Learning to Overcome Our Nature

We had the opportunity to spend a little time in the woods yesterday.  It seems there is always something interesting to see.  The dampness yesterday morning allowed us to walk quietly in hopes of seeing a little wildlife.  The birds were plentiful, but no animals of the furry kind made their appearance.

We walked into an area that had many small Honey Locust trees which were covered with Lichens.  In time, the Lichens will kill the trees, but yesterday, the ones that I tested were still supple, indicating life.  The photos above are of the Lichens growing on one of them.

Many Lichens are edible or, contain medicinal properties.  Those with orange or, yellow colors contain acids that should be neutralized with baking soda.  There are hundreds of different kinds of Lichens, some of which grow on trees, others on rocks or, other structures.

Lichens are a composite growth form that arises from Algae or, Cyanobacteria living among filaments of multiple fungi species.  I wish I knew more about Lichens.  It seems the more I learn, the more I want to learn and the more I realize that I don't know.

Part of learning is approaching with an open mind.  There is someone I know who is convinced the world is flat.  He is continually finding people on the Internet who agree with his idea and uses their arguments to support his own.  He refuses to acknowledge any evidence otherwise.  That isn't how you learn.  You must look at all evidence and then evaluate the validity of each and every claim.  Just because John Whackadoodle in Whoknowswhere came up with some crazy explanation doesn't make it true.  In spite of my sometimes setting them aside, credentials do mean something.  If a person has a degree in Psychology, they will have to provide some pretty solid evidence of expertise before I will listen to them explain Astrophysics to me.

The scientific community is not immune to following the path of finding those who agree with their own theories and dismissing all others.  It is part of human nature to align with those who see the world the way you do.  As I mentioned yesterday, our genetic programming often pushes us to make a snap judgement based on either least, or maximum threat.  We tend to stick with those most "like" ourselves in order to minimize danger.  That is basic animal instinct.  We learn when we use reasoning to move beyond that default.

Conforming is easy.  Being different is difficult.  Be different and respect those who are willing to allow others see their differences.  It is risky, though, because the animal instincts which still drive many behaviors -- especially when in a group -- will likely result in ostracism or, worse.

I'm not saying you need to agree with those who take a different path, but you shouldn't attack them.  Hopefully, nature will cull those who are heading down the wrong ones.  Oh, yeah, there is lots of interference with nature right now.  In my mind that's not a good scenario.  It causes a buildup of potential consequence that will eventually explode.