camping in Minnesota.  We sat by a campfire as the sun set in the summer warmth, near Lake Bemidji. Fireflies started to come out, and around the marshy meadow there were these wonderful flashes of light. One here... now one over there... As we sat and watched their twinkling, the kids ran around trying to catch one in a jar. It was the first time I'd ever seen fireflies.  When I think about that time, I think about how our existence parallels the infinite universe and those pictures from the Hubble, right on down to the fireflies.

In the countless eons that the universe has existed, of course there have been others planets with life on them. At least, that's what I think.  We humans tend to be a little small in our perspectives and we'd like to find life in this period of time, the same time as us. It's because we've been raised to think of ourselves as so important, I suppose.

What if life in the universe is like the fireflies in the meadow? I picture what I can of the universe in my mind, and imagine that we are just one of those little flashes of light... one here... now us... now one over there... but rarely at the same time. The flashes are so brief in the grand scheme of things, and our time here is so very limited.  I doubt we will find life in the universe, besides our own, during our little time to shine. But, it's out there... perhaps just not where or when we would like it to be.

In the meantime, I think we run around like children in the meadow trying to catch a firefly. We shout out to the universe, trying to capture something magical in our jar. It's great fun! Children often catch fireflies, but I have much less hope for us. The Universe is too big and mysterious, we are so small, and we are here for such a magnificently brief period of time. The chances that another civilization will spark at just the same time we do are quite slim, I suppose.

Othertimes, I imagine what it would be like if there were a consciousness in the universe that could watch life on different worlds glow and dim like the fireflies in the meadow.  Perhaps that is what a creator might see, but on a much grander scale of time and space than we can imagine.  I can't even conceive of a consciousness that big.

On the other hand, Dr. Stephen Hawkings was once asked what he thought the chances were of other life forms existing in the universe, and I thought his response was intriguing.  He said history shows us that when two different civilizations meet, the lesser developed one is usually in trouble. I remember hearing him say... "I think we should lay low." Perhaps if another civilization does exist and finds us, we would be like a firefly trapped in a child's jar... and subject to its' whims and fancy.  

It's all very fun to think about, but there's only one thing I'm sure of.  Our light will grow dim and another light will eventually shine. Just like the fireflies.

This was initially posted in my Yahoo profile in 2007.