Month: September 2021

“Everyone has his own specific vocation or mission in life; everyone must carry out a concrete assignment that demands fulfillment. Therein he cannot be replaced, nor can his life be repeated, thus, everyone’s task is unique as his specific opportunity to implement it.”—Viktor E. Frankl

I need to remind myself now and then that I am where I am supposed to be—albeit, sometimes, where I don’t particularly want to be. I need to remember that I am raising my children where the experiences and the relationships they are making are shaping who they are becoming for God’s Purposes. Likewise, the opportunities I experience are serving more than myself. It is about grattitude (gratitude + attitude). It about being content and seeing the opportunity in, well, everything.

Be your best today; be better tomorrow.

Carpe momento!

“There are powers inside of you which, if you could discover and use, would make of you everything you ever dreamed or imagined you could become.”—Orison Swett Marden

I believe in Purpose. I believe that we are called upon to draw on the good and the bad that has brought us to where we are this moment. I believe in opportunity and responsibility. Sadly, I believe that we (myself included) don’t often believe in ourselves as we should.

What is it that we are to do in this moment with the powers inside us? What are we to do with our opportunity to be (extra)ordinary? One may think: “But, I am just a…”, however, we are—in this moment—“just a…” to have a significant impact on those with whom we interact (and on those who are affected in our wake). “Just a…” may be a stepping stone to another opportunity tomorrow. It may be what we are to remain for some Purpose. We are not insignificant. That is, we are not insignificant unless we choose to be. We matter to someone(s) to something. We choose to embrace opportunity or to let it pass. The power is within us to do all that we Purposed to do and become. Discover it. Use it.

Be the best today; be better tomorrow.

Carpe momento!

“Comfort is one of the biggest enemies of progress.”–Ayomide Ojebuoboh¹

Ayomide Ojebuoboh’s opinion article in Medpage Today, “Researchers Are Focused on the Wrong Things,” struck a chord to me, not only as researcher/educator, but also as a community leader (in the sense that we are all leaders in our communities and circles of influence). Yes, the focus of the article was on medical research, but the theme should affect us all. We are nearly all presently entrenched in our comfort zones. COVID-19 has revealed this quite effectively over the past eighteen months. (I hate repeatedly using the COVID-19 example, and long for the day when it is passé; but, presently, it is low-hanging fruit.) Ojebuoboh writes that “we should be engaging communities, not just studying them.” We, here, is medical researchers, but we should all be more engaged with our communities. Medical and academic researchers often fall into a trap of “publish or perish.” As such, we learn more and more about less and less until we know everything about absolutely nothing. “Science”, as has been revealed over the last year and a half, has become a process of proving ourselves right rather than a process of learning what we don’t know.

When I hear the layperson and/or the politician claim they “follow the science,” my stomach knots, because I know it is bullsh**. It simply means that believe the science that affirms their beliefs. It is also a statement that is intended to put down the opposing view as being uneducated or ill-informed. If one truly “follows the science,” one questions everything—one reaches beyond their comfort zone and confidence level to explore the unknown and to expose their ignorance. Science literally cannot be “followed” because it is the edge of uncertainty. It is exploring the unknown and testing hypothesis. Science is a process. It is not a physical thing that can lead. Scientists may lead (and sometimes down a wrong path or a dead-end path, but that is science), but their results do not. Science is data that informs decisions. Wisdom requires knowledge (i.e., data or science) coupled with the willingness to challenge of presumptions.

When Ayomide Ojebuoboh states that “comfort is one of the biggest enemies of progress,” she is speaking to more than just her colleagues in medicine. She is speaking to me. She is speaking to all of us.

Many have entrenched themselves in political ideologies, theologies, and their limited worldviews. As such, they (we) have limited their (our) progress. Wisdom seeks knowledge (i.e., information or data) that challenges one’s worldview. Wisdom engages with the “opposition” and seeks, as Stephen Covey wrote in the Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, to “first understand,  then to be understood.” We need to become comfortable with being uncomfortable.

Our progress as a society and as human beings has been stifled by our unwillingness to be uncomfortable—by our unwillingness to engage in discussion (rather than soundbites on social media). We demand to be heard, but refuse to listen. We allow ourselves to be limited by our bias. We often hear the phrase: “unconscious bias.” I believe, however, that we suffer more from our conscious bias—by our unwillingness to allow our views to be challenged. I find “unconscious bias” to be a phrased used by those who are more demanding that you listen to their views than are willing listen to your views. Suffice it to say that we all have bias (conscious or unconscious) and it limits our capacity to grow—to progress. Thus, we have to willfully challenge our biases and to allow them to be challenged by others in respectful discourse. Otherwise, we are doomed as a society.

