Science Is For Everyone
So, Science Week 2023 comes to a close. This is the first year I fully participated in the tradition and it has been one of the most rewarding "holidays" I have gotten to enjoy.
"Science" is such a strange term, often misused or attributed to things completely unscientific. It's a term with a definition so broad, so immense, that I often forget all it envelops. Natural history, Earth science, computers, genomics, physics, medicine, flight, chemistry, biology, mathematics, psychology, logic. I mean, if you want an idea of all that science touches, just peek at Wikipedia's index of branches of science page.
Even those things that one individual may find trivial or silly have been studied by other individuals. For example, cosmetology, or the study of cosmetics and beauty treatments interests me very little. However, those who are interested, are interested in science, in the chemistry of products, the geometry of the face, the psychology behind "beauty" perhaps on a societal scale, perhaps on a personal scale.
What I mean to say is, science is for everyone. Science is life. Whether you wear glasses and study star maps, wear lipstick and study the contents of product bottles, wear hiking boots and marvel at insects, wear the latest fashion and study the physics of fabrics. Humans, as a species, are curious, desirous of knowledge, wonderfully and sometimes horribly dogmatic in the protection of the things we believe make sense. Science Week is about, at least for me, finding those things I am passionate about and in awe over and celebrating them. And, even though I always try to be, making an effort to be happy when I discover I am wrong and there is more to learn. There is always more to learn.
So, here's to Science Week, and the countless ways that science is woven into simply existing. I am inspired by those who wish to study and apply the scientific method to things I overlook. I am inspired by those who understand far more deeply the concepts that baffle me. I am inspired by all of the things my life will prove too short to discover.
To everyone who shares this wonderful planet with me, happy Science Week.