Letters to the Editor
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I'm a brilliant scientist. That's the problem.
“I’m a brilliant scientist. And the problem is…”
Well, it seems obvious what your problem is. You worship science, the mind, rationality, and they’ve let you down, your False Gods. The problem with that mind-set, as I see it, is to imagine that everything can be solved by high-tech solutions, and since you being a “brilliant scientist” can’t envisage a solution, means there ain’t one. Well, possibly there is. Like, start by turning off all those damn wasteful lights in Las Vegas.
But that won’t happen, will it? Because people are selfish and don’t like change, or doing with less than they’ve become used to. Less light, warmth, food, comfort, gadgets, entertainment, children. That’s the real problem. Not faith. People usually only change when change is forced upon them, and that looks set to happen, although Armageddon is probably not around the corner.
I was once a working scientist myself, and am married to a scientist with an extremely analytical, intelligent, precise and clever brain. But the trouble with that particular brain wiring, as I’ve observed with my darling beloved, (and many other scientists I’ve encountered over the years) is that it comes with a fundamental flaw. Along with an intellectual arrogance that accompanies the quick processing skills, people like that are slaves to logic, to dry materialism, to only accepting what can be measured, controlled, mastered. Analytically, in the lab, they are brilliant, but as human beings, they are blind and limited in so many ways, as you appear to be. (Not that I’m not also deeply flawed).
Your brain’s obviously not wired for faith (faith comes naturally to me, I can’t imagine a life without it). But to a certain extent, it can be trained to let go of the need to control and understand and explain everything. Sure, look for solutions, like the other posters here have advised, but you also need to trust, to open up and surrender to the mystery of life a bit, because I think that’s your problem. Your concern with the environmental catastrophe is kind of a symptom of your mind-set, without meaning to deny the gravity of the situation.
And by the way, living a life of faith is the hardest thing to do. It may give some sort of meaning or comfort, but it isn’t a refuge for fools. For me, it’s looking for things like synchronicity, using intuition, understanding and hope along the way that I’m on the right path. It isn’t ‘magic’, but it does allow me live, to some extent, magically. You should try it. Start with meditation, and then, slowly, slowly, you’ll start to realise that you’re an idiot. And that’s part of your solution!
Have a good journey!