There are a lot of crazy thoughts out there, and the best ones contain at least a kernel of truth – or have some probability of being actually true. Here are some of my favorites, enjoy!
We may have no idea where we are.
Depending on where you are in life, this may certainly be figuratively true. But it could even be literally true. We live in a 3-dimensional world, with senses that have evolved to perceive and interact with it. However, our 3D world may very well exist in a 4D world that we just have no way of perceiving directly.
To illustrate this, we can imagine a piece of paper with drawings of people on it. People living on this 2D plain could move horizontally and vertically but could never protrude out of the piece of paper. The concept of a third dimension would be entirely alien to them, except for the thin sliver of color that they are made up of and that they are locked into – similar to how we are locked into the present moment and can’t access different times at our leisure.
It goes further when we introduce a 3D object into that 2D world. If we imagine pushing a tennis ball through that piece of paper, we could see perfectly well how that ball passes through. However, for the people living in the 2D world, the 3D ball would simply appear out of thin air, as a line that starts small, extends to the cross-section of the ball, and then becomes shorter again until it disappears.
Interestingly, the same should apply to 4D beings or objects. Not only could there be things and beings in a fourth dimension that we have no way of perceiving. Everything 3D should also have a 4D representation that mostly eludes us and that we can barely control – including ourselves.
Where are all the aliens?
Lots of people have heard of the Fermi Paradox. It basically says that probabilistically, we should have found life elsewhere in the universe already – but somehow, we haven’t. Some proposed solutions to this paradox are that the universe may simply not be old enough for more life to exist in it – and that life on earth may actually be the first of its kind.
Another theory is that far from being too young, the 16 billion years the universe has existed for could have seen other life. But since we, as a species, have only experienced a minuscule portion of that time, we simply missed it – either that other life is still to come, or it has already gone.
A third theory, and one that seems sound to me, is that of the Great Filter. It says that somewhere in evolution, there is a threshold that is incredibly hard to cross. In other words, most life forms simply don’t make it beyond a certain point. The only question that remains when following this theory is whether we already passed the great filter – or if we are yet to encounter it.
Are we even real?
Ever since it was popularized by the Matrix movies, thinking our perceived reality is an illusion has become somewhat mainstream. At the same time, few people actually believe that their everyday experience could be the product of a simulation. However, there is one very good argument for why our reality could really be a simulation: It is theoretically possible.
With our current technology, we are able to create some pretty convincing artificial realities already. With continuous advances in computing power, it is not too much of a stretch to assume that we will not only eventually be able to create seemingly real virtual realities, but that we will also be able to populate these realities with artificial intelligence that live in them.
What follows from this is one simple question: If creating a virtual reality with artificial intelligences that live in them is something we will probably be able to do one day, why should we be the first to ever be able to do it in the history of reality? Instead, would it not be far more likely that we are already artificial intelligences populating a virtual reality created by someone else? Thinking about it, even these hypothetical creators of our reality may already be artificial intelligences in their own virtual reality. Who knows, maybe it’s just virtual realities all the way down.
We may never find out the truth about any of these crazy thoughts. But isn’t it still fun to think about them?
Markus + Micah 
Loved this post! Your ideas are so intiguing, and I find myself wondering about some of them too, especially since I started studying astronomy/astrophysics! To me, it is obvious that “aliens” exist, give the amount of stars and planets in our universe, but since it is so big, it is also logical that we haven’t detected any life form yet, it is simply too far away! 😊 The idea of having other dimensions is also incredibly fascinating! Thanks for sharing your crazy thoughts!
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Thank you for appreciating these thoughts – full disclosure though, it’s not that I came up with all of these but just that I enjoy them a lot! Awesome that you are studying astronomy/astrophysics. Out of curiosity, do you have any expectations about what we will learn from the asteroid sample that JAXA recently returned to earth with?
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Ahaha I don’t know, I’m not expecting anything ground-breaking or world-changing to be honest, but I might be wrong… I’d love to be wrong 😊
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Ha, yes – being wrong can be an amazing thing! I do suspect you’ll be right on this one. Hopefully, we’ll gain some knowledge about the early universe, though!
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Ah, the ‘ol where are the aliens? Where is the other intelligent life? I like the idea that they might have already passed this way and decided to not bother with us. 😛 We have such an earth-centric view 😛 Naturally! There’s also the idea that like us, they might be in the process of developing space travel too! Or … they might be already living among us! 😉
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Or, that we are the very aliens we are seeking!
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Ha! 🙂
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Ah I think about these things way too much. Thanks so much for the great post – I always love reading about different theories out there.
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Thank you for your comment! Do you have a favorite theory out there?
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I love a good philosophical discussion! So these thoughts are great fun to explore! 🙂 I’d never heard of the Fermi Paradox before, so that’s an interesting thought.
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Thank you! Do you have a favorite when it comes to philosophical questions?
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Intriguing write!! I frequently think about whether we are real because sometimes everything feels so vague. Those thoughts are going to take a lot of pondering on to come to a conclusion!
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The pondering is the fun part!
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Oh, absolutely!
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OK, I like crazy thoughts like these! 🙂 I think we are relatively “real” but not truly “real”, although we’re made of realness through and through. How’s that for craziness?
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That sounds just right for craziness! Why would you say that we are relatively “real” but not truly “real”?
