You know, I get really bent out of shape when I hear that the people of one religion are oppressing and killing people of other faiths. Likewise, when I hear about starving children in some 3rd world country and then read about the winner of the state fair's hot dog eating contest. CEO's cutting bonuses for the little people of a big corporation, but still taking a bonus for themselves. These are things we can probably all agree are unbalanced and wrong. Here's where I'm going to get a little controversial. What about going out to a fancy dinner with your family, but not being willing to kick down a few bucks to Haiti when your server asks if you'd like to make a donation with your meal? Or eating a very fine cheese you know came from a cow subjected to unimaginable atrocities. (I know that is vague, I will delve deeper into animal rights in a future post, so hold your flames...) A small but well maintained home in the middle of the ghetto getting torn down to make way for a far more expensive high rise in an "Urban Beautification" project. Or what about this one: Letting future generations pay for our environmental mistakes because it is "too expensive" to change our ways, or worse because it would be disruptive to our comfortable routine.
I would like to put forth the idea that all of these problems (and too many more to name) share a common root.
No matter where you stand on Fermi vs Drake, odds are good you can agree with me that life as we know it on earth is a rare and wonderous thing indeed. We are all Earthlings! We all share this one small planet and we are all part of the same amazing voyage of discovery. I think too often humans make decisions based on what is best for one person, the person making the decision. Perhaps for that person's family too but that's about as far as it goes. I fear this is too narrow a view. I'm not saying we must all sacrifice everything we want for the betterment of all. But I truly believe that if we examine all of our options regarding important decisions, we will find many options allowing us to achieve our goals in such a way that minimizes our negative impact. When this line of thinking becomes automatic we will start living in greater harmony with this remarkable little world. I don't suppose it will make mosquitoes less annoying, but if perhaps we reach out a hand to our neighbors, and then extend our concept of neighbor to include all life on earth, we're going to make a big difference. And I do not think we will find ourselves miserable or lacking for it either. For example, when was the last time you regretted doing some volunteer work in your community?
Right, well that was all very lofty. In my next post I intend to discuss what I'm calling "The Lunar Imperative" but in some near future post I am going to give some practical examples of very simple ways I think we can all try to do just a bit better. Thanks for reading!
Book: Surely You're Joking Mr. Feynman! This is quite simply one of my favorite books of all time. I bought the book on a friend's recommendation as a Father's Day present for my dad. At the time my view of physics was pathetically narrow. Being a biology major, I found physics dull, esoteric, and though I was loathe to admit it, frightening. Biology was the key to as much of the universe as I needed to explore. Everything else fell squarely under the realm of super geniuses like Einstein, Oppenheimer, and my father. All of that changed when I began idly thumbing through Feynman's work. So likable was Feynman, so genuine his enthusiasm, so exciting his adventures...it made me want to become a physicist! Or at least understand a bit better the subject that could inspire such a character. Thus ignited the spark that would carry me to the farthest reaches of the universe, and back again into the depths of the atom. Thank you Professor Feynman, for making the physical sciences accessible and, dare I say it, exciting to the layman. And to my dear father: I owe you a copy of it someday, as I still have yours... :)
Music: Artist- Floater Album: Alter
Floater is a great little alternative rock band from the Pacific Northwest. Nothing too fancy, but aside from being musically gifted these guys really make you think with their lyrics, with I love. Kinda like Bare Naked Ladies but less catchy. My two favorite songs from this album (couldn't pick just one) are Luddite and Hollywood. Good stuff! Go check it out.
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