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[Originally posted on Blogger during my angry politics phase. Please take this journal with a grain of salt and realize I've grown a lot since then. :)]
America is a nation divided. We are not divided by borders, nor by parties; we are note even divided by opinions, but by knowledge and the willingness to use it. Opinions stem from experience and wisdom, but even more so the ability to classify and use them.
If you were to take a poll of the top scientists in the world and ask them if they feel that evolution is a valid and correct theory, the result would be between 95-100% acceptance. If you were to take the same poll in Mississippi, which has the 50th ranked schools in the nation and pushes "Intelligent" Design at every opportunity, you'd likely end up with a rather different answer. Intelligence of the students is only one part of the equation. Fear is another. In that, and many other parts of the world, religion is used as a thought shield to protect the human mind against possibilities it does not want to face. The counter to this has finally emerged, however, and an humanistic atheist approach to life is slowly emerging around the globe. We need no longer be afraid of the darkness, the unknown, and now we can get on with our lives and build a better world for the future rather than hiding in the static shadows of the past.
Statistically, those with more money and higher education pick more atheistic routes through life, and in many cases, more humanistic ones as well. Many polls have taken place on this subject, but college graduates have historically had the highest rates of atheist approaches to life, and from a humanistic perspective, that is why so many become involved in politics. They know what is at stake and that what we do now will affect theirs and their children's futures, so they devote time and effort to making sure it will be a good one.
The two party system that has divided us for so long takes advantage of the gap between poor and rich, and has promoted anti-intellectualism as a way of propping itself up. That is now changing. The explosion of the internet and the knowledge contained within may well be the most destructive and creative force of our time, and focused properly, it will change the world at a whirlwind pace.
Our current economic crisis is the best current example of the difference between the new generation and those that are nearing retirement. We see opportunity in failure, and the ability to rebuild a stronger financial base in the place of those institutions that are falling like dominoes today. We must not abandon the lessons of history as we write another chapter, however, and only through careful consideration of the options and objective assessment can we hope to end this with a minimum of pain for all involved.
I've decided to start ending these posts with a quote from the wisest source I can find on a particular issue.
In the words of Frank Herbert, creator of the dune series:
I must not fear.
Fear is the mind-killer.
Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration.
I will face my fear.
I will permit it to pass over me and through me.
And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path.
Where the fear has gone there will be nothing.
Only I will remain.
America is a nation divided. We are not divided by borders, nor by parties; we are note even divided by opinions, but by knowledge and the willingness to use it. Opinions stem from experience and wisdom, but even more so the ability to classify and use them.
If you were to take a poll of the top scientists in the world and ask them if they feel that evolution is a valid and correct theory, the result would be between 95-100% acceptance. If you were to take the same poll in Mississippi, which has the 50th ranked schools in the nation and pushes "Intelligent" Design at every opportunity, you'd likely end up with a rather different answer. Intelligence of the students is only one part of the equation. Fear is another. In that, and many other parts of the world, religion is used as a thought shield to protect the human mind against possibilities it does not want to face. The counter to this has finally emerged, however, and an humanistic atheist approach to life is slowly emerging around the globe. We need no longer be afraid of the darkness, the unknown, and now we can get on with our lives and build a better world for the future rather than hiding in the static shadows of the past.
Statistically, those with more money and higher education pick more atheistic routes through life, and in many cases, more humanistic ones as well. Many polls have taken place on this subject, but college graduates have historically had the highest rates of atheist approaches to life, and from a humanistic perspective, that is why so many become involved in politics. They know what is at stake and that what we do now will affect theirs and their children's futures, so they devote time and effort to making sure it will be a good one.
The two party system that has divided us for so long takes advantage of the gap between poor and rich, and has promoted anti-intellectualism as a way of propping itself up. That is now changing. The explosion of the internet and the knowledge contained within may well be the most destructive and creative force of our time, and focused properly, it will change the world at a whirlwind pace.
Our current economic crisis is the best current example of the difference between the new generation and those that are nearing retirement. We see opportunity in failure, and the ability to rebuild a stronger financial base in the place of those institutions that are falling like dominoes today. We must not abandon the lessons of history as we write another chapter, however, and only through careful consideration of the options and objective assessment can we hope to end this with a minimum of pain for all involved.
I've decided to start ending these posts with a quote from the wisest source I can find on a particular issue.
In the words of Frank Herbert, creator of the dune series:
I must not fear.
Fear is the mind-killer.
Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration.
I will face my fear.
I will permit it to pass over me and through me.
And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path.
Where the fear has gone there will be nothing.
Only I will remain.
