As I prepare for tomorrow, a day now associated with a national full-fledged endorsement of gluttony and the eve of a commercial extravaganza known as Black Friday, I am amazed we celebrate this day at all. Where are the voices waging war against childhood obesity? Where are the voices warning us about diabetes? Where are the voices warning us about high cholesterol? Where are the voices warning us about heart disease? I suspect they have all gathered at a table somewhere and are pigging out.
And, you have to admit, it is kind of funny that this whole notion began because a group of illegal immigrants received welfare from the local government. In 1621 Europeans were illegal immigrants, and the previous illegal immigrants were now the native population. Without the help of the native population, the entire expedition might have failed and the new wave of illegal immigrants might have died.
Enjoy your gluttony and celebrate the 17th Century equivalent of food stamps!
What a wonderful, liberal holiday!
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
Saturday, November 17, 2012
If and Why
I am heart sick at the conflict, the war, the death on our planet carried out in the name of religious belief. Warring people who deeply believe in a god that sends them to do harm to others who do not believe the same way they do. Are we so petty that if you do not believe what I believe you must be evil? Why do we do this in the name of faith, any faith? It is, of course, faith as there is no scientific evidence of a God, of a heaven or a hell. Are our wars data driven, selfish driven, or faith driven? And if faith driven, what are we to ultimately believe?
If there is no God, what is blasphemy? Is it OK to point out to others that there is no God? Why are cartoons of prophets so sacred? If there is no after life, this is all we get, then why should we do what is right, what is moral, what is good? If we do it out of fear of punishment or pursuing reward are the behaviorists ultimately right? Is it the better man who does what is right because it is right, rather than out of fear?
If there is a heaven and a hell, where are they? Is there a supernatural plane that we cannot perceive? Is there a human spirit we cannot measure? Are there GPS coordinates for such places? Is there really a parallel universe where the spirits of “good” folks dwell forever in joy and without want, and another place where the spirits of evil folks are punished forever? Would an almighty God actually allow such a place to exist? Is he so petty that he cannot forgive the evil? Why does he allow evil?
Why are all the “holy” books written by men but treated as divine? Why not assume Shakespeare was inspired by God, or Huxley, or Hemmingway, or whomever? Why these passages and why so holy? Does God dictate narrative? If so, why not send each of us a memo?
Why do those who claim the deepest faith seem to have license to do the most harm? If God is on my side and I claim to love him, shall I now have free reign to persecute others? Why don’t the strongest zealots of each faith recognize that they have more in common with each other than differences as they experience the same intense belief? Why do they lead the charge against the infidels and each other? Why do they insist that their values, their beliefs become the law of the land?
If I do not go to the church picnic this afternoon am I going to hell? Why?
Just wondering.
If there is no God, what is blasphemy? Is it OK to point out to others that there is no God? Why are cartoons of prophets so sacred? If there is no after life, this is all we get, then why should we do what is right, what is moral, what is good? If we do it out of fear of punishment or pursuing reward are the behaviorists ultimately right? Is it the better man who does what is right because it is right, rather than out of fear?
If there is a heaven and a hell, where are they? Is there a supernatural plane that we cannot perceive? Is there a human spirit we cannot measure? Are there GPS coordinates for such places? Is there really a parallel universe where the spirits of “good” folks dwell forever in joy and without want, and another place where the spirits of evil folks are punished forever? Would an almighty God actually allow such a place to exist? Is he so petty that he cannot forgive the evil? Why does he allow evil?
Why are all the “holy” books written by men but treated as divine? Why not assume Shakespeare was inspired by God, or Huxley, or Hemmingway, or whomever? Why these passages and why so holy? Does God dictate narrative? If so, why not send each of us a memo?
Why do those who claim the deepest faith seem to have license to do the most harm? If God is on my side and I claim to love him, shall I now have free reign to persecute others? Why don’t the strongest zealots of each faith recognize that they have more in common with each other than differences as they experience the same intense belief? Why do they lead the charge against the infidels and each other? Why do they insist that their values, their beliefs become the law of the land?
