We don't know why we are here

Earth is like a dot in the solar system –even Jupiter can contain 1000 earths and the sun can house more than 1000 Jupiters. The sun has 99.8% of the mass of the solar system. The Milky Way galaxy alone has more than 100 billion solar systems and which, in turn, is one among more than 20 trillion galaxies in the universe. Thus the earth's size tends to become zero in the universe.

According to NASA there are at least 1 billion earth-like planets in the Milky Way itself where life can be evolved and sustained. There must be trillions of earth like planets in this universe. They are all far away; many of them are millions or billions of light-years (a light year is 300,000X365X24X60X60 kilometers) away that makes it almost impossible to know whether life (intelligent ones included) exists there or not. Such humongous distances make us ignorant of their existence and ignorance is as good non-existence.

We are conscious of the existence of this universe and it exists. If there is no consciousness that is aware of this universe, is there any meaning for its existence?  We humans live for a millisecond in the cosmic time scale. Our earth has been spinning on its axis and revolving round its star for the past 4.5 billion years! It will do so for another 4.5 billion years or more before its programmed demise. Life on this planet may end any time-with a huge volcanic eruption or with the impact of a comet or an asteroid. There is nothing special about human life here which comes and goes like a bubble in water just for 100 years or less.

The universe, the earth and the sun, are least concerned whether we live or die, whether we are happy or sad. Quakes, floods, volcanoes, hurricanes, plagues and viruses have killed us and inflicted untold pains. The massive volcanic eruption, Thoba of Sumatra that erupted 65,000 years ago, almost wiped out the evolving Homo sapiens. The less than 10,000 humans left out in Central Africa multiplied, spread out and here we are.  An asteroid hit had destroyed all dinosaurs. A similar asteroid or comet hit can finish us all. Sometimes, the human civilization may find ways to destroy itself. The earth, the sun and the universe are massively indifferent to human life.
                                                 

Life evolves in the hospitable zone of medium stars like the sun with enough energy and long life. With favorable conditions, various organisms and sometimes intelligent beings may evolve. There could be trillions of planets in this universe where life exists at various levels. But they all come and go like bubbles for a moment. We came on the scene accidentally, and the little matter and energy that make us up will merge into this universe as we go. When the hydrogen fuel ends up, stars will stop shining and die and no new star, planet or life will be formed. Where do we come from? What is the meaning for our transient existence? No meaningful answer has yet been unraveled although philosophers, scientists and others have speculated on the question for long.  The answer of religious believers merits no consideration as all their gods have been created by the primitive humans who did not understand this world or life. God is an anachronism. They deified nature-phenomena and later created souls that live eternally like the gods they created. Religions have been selling these silly concepts and making a plum living.


                                                 

We are in an era when humans make a slow but steady progress from superstitious beliefs and magical rituals to reason and science. The universe is self-originating and self-propelling and it does not need any god.People have come to realize there is nothing divine in any religion.  But why we come here for a second and go just like that? There seems to be no meaning. May be only humans want a reason for their existence. We come and just go.

It would be great if we can be happy while we are here. Forget about the past and the future-we don’t know anything about them- this moment is all that matters and let us try to be happy now.