I often find myself gazing up at the night sky, awed by the magnitude of the universe. So many stars with numerous planets revolving around them, is it possible that we are all alone? The odds alone would seem to say no, that somewhere out there is other intelligent life. But what if there isn’t? What if Earth is unique. Teeming with various species, this great blue ball we call home travels around the sun not too close and not too far, just the right distance to sustain life as we know it. The moon is our constant companion as we journey through space, unique in its size to Earth compared to other planet’s satellites, serving as a defense to shield us from asteroids and comets that would have impacted Earth. As well as serving as a significant player in the evolution of life on Earth, could all these factors just have been luck? Is life on Earth something that defied the odds and is unlikely to have happened anywhere else, or is it all part of a master design?

Since science has taught us about the creation of the universe and the evolution of life here on Earth, it has been at odds with the concept of creationism. But what if there is some truth to both? What if there is a higher force that started it all? What if the universe’s existence in all its wonder is developing the way science teaches us but is doing so as part of a higher force’s grand design? If that is so, why are we unique, as far we know, in the vastness of space? That question itself begs the answer to another question. What are we here for, what are we meant to do, meant to be?

Since the beginning of humanity, we have found ways to hate, subjugate, and kill each other based on whatever excuse is convenient at the time. We have evolved to the point that we are a danger to each other and our most important living force, Mother Earth. This could not be our purpose. We must have a greater significance, or our very existence is pointless. After all, when all the prejudices that fuel our hate are wiped away, we are all the same. We may look different, speak different languages, live on one side of imaginary lines we have divided this planet into or the other. Still, we are all human reliant on this beautiful blue ball that we seem to take for granted as we continue to abuse her. I choose to believe that if we embraced each other, showed compassion to each other, and stopped our abuse of the planet, we would be able to connect as a whole, each individual with each other and subsequently with the Earth itself. The sheer thought of what that connection would unleash within us, what we could accomplish as a species, is beyond description, and maybe just maybe that is what we are meant to accomplish. Perhaps the higher force gave us the ability to make our own decisions to see if we would embrace the concept of unity. To see if we could work together to uplift each other, to build a better society, one in which all individuals would live without the fear of hunger, homelessness, poverty, terrorism, and war. If that truly is our ultimate purpose, we are a long way from realizing it. But we have taken baby steps in the right direction as the fictional Captain Kirk once uttered – We are a promising species, and maybe in a thousand years or so, we’ll be able to prove it. After all, our existence is unique now; we must prove we are worthy of that.