Explorers, guests or intruders?

Humans tend to be an arrogant species assuming superiority on Earth, while we clearly see that a lto of other species can overcome humans ever so easily even on this planet we have tried to totally transform to be human-centred. In case we will become able to explore life on other, far-away planets, we will have a major problem finding the right people to travel: adventureous enough to take the risk, but humble enough to behave as guests of other species.

Exploration on Earth has shown that explorers tend to assume their supremacy. The history of exploration has mostly been based on the assumption that the conquerors' culture, beliefs, ethics and habits are superior to those of peoples not travelling. This behaviour has had an impact on the ways superpowers have operated in the last centuries, always trying to impose their values, political systems and ways of life on others, also preaching that those not adherring to them are barbarians, even not human enough, and/or dangerous for the future of mankind. This has been done by all: the British Empire and other colonial powers, Nazi Germany, the Soviet Union and the USA.

Even when the primary aim was not transforming by conquest, there have been lots of unintended harmful effects of exploration. Just think of the deadly effect of viruses and bacteria nearly totally harmless for Europeans when they were brought to the Americas. Or think of the effect of sheep being brought to New Zealand and upending its biological balance.

I am not convinced that humans have learnt from all these disasters, especially since the colonisation of nations not wishing to implement American-style democracy (or probably a Chinese-style autocracy in the post-Covid world) is ongoing. If you don't adhere to rules considered the "right ones" by those in power, your life is invaded and forced to change.

However, I don't want to say it is a hopeless endavour, just needs to be an absolutely conscious one, choosing the right people for a first trip and also for subsequent ones, until we are able to understand and accept those different from us.   

And who knows, we may already have met them, and they might even be among us until they say: So long and thanks for all the fish.