Alien Life: Why are we in denial?

Alright so as any of the 2 readers who might know me in real life probably know, I'm a big sci-fi junkie.

Anyway, I've been watching a lot of it recently, the glory of unemployment is I get to watch ton of DVDs as I'm applying for jobs all day, so suffice to say, I've been busy. I started off with the MONSTER DVD set of Stargate SG-1 which I got from Best Buy a few months ago. It took me ages to get through the hours of material, episodes/commentaries/special features, but I combed through my favorite series in great detail.

Next, I moved onto Stargate Atlantis, however as one could suspect, I got pretty sick of even my favorite show after weeks of visual consumption. So I turned to Farscape, my third favorite sci-fi show (Right under Red Dwarf). As usual, when I re-watch this series I generally skip through many episodes that aren't as story-centric, so I can get to the movie, which is AMAZING if you haven't seen it. I just finished the end of Farscape and the movie today.

Now I'm turning back to Stargate Atlantis, starting where I last stopped, and of course am enjoying it quite a bit, but it got me into a line of thinking on a subject which I've often reflected on but which I've never wrote down my thoughts.

So after that long-winded introduction, let's get down to the nitty-gritty, as it were.

Aliens.

So, if you take a huge step back and consider how small we are compare to the size of our planet, then multiply that by the many planets in our solar system plus the space in between each planet, and from the sun to the farthest (in three dimensional space). Now step back further and how many solar systems compose of this galaxy and further on, how many different galaxies there are... it's quite mind boggling how incredibly small we are relative to everything else. In fact we are so insignificantly minuscule in the grand scheme of things, the sheer audacity of human belief that we are the pinnacle of evolution is retarded.

Regardless, with this massive playground we've just established, it might be a bit of an understatement to say I'm of the school of thought that alien life does exist out there. In fact I would put a massive amount of money on a bet, one that we can't prove/disprove with our current level of technology, that there are entire civilizations out there, perhaps intergalactic empires. But my question, despite this belief, is why the hell hasn't anyone contacted/found us yet?!

I've often flip-flopped on the belief that they have and there's just a huge governmental conspiracy to hide this fact. It may sound completely wonky and paranoid schizophrenic to admit to, but you have to concede to some truth to the possibility. I think Earth would be ready and willing to join the intergalactic community with acceptance after it's first spasm of freaking out. But that truth would also go against the belief of so many different religions and people trying to hold what little power they have on the entirely unstable populous of our planet. To throw a new sphere of existence into that fold would let what little power they had slip, in the realization that they are as small as previously explained, contrary to how big and powerful they may feel.

That of course is neither here nor there. If there was a governmental/worldwide conspiracy to cover up alien contact. We'd never know because I'm sure they'd cover their tracks well enough. Who cares about genocide, torture, starvation and disease when more is at stake when you get into the realm of beings from another planet, and the true power they have vs. that which we believe we have. The only way this could be broken was if an alien ship descended atop Times Square, beamed right into the mid-riff between Broadway and 7th Avenue and took a picture with the naked cowboy in front of news crews.

So, if conspiracy is not the case, why haven't we been included or discovered in the higher community of beings outside of our little blue and green ball of water and dirt? Perhaps we are indeed so far away from any other intelligent life, that it's comparable to early European history finding out there's a China all the hell the way to the east over the mountains and through the desert. That of course is a tiny scaled version of what I'm implying, but it's quite possible we are the hicks of the galaxy in some backwater territory no one's bothered to come to because it sucks here and there's nothing to come sight-seeing for.

But perhaps we're also a bit too presumptuous in regards to our view of intelligent beings out in the void of space. Maybe space travel is way more difficult that we can even fathom with our little primate brains. Or perhaps we're assuming that anyone close by even is capable. We always seem to assume if there are aliens, they of course would have ships and would be visiting us regularly. Perhaps this is an assumption that we're dead wrong on. Of course, it'd be awesome if they did, but if a race as ingenuous as ours can't even get past shooting rockets out of the atmosphere, which is a ridiculously wasteful approach, perhaps there aren't as many beings out there which can do the same.

The possibilities are endless. But one thing is for certain, at least in my mind; there has to be other life out there whether it be microbial or intelligent uni/bi/multi-pedal beings. To assume we're the only higher brained beings in the entirety of space is extremely arrogant and absurdly ridiculous. It's all a question of time, I believe, before we get that alien who comes to take a picture with the naked cowboy, I just hope it's sooner rather than later. I'd love to know that I was correct before this life is over.

What do you think? Feel free to chime in with your comments, and don't hesitate to write a dissertation like I have here. This is the kind of discussion I could spend the rest of my life on.