If I do not go to the church picnic this afternoon am I going to hell? Why?
Just wondering.
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
To the Other 1067
I am dancing in secret and silence. I am clapping my hands with mittens on. In robe and slippers I dip and swoop and soft shoe the floor with a wiggle (gently) of my old hips. The only song I hear in my head is “Happy Days are Here Again”, a song from my childhood. A song for Franklin.
There is joy in the East and joy in the West, but my state went 57% Romney. My county went 78% Romney. There is gloom and despair outside my door as though it was just announced that Obama has banned the wearing of blue jeans and boots in public and all pick-up trucks are being recalled. In my little county, 21% of us voted for Obama. That is 1,068 souls who touched the screen by his name.
I just want to say thanks to the other 1,067. (We need a secret handshake to know each other.)
Be careful out there. Some folks are sore losers.
But I am dancing in secret and silence!
There is joy in the East and joy in the West, but my state went 57% Romney. My county went 78% Romney. There is gloom and despair outside my door as though it was just announced that Obama has banned the wearing of blue jeans and boots in public and all pick-up trucks are being recalled. In my little county, 21% of us voted for Obama. That is 1,068 souls who touched the screen by his name.
I just want to say thanks to the other 1,067. (We need a secret handshake to know each other.)
Be careful out there. Some folks are sore losers.
But I am dancing in secret and silence!
Sunday, November 4, 2012
School Reform and Evolution
I may be an old widow woman celebrating life well into my 80’s, but I have always loved science and the wonderful gizmos that have resulted from the advancement of technology. I remember ice being delivered to our house via mule drawn wagon. I remember sitting around as a family listening to the radio long before there was television. Now, I totally take advantage of all the technology science has provided. I use a smart phone, I text, I tweet, I use a computer, I have an iPad, I blog, I have a microwave, a refrigerator, central heat and air, television, and yes, a minivan with a built in navigation system and a radio. If you are reading my blogs you too must enjoy all these scientific consumer gifts as well. We do not worry about the water coming out of our faucets, or that the electricity will cease to flow through our wires, or that the food we buy in the store is impure. We trust in science and the fruits of our efforts.
I do not know anyone who says, “I do not believe in television,” or “I do not believe in cell phones.” I know people who do not like or use television, or cell phones or computers. But it is a choice of palette, not a belief statement. Clearly if we could go back in time even 100 years with these gizmos we would be perceived as magicians. But, we know better. We have evidence that the gizmos work, a latent sense of the science behind their operation, and we use them all the time. When a computer crashes, we do not question our beliefs about computers, we question the operation of the technology itself.
And at the same time, I know people who hold firmly to deep beliefs that are contrary to what science tells us. I remain amazed at the mental gymnastics and cognitive dissonance that must occur for a belief to take precedence over reality. We have historically seen this, of course. Ask Galileo.
Forgive a few pedantic sentences, please, but it is necessary for us to speak a common language before I proceed. A hypothesis is an educated guess, a guess that can be disproven by observation and testing, but not proven. A scientific theory, however, summarizes a hypothesis or group of hypotheses that have been supported with repeated testing. A theory is valid as long as there is no evidence to dispute it. Therefore, theories can be disproven.
So, evolution is a scientific theory. We have hypothesized about it, tested, measured, observed and every time we confirm the theory of evolution. There have been no disproving measures. It is a theory around which repeated measures have confirmed the operation of the theory. To say “I do not believe in evolution” is tantamount to saying, “I do not believe in radio waves. I can’t see them and they are not mentioned in the Bible so they must not exist.” If that is where you are, then you have joined the ranks of those who persecuted Galileo for stating that planet earth was not the center of the solar system or the universe.
How about the current school reform movement? (By school reform movement I mean school choice, charter schools, vouchers, competition, accountability via high stakes testing, etc., etc.) What is it? A fact, a theory, a hypothesis? It is a belief system not grounded in any of the above, and therein lies the problem. If our hypothesis is school reform will improve educational outcomes for kids, then how many examples would you have to see to disprove that hypothesis? One. If one claims this a theory, meaning every time we have attempted school choice interventions they were all successful, how many examples would you have to see to disprove the theory? One. The very fact that politicos continue to divert money from public schools to optional schools, increase accountability, etc., etc. in the face of an array of dismal failures for these interventions to work plus the harm imposed on public schools implies to me we are dealing with folks who would have persecuted Galileo. It is a belief system, not a hypothesis or a theory. Both have been disproven hundreds of times. Therefore, it is a belief system.
