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| Personal background |
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My name is Meredith, I'm sixteen years old, from the USA, and I'm currently a Junior at my local high school. I've never had much of a mind for hard science or math, but I've always been fascinated by scientific theory and speculation. Chalk it up to my over-exposure to Star Trek: TNG as a child. My parents always made sure I knew the difference between 'Star Trek Science' and 'Actual Science,' but they also ensured that the core message of Star Trek remained the same for me: hope for humanity, no matter where we are in the universe.
I love to read (anything from Stephen Jay Gould to Stephen King), write, draw, play video games, and most of all-- I love to learn. I intend to become an English teacher, but I'm willing to research and learn about any topic that catches my eye.
My extracurriculars are somewhat varied. I'm an alternate on my school's Mock Trial team, where, should someone fall ill, I act as either a lawyer or a witness (depending on whether the meet I must attend is defense or prosecution). I belong to the National Honor Society, as well as the German Honor Society. I'm a candidate for Editorship on my school's rather pathetic newspaper (but we'll fix that), and (because no one else wants to, and because my mother's term is almost up) I'm up for election as the Annapolis Quilt Guild's Newsletter Editor. I don't quilt. I don't even like sewing. Too feminine, but hey-- community service. Why not. Also, just this year, I started taking Kung Fu and Tai Chi. I've never been particularly physical, but these two sports are remarkable in how mentally and physically stimulationg they are. As my Shifu (head instructor) likes to say: "Take Kung Fu to fix your body, then your mind, and take Tai Chi to fix your mind, then your body. It's all about Yin and Yang-- balance."
That's my philosophy for life. Always be balanced. I'm not a religious person, but I enjoy the study of theology for the sake of taking the fables of the past and making them relevent to the present. For balance. I en |
| Thoughts about SETI and SETI@home |
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I believe that extraterrestrial life does exist. It's been said many times, but the universe seems awfully large for planet Earth to be the only place with carbon-based life on it. We could discover it at any time. Maybe tomorrow, maybe never. Or extraterrestrials may come to us. Maybe they've already found us, or maybe they're looking, just like we are.
The obvious benefit to discovering extraterrestrial life is that we'll have access to a whole other viewpoint on the universe and living, regardless of whether the extraterrestrial life we come accross is sentient or not. We'll know that we aren't alone, and maybe we'll gain hope from the knowledge that another lifeform has survived in this universe as well or better than we have. It will also take the focus off of Earth's internal affairs, which have become increasingly disturbing and turbulent of late. And maybe, we'll learn something to better humanity.
There are, of course, risks to any discovery or venture. Human society could inadvertently (or intentionally) be damaged beyond repair, just by cultural contamination. Or perhaps we'll find ourselves unwelcome in the intergalactic community. But the benefits outweigh the risks. People died in the founding of the New World in North America. People die now in the venture to explore outer space. All explorers know the risks, but the worst action of all is to do nothing. The risks are irrelevant right now. We *must* ask if there is life out there, and we must not worry ourselves with speculations of hazards. Yes, they might be hostile, yes they might accidentally alter our society negatively, and yes, religious and political groups might declare war on each other, but frankly, such are the growing pains of a society. And if we are eliminated... well. Think of it this way: Darwin's theory of natural selection doesn't mean that some species win, some lose. It means that surviving creatures are those that develop the the most appropriate traits to the environment. Even the dinosaurs have |
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