Today is the last day of winter in strict calendar terms, for tomorrow will be hailed as the first day of Spring. I speak from the Southern Hemisphere, of course, where my fruit trees have long been tricked into flowering before their allotted time. The date is of no consequence to them and still less to my hayfever, which has played havoc this week.

The nights and mornings continue to be cold and this is always difficult for poor Ann, who is dressing at the break of dawn and disappearing for college or work shortly after. I know that for a Thai person our colder weather must be a constant scourge, though the same conditions for a Northern European must seem positively balmy. Such is the planet.

I have been immersed, as I am inclined to from time to time, in cosmological matters. There is nothing like a dose of astronomy or related studies to give one a sense of perspective. Human affairs seem insignificant, in fact, entirely inconsequential, when measured in galactic terms. Human struggle may seem noble but is lost like an anthill in a vast and unceasing desert when compared to just a fraction of what there is, or what we know, about the universe. It is a tonic to hubris and arrogance. It is also a spur to ambition.

Our importance might be marginally swelled though if The Fermi Paradox is true. The Fermi what? I hear you ask. At the most basic level, the paradox posits this. The universe is so vast and filled with billions of stars, a decent percentage of which could support planets on which life might thrive. So, given the odds, which are generous, shouldn't we see signs of aliens by now. Even in our own galaxy, where tens of thousands of potential habitats exist, why don't we see signs of activity? Where are they?

Now that is a poor attempt at a description of a more complex idea and I encourage you to read up on it. The point I am making is that it is not beyond the realm of possibility that humans are a rare event in cosmic history and perhaps worthy of some congratulation. Or maybe not.