This week NASA found the clearest sign yet of ancient life on Mars.

We learned that for the first time in human history, there more obese children on earth than underweight children.

In the Middle East, missiles bomb peace talks.

Over the skies of Europe we’ve got drones and fighter jets.

In the US, supposedly the first among free nations, another political assassination.

It’s times like this you think, what a strange species. 

If those Martian aliens turned up here, what would they think of us? How would we explain ourselves?

Religion is about loving thy neighbour, but we fight in the name of it.

Food is scarce but some have too much and others too little.

Democracy means freedom until you’re shot in the head for speaking your mind.

Of course none of this is unusual.

We’ve done this since the beginning of time. Fight, kill, war, rinse and repeat.

Animals fight for territory, food and survival. We do that to, but we also fight just because we can't agree with each other. 

I think what it all boils down to is the fact we’re social beings. It can work for us but it can work against us - arguably, social media is making this all worse.

So what are we to conclude? How are we to explain ourselves to an alien? 

What if they landed tomorrow in some big spacecraft, who would you take them to meet?

Donald Trump? Xi Jinping? The Pope? The King?

Honestly I don’t know.

Maybe we’d be better off asking a question: have you got any room for me up there? 

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