[Conan the Librarian]

In a finite Universe (or at least one with a marked beginning), someone has to be first. We know we are here. Until there is evidence to the contrary, we are it. The rest is assumption and guesswork.

[William Tell]

“... someone has to be first ...”

The more civilizations that are out there, the less likely that we would be first. If you want to contact one of them, it makes more sense to listen than to talk.