Is anybody out there? Maybe God?

Universe (Photo credit: Loulair Harton)

There's a time on every planet where people think that they're alone in the world, and people on Earth are moving beyond that time. Space is so vast it's hard to believe there's nobody out there.

However, you're probably more inclined to believe that I'm a whack job giving bad advice than to actually believe that I'm an alien from another planet. Why is that?

A vocal bunch of people believe humanity is being or will be punished by God. Others believe there is no God. Most people fall somewhere in between. Most people wonder about God. Some people are even wondering if humanity invented God.

How do I know you wonder? Yeah, I watch Morgan Freeman “Through the Wormhole” too. I think people misunderstand what he meant.

So what you all really want is if there's something “out there” beyond yourselves. I've already given you some of that answer, not expecting you to believe someone could come to your planet from somewhere else and walk among you unnoticed. I'll give you a little more of the answer.

If you're looking for a God to punish all perceived wrongdoing, I think you already know it isn't there. What if all those things you want God to punish people for are just aspects of God? Consider that everything might be an expression of God. I like to say it's all part of the landscape, whether I want to see it or not. 
 

I wish I could answer all your questions and definitively prove the answers, but I can't. Even if I've experienced other planets and other sentient beings I can't know it all. The universe is so vast that there must be more (maybe even other universes). All I can tell you for sure is that anything ever created is a reflection of its creator. So in all of creation, there must be something of our Creator.

You are the total antithesis of alone in the universe because you are a part of absolutely everything. You were once stardust. You were once living elsewhere as something else in the ever changing universe. Now, you have the incredible ability to look at the rest of the universe and reflect on it. You are capable of deciding what plants will grow in your garden (or indoor pot or multi-acre field ...) You can create earthquakes or blast off mountaintops (or build wind turbines and solar panels.) In that sense, you are god. What else could you create? Who do you want God to be?

All the answers are within you.

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• 'I Think We Invented God'

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Is it the toast or the bacon? Extraterrestrial diet wisdom

Carrot diversity (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

It's the most hated and controversial word on Earth: Diet.

Almost any vegetarian will tell you how bad meat production is for the environment. The most intelligent meat eaters will remind you how unsustainable corn, wheat, and soybean production has become. Both would be absolutely right.

On my planet, we had paid hunters as well as farmers (not that everyone ate meat). There was little need for heavily processed food because everybody wanted to shop for fresh groceries and socialize nearly every day. On other planets, meat is considered primitive and wasteful. Even their carnivorous pets eat legume based foods (which works, but it requires a processing technology Earth doesn't have).

None of the advanced planets I know of genetically modify their food. Without going into a big genetics lesson, you can't modify one trait without affecting something else. Plants and sometimes animals are bred for certain traits, but it is always considered important to keep food diverse and minimally altered because of the risk of food allergies, food borne infections, and loss of nutritional value.

The drinking of another animal's milk, particularly when skimmed of all or most of its natural fat, is unheard of on other planets. Most planets make some versions of cheese and yogurt, and emergency infant formulas are sometimes based on animal milk (When possible, breastfeeding is always better for babies regardless of species), but it was just really surprising to find so many people on Earth drinking animal's milk.
 So, what should you eat?

Once, during adolescence, I had an infection that tends to get worse on a high carbohydrate diet. My mom took me off of all fruit and grain for a short time. Well, it happened to be a holiday time, and much like on Earth everyone had a great dinner, except me. I tried something similar again as an adult and quickly got moody, tired, and extremely hungry. I constantly thought of every sweet baked good and fried root vegetable I'd ever eaten.

On the flip side, when I wanted to lose a little extra weight, I tried to eat fat free. Nothing I ate really tasted like anything (except fresh juices). I was beyond tired, a little moody, and extremely hungry. I thought about meat all the time, even though at the time I hadn't eaten meat in a few years.

The moral of the story is what you already inherently knew. Everything in balance. There is no one right answer for everyone (other than staying away from highly processed food). Some need less carbs. Some need less fat than others. If you're at a healthy weight and feel energetic and happy most of the time, keep doing what you're doing. If not, don't give up on yourself or feel self hatred. You are what you eat, but you are not a single donut or even a whole large pizza. Nourish yourself so you can nourish others.