It's much more tempting to think that you have that totally ass-backwards. Things near us are "useful" because they are near us and we can reach them, and because we evolved in or near them. Part of it is tautological, and part of it is due to the fact that we are evolved in and adapted to our immediate environment, and part of it (probably) to the fact that intelligent life capable of having this conversation can only evolve in certain environments (that's presumably why we don't live in intergalactic space, which after all makes up the vast majority of the space in the universe).
"Design" is a completely unnecessary and decidedly un-tempting hypothesis.
I see it's time for a tidy up.
My actual point was that us humans (that's me and you) made such a big fudge up of our ecosystem, that it wouldn't surprise me if some other civilisation had simply sealed us off from the rest of the universe, by warping physics a little. Personally, I wouldn't blame them.
Yes we evolved to our environment and that we are actually doing terribly well in finding brilliant uses for the most mundane of things, but all our uses for things is tearing our environment to shreds, to the point that technology is beginning to replace evolution, because all of a sudden, our environment has changed, and whoever has the cleverest technology has the biggest chance of survival (wondering what the cold war was all about still?).
So, my little theory (I suppose that's what it is now) is that we probably do the rest of the universe good to stay here on this little rock until we can intergrate technology with the ecosystem (or what's left of it). That way, we don't go blundering into other peoples ecosystems on other planets and completely screwing them over. Furthermore, it wouldn't surprise me if some other civilisation had thought of this already, and had taken the appropriate measures to make sure we would never make extraterrestrial contact until they think we are 'safe' to do so.
A lot of people, including you perhaps, may not like this notion, in which case, I did say this theory was a bit far fetched. Others, however, may agree with me, in which case, let's start on intergrating our technology with what is left of our ecosystem.
To be quite honest, whether my theory is true or not, intergrating technology and nature in a positive way is still something that needs to be done, lest we risk the chance of killing our own planet, not now perhaps, but probably some time in the future (give it a few decades)
Now this is the part where people start to argue against my theory. In truth, I didn't make it that hard now,did I?
