Kill That Cow!

In the 1970’s I was a member of the Futurist Society. Futurists make predictions based on what is deemed the best verifiable evidence logically extrapolated. Being relatively young and inexperienced I accepted their pronouncements at face value, since the authors of the pieces they published had studied and accurately researched (I believed) the topics at depth. I looked forward to each issue of the magazine for one particular writer's articles which were always well written and interesting. The new issue arrived and I attempted to read some of the other articles first, a small stab at delayed gratification, but soon turned to my favorite and with a smile began reading. However, when finished, I felt a bit unsettled. I couldn’t put my finger on it but it troubled me. A week went by and I decided to go to the library to do some research. Firing up the microfiche (remember microfiche and cabinets filled with microfilm) I located the statistics I was looking for and identified the problem. The author had reversed the statistics that supported his position! I felt relieved and a little proud. I reasoned that  a correction would be forth coming. Two issues came and went before he did address it. The response was one of the most over the top, vitriolic pieces of junk I, to this day, have ever read. Not only did he defend his position and facts, anyone who disagreed with him was an idiot! I was left stunned and breathless. I returned to the library and rechecked the facts to see if I misread them. Nope. The sacred cow of blind trust died for me that day.

Sacred cows are everywhere. Many are inherited, some quietly strolled in and we have not bothered to do the work to turn them out, usually because if we do we are afraid of what we will find when they are gone, since sacred cows, like all bovines, are notoriously poor house keepers. We must not be afraid to ask questions and seek the truth, since: the truth will set us free. So trust, but verify.

I didn’t renew my membership in the Futurists Society. Looking back, one of their predictions for 2000 (then 25+ years in the future) was that if we didn’t act immediately the world was about to be plunged into a new ice age, cites in northern climes like Chicago would be experiencing winter year round, beyond any doubt, no further discussion required, the science settled. All the top climatologists said so. Beware those cows.

© Vincent Lee Jones Living In Spirit All Rights Reserved

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