I think the reason we haven’t found other life forms outside of earth is because we are looking in the wrong places with a earthly mindset, with tools and technology that just isn’t up to the task yet. Life somewhere else can also be very different because the circumstances are different. A water planet might have intelligent life for billions of years without the species transmitting signals to space or making spaceships (think of dolphins). Dinosaurs ruled earth for millions of years and without the catastrophic event humans might have never evolved. So lots of random circumstances might have to align for intelligent life. But most likely there are also many superior life forms that are just not interested in humans. You aren’t going to take a long flight to meet some ants especially not if the whole universe is full of ants. And some might see no point in looking outwards because they live the perfect life in the matrix.