Out There

This morning while I was scanning through the Internet I came across this photo of our Universe.  This is, albeit a small section, still it does make one wonder.  For centuries, when mankind looked up, he thought he was seeing only stars and nothing more.  The idea that all of this was out there was totally inconceivable.  The Earth was flat and was the center of the universe and everything revolved around us.  We were chosen.  Religious debate did not even take into consideration we might actually be a very, very small part of something greater.  Had they known this, one can only wonder what Christianity, and Islam, and Buddhism would have looked liked today.  You'll notice I don't include Hinduism because there are certain sections in their Holy Books where there seems to be some sort of awareness.  I don't know if it's Shiva or Vishnu, but one of them claims to be the Destroyer of Worlds.  Many of us find it almost amusing to think of Galileo being jailed for blasphemy for daring to suggest we were not the center.  Of course he recanted and was later proven correct and still nothing changed.

It's filled with galaxies

Even today, with new planets being discovered almost weekly orbiting distant suns, the subject of our being infinitesimally small is never brought up by the devoted.  Their main concern, as always, seems to be to proselytize.  They can't question.  They need to rely on blind faith.  I know people who are extremely religious and if you mention "the Goldilocks Zone" they look at you incomprehensibly, and then they smile because in their minds they've decided that you're a little out there.  They can't concern themselves with the idea that there we are a small planet on the outskirts of the Milky Way Galaxy.  The fact that with all those millions of stars circled by millions of planets means there is the good possibility of life out there might get you a smirk.  As a result, I suspect someday, maybe sooner then later, something is going to happen and they're going to find themselves blind sighted.  They may find themselves horrifically challenged simply because they never took the time to think there might be something else  out there.