Extraterrestrials?

Sometimes, I feel like you have to just sit down and talk about aliens.

Everything is manmade. We can't imagine a world without time, thought, order, etc., because we haven't been exposed to anything of the sort. [This is my brilliant segue to the topic at hand: aliens.]

It occurred to me recently that the same logic can be applied to aliens. It's all likewise.

Think about it: All the extraterrestrials that you've ever seen––whether on paper, on a screen, or even inside your imagination––all have an assortment of human features, which indicate human senses––that is, all the features we perceive and have been exposed to. All the drawings of aliens with eight tentacles, four eyes, and an enormous head—these are strange of course, alien-like even, but they all indicate human perceived senses.

For instance, let's take sight. Sight is the most basic of senses. Can you imagine a world where we don't need vision? A world where we need not be aware of our surroundings? What a strange world, right?

Now, what about the sense of smell? What is scent anyway? I mean in the grand scheme of things, what is all of it? The first thought that occurred to me was anatomy––but wait. Anatomy isn't in the grand scheme of things at all; actually on the contrary, as it's such a minuscule aspect of it all. Who thought up these things to exist? These random things that we've grown to consider "normal"?

––And who's to say that anything beyond our view is that way?

I just think: how creative God––or whomever is out there––must've been to invent all of this. Sight, smell, touch, taste, sound. It doesn't seem so "normal" or "usual" now, does it? Quite unusual, actually.

How dare we label ourselves and our features as "normal" or "decent" or even "civil, individualistic, independent, or possessing some semblance of control over the universe"? How self-centered we must be.

I don't mean to imply some afro-futuristic, existential, conspiracy type idea. As much as I've imagined in the shower, of course we aren't a part of some science fair project created by an alien. Of course our reality is not a simulation of sorts; however, our reality is not the only reality. I mean to imply that it's all relative to our perspective. Whatever we've been exposed to, we've adapted to. Our world revolves around whatever we've experienced and taken into account, analyzed, and then adapted our actions to. Human bones are incredibly malleable.

We create this life––nay, reality for ourselves. We think small things. Minuscule things.

Sometimes, after a while of thinking about what I'm going to do about all this homework, and what someone said, and possible governmental shutdown and all that, I try to regain balance. I try to take a step back and visualize the universe. This vast, mind-bogglingly dark space of nothing. No life. No movement except, of course, billions of stars crashing into one another and creating planets like ours. But of course, we're the only ones.

Ultimately, out of the mind boggling number of "stuff" out there that we have never, ever known, of course we're the only ones. Ever to exist. We may revolve around the sun, but life of course revolves around us––duh.

Totally. Let's go with that.