In the Abyss of the Cosmos: Confronting the Terrifying Choice Between Absolute Solitude and the Haunting Presence of the Unknown

One of the most profound questions humanity faces is: Are we alone in the universe? Despite the vastness of space and the abundance of potentially life-supporting planets, we haven't, at least officially, encountered any extraterrestrial life forms. This leads to a deeper contemplation: Which is more unsettling—being alone in the universe or not? In my view, being alone is the more daunting prospect. Here's why:

Life is an Anomaly and not a Rule: If we are truly alone, it implies that the life and especially the intelligent life is just an anomaly. It is not a common occurrence as a result of certain life generating conditions. Essentially, life then becomes a glitch in the normal order of the universe.

Emotional Implication: Being alone may lead to being lonely on a cosmic level. It eliminates the possibility of any sort of "cultural exchange". The dreadful solitude will deny any chance of sharing the mysteries of the universe and existential thoughts with anyone for ever. It's like the ability to speak being rendered moot in a lonely room with no one to listen.

The Burden of Responsibility: Lastly, it puts tremendous burden on humanity to preserve the essence of life. Any extinction event (endemic or exogenous), will wipe the life off not only from this planet but from the entire universe. This encumbers us humans with a huge responsibility to preserve life, legacy and consciousness. 

Being alone in the universe would be a paradigm-shifting revelation, compelling humanity to confront its fragility, purpose, and future in a vast, silent cosmos. This contemplation leads to two intriguing questions:

• Is Our Solitude by Design? If so, who is the designer? This notion contradicts the idea of being alone, as the existence of a designer implies we are not truly solitary.
• Does the Sparsity of Life Create an Illusion of Isolation?

These questions open the door to several fascinating hypotheses:

1. Simulation Hypothesis - If us being alone is by design, then that would be a surefire proof of the simulation theory or hypothesis. But that limits our solidarity to this universe! The presence of a creator of the simulation inherently means we are not alone. We may never perceive the existence of the creator of this simulation but that answers the question of being alone. 

2. Rare Earth Hypothesis and The Great Filter -  Emergence of life is such a tremendously rare event that the first step itself can be a great filter if not the great filter.

3. The Vastness of Space and Communication Barriers - The so called life and even rarer intelligent life is so sparsely located in the universe that the limit of speed of light virtually prohibits any communication or contact whatsoever.

If any of these hypotheses hold true, they underscore our solitude in the known or reachable universe. Personally, I find this possibility more unsettling for the reasons discussed above.