Could we be one of the OLDEST civilizations in the galaxy?

It is very possible we may be the most advanced civilization.. If not,
at least one of the most.. I don't think we could say the oldest
meaning any older would have to be far more advanced.. Civilizations
can turn in so many directions.. Theological for example.. Our own
"Dark age" lasted about 500 years with little progress.. Who's to say
that other beings couldn't hold on to that for longer.. Possibly
thousands of years..
I'm not buying this theory that if they were out there we would know
already.. We've only been seriously looking for less than 50 years..
It takes way longer than that for most detectable signs (i.e. radio
and microwaves being the method SETI uses to look)to get across the
galaxy.. Even the closest star Alpha Centauri lies 4.35 light-years
from the Sun.. Consider the Milkyway is roughly 100000 light years
across.. Stars with possible planetary systems that could support life
might be on the opposite side.. Our own solar system is not on the
outer edge of the galaxy, but we are near it.. It doesn't take a
mathematician to figure out that even just the light waves traveling
from another occupied solar system on the other side of the galaxy
will not reach the earth for 10s of thousands of years..
This is the same argument we have been having since the beginning..
Even here on our own planet people kept wanting to believe that they
were "special".. Until they explored and kept finding more people who
thought they were "special" too.. I think the same is probably true
all over the universe.. And YES here in the Milkyway too..
We just need to keep looking...

--- In spacesettlers@yahoogroups.com, "Alex Michael Bonnici"
wrote:
>
> Hello Gang,
> For all we know we may indeed be one of the OLDEST
civilizations in the galaxy? By that I mean that it is only in this
epoch of galactic history that civilizations have begun to emerge and
we are one of them. Or if there where older civilizations they where
wiped out by some galaxy wide catastrophe like gamma ray busters.
Implying that in this period of galactic history we are seeing
intelligent civilizations beginning to reemerging now. And, we happen
to be one of the first.