I'm not sure what else to call it. I believe it has almost always been around, but in the past few years I have noticed it is gaining ground. It seems to go hand in hand with a growth in Atheism and Agnosticism. What am I talking about? "Science Only" thinking. It is a system of belief that rejects anything that cannot be quantified, or where a logical scientific hypothesis has not been formed. This mode of thought rejects all systems of belief and faith. Trust in God, or a more powerful Deity are banished.
I accept these people in my life. Most are good people just trying to survive like anyone else; however, I do not understand them. The only analogy I can think of is homosexuality. As a male of the species, I have several gay friends, and accept them for who they are, yet personally find men ... yucky. ;) I just don't see the same things they do.
I have thought a long time about this. It feels to me as if they have rejected half of life. They have ying without yang, up without down, Lavern without Shirley. Something feels very missing. Granted, I have spent much of my life searching for meaning. Searching for an attachment to God. I have been a member of several different religions and in each one I see some truth. As far as I am aware, no one has all the answers. Life can be difficult. It can also be joyous, and wonderful, and amazing.
I ask myself, where do these people who reject so many of the things that I believe in, find strength to keep moving forward sometimes?????
This "Science Only" thinking also leads them to reject ideas about realities that may actually exist, but to which they do not understand or to which there is not currently a scientific hypothesis available. When confronted with things they cannot explain or make them feel uncomfortable they will reject them with simple explanations that do not always fit the available evidence, simply so they do not have to think about them anymore. Ideas like Aliens, Bigfoot, Ghosts, the afterlife. The list can go on and on.
I really like science and enjoy learning how things work, however I do not let the lack of plausible theories hinder my imagination or curiosity about the things around me. I will use Bigfoot as an example. There are many thousands of sightings of Bigfoot. Many of these are from very reliable and credible witnesses. The standard explanation of "You saw a bear walking upright" does not always hold weight. Many of these witnesses are from experienced hunters, outdoors people, and park rangers. Did they all see a Bear, or maybe they were all on drugs or hallucinating? That is very unlikely.
What does that tell us then? Using their own logic, we would think then that there must be "SOMETHING" out there that these people are seeing. The reports are all so similar and so voluminous that it is hard to reject these in totality. It wasn't until the 19th century that we realized that the reports of hairy ape men were real, and we discovered the mountain gorilla. What then could it be? These reports come from everywhere on almost every continent. Another form of Ape? An off shoot of man? Something in the middle? Who knows? Do I believe they are from aliens, or trans dimensional? No. Its possible.
Now, at this point you are saying AHA! He's doing the same thing that he is accusing me of! No. I do not reject these ideas completely. I leave myself open, but I do not believe that is the case. I believe that Bigfoot is another animal we have not been able to properly document yet. A true "Science Only" thinker will reject these ideas immediately until firm scientific proof is found.
"Bigfoot! Have you lost your mind? You just saw a bear!!"
Let's open our minds and allow other ideas and thoughts through. Let's not close off half of life. There is so much to see and experience. Life can be a wonderous journey. Lets not travel through life with Hardy but miss Laurel.
