I was raised with science. It is in my blood like iron and carbon. It is woven into my DNA and the synapses of my brain. I was born with science. Before I was old enough to be in a classroom my father was teaching me kinematics with falling pennies, optics with reading glasses and combustion with the campfire. I breathed science with electrical circuits and Legos. I was not taught religion, I was taught that reason and empathy were the orders of the day, and kindness was the best kind of logic in the world. I grew up and became a humanist. I took all my childhood training, science, ethics, and happiness and went into the world. I realized that humanism with the short term for what I had been taught in the backyard of my childhood. I am studying to be a celebrant (a humanist minister) because of my past. I am here today because of my past. I see the hurt that false things do. And those around me stand as a testament to the fact that you don’t need those beliefs to live a happy life. Humanity is not deadened by the loss of illogic. It is brightened, strengthened, made more beautiful. Perhaps I am delusional, but I believe I can make this world better by asking each person to look at their beliefs and why exactly they need them. I do not expect them to come to the conclusion as me, but I do intend to keep asking the questions. I believe we can be better than we are today. Perhaps that’s the humanist in me.
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I am fascinated by interesting beliefs. Everything from a cult that says aliens made this planet last week and we have been living in an illusion ever since to whether Elvis is living in Maine as a McDonalds cashier. Not just the beliefs themselves, either, but the people who hold them. I am interested in what makes a person believe something outside the norm when everything from evidence to societal pressures try to convince them otherwise. Not that I would necessarily like them to give up their beliefs. If you want to believe that god is a blue raccoon, that is really fine by me. But I really do want to hear about what shade of blue she is and her opinions about how humans treat raccoons in our society. That being said there are some beliefs that hurt people. There are beliefs that kill and damage and make life worse for the world. And these are ideas that I cannot accept. Pseudoscience and bad science have repercussions far beyond just the practitioners, and have the ability to hurt both innocent people and society at large. This is not acceptable. We as a community must work to stop these things from happening. First the gap between “science people” and “holistic people” has to be bridged, rather than widened. We must find a dialogue to understand not just why people believe things, but how to communicate with them about their beliefs in a meaningful way. |
AuthorI am a student at the University of New Mexico working on a B.S. in Chemistry and a B.A. in Professional Writing. I am fascinated by why people believe weird things and how that impacts broader society. ArchivesCategories
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