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Oh my goodness, I am not sure if I said it quite properly in my craziness. 🙂 What I MEANT–let’s start all over again–is that we’re shining in awareness as relatively real facets of the Holy, of our true nature. But our true nature is what is real. It’s paradoxical. We’re both real and relatively real, depending on where we shine the flashlight of our awareness. I am gonna quit talking now. 🙂
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Oh, so what you are saying is that we are real to the extent we display our true nature? I think I see what you mean. No need to quit talking, the talking is the fun part!
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Wow these are deep thoughts indeed. Sometimes my mind wanders to ponder these things too, especially aliens. The universe is so BIG, that it seems so crazy that we are the only ones! And who knows if they look like this emoji 👽 lol Thanks for sharing your thoughts, fun to read! 😁
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Glad you enjoyed it! The good thing about not knowing is that we can be creative in thinking about how things could be, no?
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Interesting thoughts! It makes me wonder, whichever reality we are living, if at some point the world will become a better place!
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I guess this is where we, as the agents of our reality, need to step up!
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My theory on aliens: Maybe they are nothing like us. Just because we perceive life as requiring certain qualities diesn’t make it so. We used to believe there couldn’t be life in all kinds of places, till it was found. So maybe aliens are the same and we simply can’t recognize them.
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Very good point indeed! There is no limit to what could theoretically be possible, I suppose. The one thing that lends credence to the idea that alien life will at least be somewhat like the life we know from earth is that we consist of some of the materials that are most common in the universe – hydrogen, oxygen, carbon, nitrogen. So, it stands to reason that other life in the universe will also consist of the stuff that is most readily available.
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It stretches my brain to think about these things.
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Nothing like a bit of exercise!
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LOL! At least my brain doesn’t get sore when I exercise it.
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Hehe, a clear advantage!
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The idea about the great filter has a feeling of possibility to it, given the circumstances on our own home planet. Will regards to virtual reality, I will leave my two brainy and argumentative sons to thing about that one. I got my first computer when I was 25 years old so am firmly grounded in reality.
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The great filter is certainly one of the more convincing thoughts on this list. I could imagine that we are pretty much our own filter. Let’s see if we make it!
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There are other forms of life, other intelligence’s, already existing on this planet Earth, under our feet, in the air! Those ‘aliens’ already exist here and now, we just don’t get it!
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Especially underwater. Scuba diving some years ago certainly opened my eyes to the astounding creatures we share our planet with.
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Reading this made me roll my eyes a few times because it was literally the same kinda crazy thoughts my husband has tortured me with before. He even went as far as making me watch YouTube videos to understand what he was saying 😅 you’re definitely a geek Markus. It’s enjoyable!
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Haha, I’d like to think, once you open up to these thoughts they quickly become more enjoyable! Kind of you to humor him, though.
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Personally if I was to question what’s beyond what I see or believe it would still mean what I perceive would come from what other people have seen, thought or done .
Everyone is searching somewhere
Aliens are still a mystery to us and to believe we are our own kind is not crazy how many years and still counting…..
When people pass on what next ,has one ventured to the beyond and back to tell their story or remain unchanged while at it…
Anyway this is me saying the questions will always be there
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Wouldn’t be the worst outcome, for these questions to always be there. What would life be without mystery?
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Crazy thoughts indeed🤝🤝enjoyed reading these.
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Crazy thoughts, but yes, fun to ponder. First, while we might not know where we are, we do know we are here. And isn’t that all that really matters? Second, given the size of the universe, it is likely aliens are here. However, perhaps it is by design that all life forms are so far away from each other, they will never meet as the distance cannot be overcome with either time or technology. Thirdly, similarly to my first, while this all may be a simulation, let’s live like it’s not! Fun post! Enjoy your day!
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Thank you for your comment and it is a great point you make: None of these thoughts invalidate a meaningful existence.
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I love it. You gave me something to ponder as I drank my morning tea. I agree that we may never really know the answers to some of these things but it’s fun to ponder.
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Happy to know I was able to enhance your morning experience! Tea is definitely the perfect beverage for such things.
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I thoroughly enjoyed these crazy thoughts, Markus.
Personally, I believe there are lifeforms at our level or far more advanced. There are a number of factors in play. The same building blocks of life (carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen) on Earth are present throughout the Universe. There are at least 27,000 planets out there similar to our planet, distance from a sun and so on. So, with these two elements in play, it stands to reason there is life out there.
The issue is very much one regarding travel between the stars. Have we been visited? Possibly. Are they amongst us? That would be interesting. Does the technology to create the ability to move through time and space exist – wormholes, FTL? There is some interesting research in this area. Are other planets using such technology? I would like to see it!
Are we part of a simulation, an alternate reality? I don’t think so, but dial up Morpheus anyway 😂🤣😂
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Haha, if I had his number, I’d dial up Morpheus in a heartbeat!
I fully agree with what you say – especially considering that the basic building blocks of life are so abundant in the universe, it seems almost impossible that there is no more life out there. I’ve even read about planets that are not just as habitable as Earth, but more so! But I guess this is exactly why us not having found any life on other planets yet seems paradoxical.
The possible differences in technology that you mention is also an important point. Sure, extraterrestrial life could be microbes or something. But they could also be much more advanced than us, to the degree that they are simply beyond our perception. How much do we differ genetically from Chimpanzees, maybe 1 percent or something? Everything that makes us differ from Chimps is in that tiny genetic difference. What if there are Aliens out there that are 1% different from us, in the same direction? We could probably still perceive them, but we would be the Chimps in that comparison. Now, what if the difference is more like 20%? It is fascinating to think about because I would assume that any additional percentage point would be exponentially more impactful and more difficult to imagine.
Thank you very much for your comment, as always!
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