Sadly, one cannot argue with someone who has a fallacious belief because the only arguments are facts and observation and those elements have little influence on those whose minds are made up. Hence, that is why we see the continued effort to dismantle public schools using formulas proven to not work. I could almost respect those who support such notions if they also argued that earth is the center of the solar system, the sun orbits around us, there are not radio waves, and computers are a tool of the devil because they are not mentioned in the Bible. At least their kookiness would be revealed to all.
Please vote Tuesday if you have not already. The forces of ignorance are strong and wealthy and organized. We must move forward, not entrench. Our beliefs are always important. It is our science that advances our society and it is our belief system that should morally judge our efforts.
I do not know anyone who says, “I do not believe in television,” or “I do not believe in cell phones.” I know people who do not like or use television, or cell phones or computers. But it is a choice of palette, not a belief statement. Clearly if we could go back in time even 100 years with these gizmos we would be perceived as magicians. But, we know better. We have evidence that the gizmos work, a latent sense of the science behind their operation, and we use them all the time. When a computer crashes, we do not question our beliefs about computers, we question the operation of the technology itself.
And at the same time, I know people who hold firmly to deep beliefs that are contrary to what science tells us. I remain amazed at the mental gymnastics and cognitive dissonance that must occur for a belief to take precedence over reality. We have historically seen this, of course. Ask Galileo.
Forgive a few pedantic sentences, please, but it is necessary for us to speak a common language before I proceed. A hypothesis is an educated guess, a guess that can be disproven by observation and testing, but not proven. A scientific theory, however, summarizes a hypothesis or group of hypotheses that have been supported with repeated testing. A theory is valid as long as there is no evidence to dispute it. Therefore, theories can be disproven.
So, evolution is a scientific theory. We have hypothesized about it, tested, measured, observed and every time we confirm the theory of evolution. There have been no disproving measures. It is a theory around which repeated measures have confirmed the operation of the theory. To say “I do not believe in evolution” is tantamount to saying, “I do not believe in radio waves. I can’t see them and they are not mentioned in the Bible so they must not exist.” If that is where you are, then you have joined the ranks of those who persecuted Galileo for stating that planet earth was not the center of the solar system or the universe.
How about the current school reform movement? (By school reform movement I mean school choice, charter schools, vouchers, competition, accountability via high stakes testing, etc., etc.) What is it? A fact, a theory, a hypothesis? It is a belief system not grounded in any of the above, and therein lies the problem. If our hypothesis is school reform will improve educational outcomes for kids, then how many examples would you have to see to disprove that hypothesis? One. If one claims this a theory, meaning every time we have attempted school choice interventions they were all successful, how many examples would you have to see to disprove the theory? One. The very fact that politicos continue to divert money from public schools to optional schools, increase accountability, etc., etc. in the face of an array of dismal failures for these interventions to work plus the harm imposed on public schools implies to me we are dealing with folks who would have persecuted Galileo. It is a belief system, not a hypothesis or a theory. Both have been disproven hundreds of times. Therefore, it is a belief system.
Sadly, one cannot argue with someone who has a fallacious belief because the only arguments are facts and observation and those elements have little influence on those whose minds are made up. Hence, that is why we see the continued effort to dismantle public schools using formulas proven to not work. I could almost respect those who support such notions if they also argued that earth is the center of the solar system, the sun orbits around us, there are not radio waves, and computers are a tool of the devil because they are not mentioned in the Bible. At least their kookiness would be revealed to all.
Please vote Tuesday if you have not already. The forces of ignorance are strong and wealthy and organized. We must move forward, not entrench. Our beliefs are always important. It is our science that advances our society and it is our belief system that should morally judge our efforts.
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