Are we alone?

"Forsaken: Searching for God's Fingerprints"  A novel by Richard D. Bangs

Are we alone in the universe? It's one of the most puzzling and persistent questions the human species has ever asked.

Ever since homosapiens looked up in the sky and saw the stars and the moon, we wondered what was up there and how we were affected. Countless myths and religions have been created with an eye to the heavens.

For Christians Heaven and Hell are part of a set of beliefs that are key to the meaning of our existence. Heaven, the place of eternal happiness, the place where we all go if we are good, if we pass muster with those who judge us from above.

For many other religions and cultures, looking toward the heavens for answers is key to their belief systems. From the Egyptian pyramids to the gods of the ancient Greeks, ancient cultures felt a strong connection to the stars.

Is it any wonder, then, that in this scientifically-based culture of today we are still looking to the heavens for answers? The Search For Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) and the ever increasing search for planets in other solar systems are manifestations of the human species' need to prove that we are not alone in the universe.

 What would happen if people believed that WE ARE ALONE? That our species, our intelligence, our wandering minds, were just accidents of nature  -- the haphazard accumulation of atoms that accidentally gave us life?

That is what the story "Forsaken: Searching for God's Fingerprints" is all about. The tale is set in the not-to-distant future and revolves around that fundamental question. Of course there is danger, mystery, flowering love and action all mixed in to give the story's characters a way to express themselves.

So what do I believe? Are we alone? Is our species just an accident of nature, God's master plan, or something more cosmic?

You will soon get a chance to read about some of my ideas when "Forsaken" is published. Finally preparations are being completed on the manuscript and I've already signed with a publisher.

I'll keep you posted on the progress of the book project. In the meantime, I welcome a discussion of the big question.

Thanks for reading.

Rich Bangs