# Universal Specialness and Games By:: [[Brian Heath]] 2024-07-23 Should one feel special or mediocre? Within the context of the known Universe, one could take either position. If one believes that there are massive numbers of galaxies, stars, and planets, the odds are high that intelligent life exists elsewhere. Thus, one might be pretty mediocre on an infinite scale. Yet, the same odds indicate that we should have found some evidence of such life. The serious scientific efforts attempting to discover intelligent life have been going on for over 50 years with zero success. When one considers all the things that must line up perfectly for humanity to exist, along with not finding evidence of any others, one could easily think that one is remarkable within the Universe. The fact that we concern ourselves with such things says a lot about who we are. Does it matter if one is special or mediocre? One still exists and can choose to do whatever they like. Yet, many still get hung up on whether one is special. If one can put that aside, it has little impact on what one chooses to do. One's specialness does not limit the game of life. However, it is ignorant to believe that the probabilistic hand one is dealt does not influence how one plays the game. It's a position that makes some things easier and others harder, but fixating on the odds after the fact is not productive in the present. Instead, one should concern themselves with the game's fairness once the hand has been dealt. Can someone with a bad hand turn it into something good at the rate that someone with a good hand can turn it into something bad? If the game is not bidirectional at equal rates, it is rigged, and those on top start telling stories of how important it is to be special because it's a distraction from those who might want to change the game. The possibilities are infinite within the Universe. We can choose how to play regardless of our position. #### Related Items [[Unique]] [[Mediocrity]] [[Existential]] [[The Human Condition]] [[Universe]] [[Games]]