Are we the only ones in the universe?

The mystery question: Are we the only ones in the universe is a question we can't be sure of the answer to but is something we all ponder. '

At a first glance, my instinct would tell me that there is no way with a universe as big as ours that we are the only living creatures. It would be mathematically impossible for that to be the case given how many galaxies, solar systems and planets have been created. But yet, despite all the galaxies, solar systems and planets, if there were other life forms, how have we not detected any or how have they not come to us? Since we have no way of confirming if we have been detected by other life forms, I will leave that out of the conversation. It's definitely an interesting topic to think about and is something I personally love all of the paradoxes to.

To put into perspective some numbers:

• In 1998 Voyager 1 had been set off to explore our solar system and in the span of 20 years it had travelled 10 billion kilometres.
• The nearest solar system to us is Proxima Centuri which is about 4.2 light years away
• One light year is approximately 9.5 trillion kilometres
• We can assume that living organisms will need to live on a planet that has a sun in it's system

The nearest source of life from us outside of our solar system, according to this, is about 40 trillion kilometres away. That means, at the rate Voyager 1 is moving, it will take 4000 years just to reach the closest solar system to us! If there are no living organisms in Proxima Centuri then everything is screwed!

If we assume about 20 years can be a "good time" for space travel then we need to be able to travel 200 times faster to get to our nearest solar system. If we also assume that any solar system that currently has life forms like us, has the nearest solar system approximately 4.2 light years away if the average life species is able to do that, that puts us humans in the bottom 0.5% of the entire universes percentile for the ability to perform effective space travel to the nearest solar system.

Now I don't think the average life species in a solar system would be able to travel 40 trillion kilometres in 20 years, but there is a chance that maybe 1 in a billion life species can or maybe 1 in a trillion. Alongside with this, reaching such speeds does pose problems for force and acceleration even if we were to begin assuming that a life species could do this. At some point physics prevents things from going fast enough for "suitable" space travel.

My opinion? I think there are definitely countless other solar systems that inhibit life forms. Have they been able to explore one another? I would believe yes for some of the extremely older solar systems as our planet is only 3.4 billion years old out of the 13.7 billion years the universe has existed. If our planet earth had been one of the planets born 5 billion years prior to this, I believe our man kind would either have achieved godlike technological advancements, or we would be completely extinct. And for all of the solar systems that were ever created during the lifetime of our universe, I am willing to believe at least 1 of them has achieved godlike technological advancements =)