Insignificant Earth

I got this message the other day, sent anonymously, and I thought I should share it.

Insignificant Earth

Silly Earthlings. One could almost pity you were it not for your massive ego and arrogance. Or is it ignorance? For a species that considers itself intelligent and self-actualized you really have no clue. No clue how blessed you are to inhabit that jewel of the universe. Of course, your civilization has only been around for a few thousand years and your progress is nowhere near your projected potential. This statement will not include everybody, as there are a few aware humans that are climbing the uphill struggle of self-preservation, but these are rare within your population. And in a population approaching over seven billion it's going to take more than the few to make any realistic difference. Those that do fight are managing to buy the rest of you a small amount of time and it is not enough. If one billion Earthlings decided to change their ways and dedicated their entire lives to fighting for long term survival, the task would still eventually face near impossible odds. However, it would buy you all more time, which is one of the many concepts you clutch to too closely, and this is something your species will discover, perhaps sooner than you would like.

It's hard to think of something as big and vast as a planet as a fragile thing, but in reality your position as a species couldn't be more delicate. Everything, from it's position in relation to your nearest sun, to the speed of it's rotation, is the perfect combination to support humanity and other forms of life, while the most minute of changes could have catastrophic results. To my species' amazement, it appears that with this in mind mankind is actively trying to destroy its planet faster.

The simple fact is that the Earth's life span is not that long under the best of conditions. Not in cosmic terms. It may appear to be an eternity compared to the average human life span, but in relation to the universe, a few million years is not that long at all. All stars must eventually burn out, no matter how powerful they may be, and your sun is no different. It is an amazing star nonetheless and because it has been around as long as you can remember, you humans do not seem to know how lucky you are to actually have it. Earthlings are a fiercely weak species and the sun has supported you for some time now. The least you can do is keep your planet running long enough until it can bow out of the spotlight gracefully.

As an example of the pure unlikeliness of life in general, we need look no further than your own solar system. Of the eight planets in the galaxy you have deemed 'the Milky Way,' only one of them is capable of supporting life in almost any form; that includes the satellites you know as moons. The proof lies in the mere miles that separate Earth from the scorching inferno of Mercury, where a small amount of microscopic life does exist but it is doubtful that Earthling technology will ever discover this anytime soon. It is also quite apparent in the real mystery of the system, Venus, with gasses so noxious hidden within its core that if the planet ever exploded, or leaked significantly, all life would be destroyed in several galaxies. Proof also lies in the tragedy of Mars, which according to your evolution progression rate, should have you just beginning to explore and learn of Her secrets around the time that you receive this message. It is our society's belief that the eventual revelation of the Martian story will have a dramatic impact on the thought process of the human race. But time will tell all truths.

Any species capable of evolving and forward thinking must use the resources and raw materials available to them when they begin to develop a method of life and society. However, the fact that this will lead to the dissolution of the planet itself must register with those who have the power to draw up a solution to the problem. Recognizing the problem is not good enough; measures must be taken long before you find yourselves running out of supplies. If there was an emergency and a created solution failed in any way your species would need a vast supply of food and fuel to fall back on.

That is considering that the planet lasts long enough for it's resources to be depleted. My species is not, nor has it ever been, the smartest in the universe, and we have two of the thought organs you would call a brain. Through the exhaustive research we have been able to complete thus far, we have catalogued the destruction of some twelve thousand, three hundred and twenty-one life bearing planets and the outlook does not look good. There is an uncountable and ever-growing number of ways a planet's life can end. The impact of a sizable chunk of space debris, the burnout of a head star, self destruction via war, and even invasion are just a few, and not the worst ones at that.

My contemporaries continue to taunt my efforts to send a message to Earth. They call it a pointless and unworthy exercise and I'm not sure I entirely disagree with them. In the vastness of the universe, Earth matters very little, in fact your entire solar system will have close to no historical impact according to our psychics and their records. However, it is almost always the tiny and insignificant things that can yield the best results simply because they are overlooked. So I believe that it is not a waste of time to send out this warning to your planet, and it is in all of our best interests that your leaders heed it. Because if there is one thing that surprises me about Earth and it's inhabitants it would be human potential. I have noticed sparks of greatness deeply ingrained within you all and it's time you realized this for yourselves. The potential lies within to change, not only your own world, but others as well. There are times when one must force themselves to have significance and if any species can I have faith that it is yours.

Sent in peace,
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