Science

"In the beginning, there was darkness. Then, god said 'Let there be light' and there was light..."

"All black people are apes."

One of these phrases is antiquated, insulting, and derogatory. The other is a matter of scientific fact (and incidentally, not only are all black people apes, all people of every color are...yes, even albinos).

Science!

It's everywhere.

It's all around you, all the time.

It's provable, verifiable, and tangible.

So why do people insist on dismissing it?

Why do people still ignore facts in evidence?

Evolution is a fact. Although it's called a theory, it's called so in the scientific sense, which simply means that it's been repeatedly and rigorously vetted, peer reviewed, and tested in some way.

Gravity is also a theory, as is heliocentrism. This does not make them untrue, or even debatable.

Now, there are those...everywhere, it seems, that are simply dying to know how I live each day not believing in anything. Those people desperately need to learn the difference between belief and faith. I believe in science. I believe that if my life were in danger and a doctor were near, I'd have an exponentially greater chance of survival than if a priest were near (especially since I'm not as young as I used to be). I believe in things provable and logical. That requires no faith, just reason.

The sooner people learn the difference between a theory and a hypothesis, and belief and faith, the better off we'll be.

After all, words mean things.

Lost

Dear Saint Anthony, please come around. Something's lost and it can't be found.

You know what flummoxes me? The above isn't some cutesy saying, or nursery rhyme, or mnemonic device... it's a prayer. You're supposed to concentrate on the object you can't seem to find, and recite this chant. Then a miracle happens. Saint Anthony, aloft on wings of joy and enlightenment, will descend from heaven just to point you to your car keys.

I tried it once, when I was a kid. I lost my class ring, and knowing that was an offense punishable by death, I prayed to Saint Anthony. Lo, and behold, I found it shortly thereafter.

Turns out it was slightly to the side of where I always put it when I went to bed. All I had to do was...think...about...

HEY!

WAIT A MINUTE!

That wasn't Saint Anthony on his miracle wings of finding! That was me! I concentrated. I thought about it. I figured it out. I slowed down and thought methodically about the possibilities.

My suggestion to you is this:

Don't rely on magic. Don't rely on incantations. Think. Use your brain. Weigh what is possible, what is probable, and what is provable.

You'll find you are the magic. You can do anything if you don't chain yourself to superstition for the sake of tradition.

You'll find a lot of shit that would otherwise be lost.