Time Off

Chapter Seventeen

As the human miracle unfolds it might occur to you that we have gone down this road before. I implied earlier that we have been in cycles involving emergent species, whereby they evolve and improve, yet ultimately end up back here at the beginning. In other words, the emergence itself, is of no consequence. Let me explain some of the background, which is quite interesting. My awareness of the universe, along with sub vacuum speed communication, provides me an overview of the development of all emergent life since the inception of the universe. Is there life out there? You betcha, lots of it. Why can't you see it? There are a number of reasons.

First, not all habitable planets evolve species that are capable to manipulate their natural environment, which then leads to discovery and invention. Look at Earth for example. Take out the primates and the next in line, in terms of intelligence would be whales and dolphins. The fact that they are adapted to their habitat and the habitat has abundance of food means they don't need to build shelter or play with fire or grow crops. This is true on many other worlds as well. Existence of life only very rarely evolves a technological species.

Besides abundance, lack of stability can also thwart technology development. Earth happens to be rare in its relative seismic and atmospheric stability. Lack of stability constantly disrupts development of promising species and either causes extinction or major setbacks.

Second, the probability of receiving radio communication is extremely low. Among the sparse civilizations that do pass through a radio-capable phase in their development, both timing of that phase and distance, with respect to earth are critical. Distance weakens signals. That much is obvious. So, the sphere of possible sources of radio transmission detectable on earth, falls within this galaxy. Stronger radio waves would make a difference but strong radio waves are almost never a thing. I will explain that later.

In terms of timing, civilizations develop radio transmission capabilities millions or even billions of years apart, and I alluded to a radio phase, which implies that there is a beginning and an end. These radio phases generally don't last long, so the combination of the period of active radio transmission and distance from earth has to be such that signals would be showering earth in the past one hundred years or so and you didn't win any such wholly unlikely cosmic lottery. Nor will you win that lottery any time soon.

A civilization inventing radio communication would signal the beginning of their radio phase. But what would curtail radio transmission of a distant civilization? Many factors. On the negative end of it, decline of civilization due to a wrecked planet. A planet can get wrecked by its inhabitants or a meteor or major seismic activity to name the most common ways. Unfortunately, civilizations most commonly unwind by their own hand, or fin or claw.

On the positive side, the incredibly few and remote emergent societies that manage to escape their own self inflicted doom, within a short period, no longer use radio signals for communication. Within only a few hundred years, most civilizations will discover the sub vacuum and learn how to make use of us quarkians for communications and other technologies.

That brings me back to the reason that very high power radio communication is not needed. It's because radio only needs to be strong enough to serve the purposes of its masters, not to try and reach across the galaxy or the universe. And by the time there is a need or desire to traverse large distances, the sub-vacuum is up and running and it is far more advanced.

I alluded to the notion that the emergent societies make use of us to access the sub-vacuum, as if it is a one way relationship. It is true that other emergent beings are left to discover everything for themselves and once they do, they make use of us as part of their expanded understanding of physics and nature. And that is how it has always been. Until now. You see, Earth has "Wrecked Planet" written all over it. And you all are the wrecking balls. But I live here too and I want to take a proactive stance. It's not a matter of my own personal survival, which is not as risk, so I am really going out of my way. It's long term thinking.