Lots of things happened and/are happening during our lifetimes. Some are hard to believe and in fact, a lot of people don’t. Scientific stuff. Sometimes it’s surprising. Like one day down at the drug store, a long time ago the TV in my patient’s waiting area showed the fi rst men walking on the moon. It was an earthshaking sight. At least to me but one old snuff dipper walked over to me and said,” You don’t believe this stuff, do you?” “Believe what?” I answered. “That that man is actually walking on the moon.” “Well uh,” I replied, “I guess I do. Why?” “Not me,” the man answered. “They’re just over in Arizona faking it.” “But, why would they do that?” I responded. I was perplexed.

But I shouldn’t have been surprised. Man’s rejection of science has and continues to be rejected to this day. Maybe it started off with the earth being flat. Or was it round? Some “Flat-Earther’s” still exist and cling to their beliefs. I know when I was a young person my dad didn’t believe that humans would ever be able to leave the gravity of earth. “It just wasn’t meant to be,” he would say. But when it did, he came around to accept it. But many don’t accept this any more than a lot of other so-called scientifi c beliefs of our modern age.

Take fl uoridation of water for instance. The scientific proof of the benefits of putting fl uoride in drinking water has been proven beyond a doubt. Back in the 1950s many communities begin adding Fluoride to the community water and the results were absolutely astounding. Just like the scientist predicted, tooth carries (cavities) in the younger population virtually vanished over the period of a few years. But some didn’t like it. The City of Portland, for example, banned putting this “poison” in their water and to this day, simply didn’t and don’t. They voted it out. And since have voted to keep it out.

Same with GMO. Genetically Modifi ed Organisms. The thought of it conjures up thoughts of Frankenstein evil. Tampering with our crops. Things we eat. Now, a new industry springs up selling safe good unmodified foods. But scientist maintain that these GMO foods are safe.

Not all that long ago, a would-be scientist named Galileo claimed that the earth spins on its axis and goes around the sun. Of course, any “fool” could see that the Sun was the one in motion and before it was all over, Galileo had to take it all back. Even though he was right. The earth was the one in motion.

About global warming. Can you blame people for not hooking up with this “scientific fact.?” Only as far back as 1970 we were all convinced by “science” that we were suffering from global cooling. And we were—for a little while. Now the earth seems to be heating up and the powers that be warn of rising seas, vanishing beaches and scorching heat coming at us just around the corner. Less than half the population believes this and the fact that belief in the coming heat and political affi liations have become well defined as well as joined.

I won’t go into denouncing the folk who preach on about the evils of preservatives nor rail against those who carry the diadem against Aspartame which helps my diet coke taste so good. I wouldn’t have a chance. But this is a time of modern science and perhaps a time to use our noggins when it comes to deciding not only what you want to eat and drink by also what your neighbors eat and drink. Don’t be like the lady who, when asked what university she had her degree from answered: “The University of Google.”

Be sure and go to church Sunday. What you hear there will be straight from the book. And you’ll be glad you went.

Wayne Bullard, DPh

waynebullard@sgcglobal.net