from the desk of Herb Masters
Greetings Practitioners of Science,
Wow! Is it really over? (No, but it is, mostly.) Before we go any farther I’d like you to consider some science that we haven’t discussed (note you can listen to this one). I think it is something we really need to have in our communities. In addition to kindness we need to honor the science of wisdom. I think if more people understand and practice these sciences everyone will enjoy and appreciate life and this amazing universe a lot more.
The human capacity to accept and belief misinformation is truly remarkable to me. I have spent a fair amount of time trying to understand what is under the surface and how it affects our understanding and why we disagree about some seemingly obvious facts. Living in the SF Bay Area often leaves us wondering how so many people can disagree with what we think is the “truth”. Why Your Brain Falls for Misinformation – And How to Avoid It helps put some of this in perspective. Here’s a great guide to help figure out how to think about and understand how to check the quality of information you are observing or sharing with others. A key thing that I know I would benefit more from, and I think many others, would be a better understanding of how to relate with others that may not agree! My way isn’t always the best!
So now I invite you to consider how the Presidential Election seems to have taken over a lot of our conscious days for quite awhile. Now that it is almost over, the official certifications of the various individual counts in counties and states will take awhile. Only then will it be certified as “one for the books”. Science, either belief or denial of it, seems to have played a major role in a lot of it thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic. One might say that science has not prevailed since it seems to be spreading more rapidly than it has up until now. I hope that we can all practice more kindness and work with others you may not agree with and see if there is a common ground to move forward from. Here’s a pretty good guide to help further the discussion of the Future of Science in America.
Needless to say there are still lots of opportunities to learn new things about the science that interests each of us. Here are few coming up that I think look pretty interesting. (Remember, most of these will be available on line in various archives as well.) ‘Woman and the Glacier’ – Picture a STEMinist – Livestream Tue 6:00, The Social Media Hype Machine: Disrupting Our Elections, Our Economy, and Our Health – Livestream Wed 4:00, Everything Matters: Tin – Livestream Thu 7:00, History and Mystery of the Refuge and the Bay – Livestream Thu 5:00, Animal Intelligence – Livestream Thu 7:00.
We are coming in to the holidays with lots of food. Even with all of the social distancing and zooming I think we will all think about how Our Mind-Boggling Sense of Smell has always been part of our holiday celebrations. I hope that you all get a chance to experience some of it. We need to hold to some traditions after all! In the past you may have travelled to visit someone and share the holiday or they may have come to visit you. Did you ever think about how you found your way? We Never Know Exactly Where We’re Going in Outer Space
So I think the more of us that Keep Dancing, the more we will all feel better and enjoy what’s coming.
herb masters