Be your best today; be better tomorrow.

Carpe momento!

¹https://www.medpagetoday.com/opinion/second-opinions/94349?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2021-09-04&eun=g1854320d0r&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Daily%20Headlines%20Top%20Cat%20HeC%20%202021-09-04&utm_term=NL_Daily_DHE_dual-gmail-definition

“A wise man makes his own decisions. An ignorant man follows public opinion.”—Chinese Proverb

Inspiration often comes from signs that keep repeating themselves. Such is the case today. Truthfully, it is a topic that has been presenting itself well-beyond today and the last eighteen month. The above quote (which has also been attributed to the American journalist, Grantland Rice [1880-1954]) confirmed that this would be today’s subject.

The first thing I saw today was a post from a friend noting a statement by NPR that the US and China are responsible for 38% of the world’s carbon emissions. What was advertently of inadvertently omitted was that China’s responsibility is 27% and the US’s is 11%. With a bit more digging, I found that both countries have reduced carbon emissions from 2014 levels when they contributed 30- and 14%, respectively. I also learned that the US has returned to 1990 levels.

Over the last couple days, I have been seeing the powers-to-be called to question regarding the lack of discussion about natural immunity with regard to COVID-19. I would add that, not only are they willing to discuss immune v. not immune or natural v. artificial immunity, but they are also not willing to discuss risk stratification. Again, the information we receive is distorted by the narrative the source is trying to present.

I can continue with examples, but the point to be made is that we need to be informed, and to be “informed” means that we need to seek out information—even if it challenges our opinion and worldview. Again, often the “facts” we receive are limited to fit the narrative that the source want to support. Sometimes “misinformation” isn’t blatantly false. More often than that it simply omits contrary information, presents distorted information, or shared limited information.

In the last eighteen months, I have sought to inform myself of the literature regarding exercise and COVID-19. (This is just a current example—my intent is not to only shine a light on COVID-19 [mis]information). If I read of a study in a popular press article or hear one referenced in a podcast or YouTube video, I go to the source. (Admittedly, this is a bit easier for me with access to a University library, but with more and more ‘open-access’, it is quite a bit easier to find journal articles via Google search.) It is unfortunate that the urgency of COVID-19 has allowed journals to (pre)publish studies before they are peer-reviewed. Nevertheless, these can be evaluated with a critical eye.

I commented this morning, “If you believe you are informed because you read/listen to a ‘reputable’ news source but don’t confirm the information you receive, check yourself. How much less informed are you getting when you trust the information from social media and popular press? Even ‘scientific’ sources have been sharing studies *before* they are peer-reviewed. Challenge everything! Don’t just accept “data” because they fit your narrative. Science is not intended to confirm our views. Science is intended to shape–to expand–our understanding of the universe.”

Science is intended to shape–to expand–our understanding of the universe. I teach exercise science, and I can attest to the fact that what I teach today is very much different than what I taught 20 years ago. I disagree with quite a bit of what I was taught in the ‘80s and ‘90s and with conclusions drawn by prominent scientists in their time. I am by no means smarter than these, I simply have the benefit of more information—and better means of testing hypotheses. Science expands.

I don’t believe religion and science need to be divisive. Sadly, many study one without the benefit of the other. Personally, allowing myself to be open to both has given me a deeper understanding of both—an ability to see a greater GOD in both.

Years ago, I was challenged by a student based on what he had learned in another class. I welcomed the challenge. For many of the students, however, it was disconcerting. One student suggested that I just tell them what I wanted them to know for the test. This response was precisely the attitude that I did not want my students to take. It was a great opportunity to train them to question what they are being taught and to search out the truth. My confidence in the particular subject was shaken, but it forced me to (re)examine what I was teaching. I searched and (in this case) what I was teaching was affirmed. I share this story often with my students because my goal is to educate and not to indoctrinate. My goal is to grow my field of “expertise,” and the only way to grow knowledge is to put our presumptions and preexisting knowledge to the test. Truth will always win out, and science serves to reveal truth. We cannot say that we “follow the science” if we don’t question our current beliefs. We don’t “follow the science” if we don’t allow ourselves to explore the boundaries of our comfort. We don’t “follow the science” if we don’t question popular opinion.

“When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.”—Proverbs 11:2, NIV

Be your best today; be better tomorrow.

Carpe momento!