Two ends of the line

Science has always been a part of our generation as we have witnessed how the community of thinkers produces discovery after discovery. There are subtle and obvious good ways on how it has affected us, just like how shampoo and hospital made differences in our lives. When we were young, we have always assumed that shampoo existed because we needed it in order to take a bath. It was "magically" there when we wanted to use it, a tub full of fragrant goo, and it "disappeared" when our attention turned to the little bar of soap. Little did we know that this goo helped us maintain healthy and shiny hair. The case of hospitals is a little different though. We realized as kids that we went to that large, towering white building to meet doctors, people who specialize and treat our sickness. We knew that the bitter syrup they gave us was made in places called laboratories and factories.

However, now that we are old enough to analyze things more critically, we know that science not only contributed human milestones and achievements, but also created problems. Two of these troubles are the atomic bomb and drugs. Atomic bombs were created by scientists who were simply curious if they can create a weapon more powerful than guns or handmade bombs by just combining a few theories, metals and chemicals. Indeed, they succeeded and everyone recognized their abilities not only as experts of their fields but also as innovators. However, their discovery turned powerful military countries against each other. North Korea, for example, has never failed to build tension whenever they launch a nuclear testing. The USA is worse- they used "Fat Man" to force Japan to surrender in the expense of 90,00-166,000 lives in Hiroshima and 60,000-80,000 in Nagasaki during the World War II. Drugs, in the same context, are like atomic bombs. They were first conceptualized to nurse the sick into his former healthy state. And yet, the idea of being intoxicated by these little pills launched an arsenal of illegal drugs. Today, many kids of our age have fallen victims and are now facing criminal charges and a medical condition called addiction.

We are not blindsided by just the advantages of science but we are not antagonistic towards it.  We do hope that as it continues to pave ways, its remarkable contributions will outweigh the consequences it will bring us. After all, we still believe in its utter magnificence. We still believe that this body of knowledge was conceived to make lives better and not for the worse.

----

First blogpost made by Chel Caritativo