Consider the string of necessary coincidences in assuming we are any sort of "average".

Water (hydrogen & oxygen in massive quantities within a specific temperature range).
Carbon.
Iron.
Copper.

These four things within a specific set of chemical parameters are what permit life such as ours within our temperature band on our planet. Change any one of the above, or the surrounding chemistry and "we" are not possible

Nor is there any reason to believe that the concept of "language" applies. Of course, there will be commonality as required by any 'developed' civilization, one being the periodic table. But how to convey that between identities is the difficulty. We cannot even assume that we might recognize intelligence in an ET, nor they in us.

Not suggesting gods vs. spiders. What I am suggesting is that we share much with spiders, somewhere around 50% of our genome. We will not have that commonality with an ET, nor will ETs have a genome to compare. That is the point.

Evolution converging is touching and naive. There is no reason for it to do so, and if there is an 'imperative' towards life and/or intelligence, convergence would be counter to that imperative. Where there is free energy, there is a potential for life. It need not be based on water, carbon, iron, or copper, all or any. We have the sun as our source. Might be something else, elsewhere.

But, let's assume intelligent life with a similar chemistry operating within a similar temperature range. Meaning that they will want roughly the same things we do, and must go through roughly the same steps to get them. A lot of other assumptions follow necessarily as well. Now, give them FTL drive..

How successful have we as a species been at meeting new people 'just like us' but for skin color and environmental development? Not very. Not even with those just like us separated by only a bit of land or water. Now, make that 'other' not even a little bit like us. Perhaps as different as a lemur and an octopus.

Now, consider where we are at this moment.

The state of the planet.
Population.
Feeding that population.
Natural resources.
Clean water.
Clean air.

We are reaching the point of unsustainability. Will the theoretical ET source be any different. Or, will they need resources. Remember, Lemur & Octopus, Human and Spider. And we share genes with them. They will need resources, and find a the functional equivalent of a bunch of spiders as the only impediment. We certainly do not treat strange humans well. They will have absolutely no incentive to treat us well.

Guys and gals, there may well be, and very likely are ETs. But they won't care about us. They may need what we have, and they will take it if they can.

Further, if they are not based on water/iron/copper/carbon, we are well-and-truly SOL, assuming that they come here. For sure, they will not be coming 'to us'. Just here.

More light reading: Not Final by Isaac Asimov.

Peter Wieck
Melrose Park, PA