I have dreaded posting this entry, hence the late submission. Aside from the internal strife which lead me to meditate upon this topic, I witnessed far too many times the sometimes subtle and the rather flagrant uninvited bashing of non-scientific professions, and/or aspirations. These observations were amassed far beyond this summer's time period. For as long as I can remember, I have been made to believe that being an engineer, a doctor or a scientist was a noble aspiration, one which most men (and recently women) should aspire to. The rather inquisitive nature of these professions surely called upon minds not only matching the job's insightful and intellectual nature but also ones which could look objectively both at the world and at themselves. Unfortunately, for the most part, we have definitely lost this objectivity and materialistically, our minds have become focused on the prestige, and large financial remuneration these professions sometimes rewards us with.
My weekly posts so far have been focused on the questions this medical immersion have raised in me. These questions whether scientific or philosophical, I believe, have given me the opportunity to assess the purpose of my work as well as that of my life in the greater scheme of things. This week is no different. From conversations, I have entertained to observations I have made, I came to realize that some of us identifying as scientists, jokingly or not, belittle professions which we believe do not emulate the "higher intellectual calling" we have accepted. This debate is one which started far back in history, probably for as long as they have been people calling themselves "scientists". Yet, in this age of technological innovation increasing rapidly to the point of rivaling the number of stars in the universe, this debate has never been so important.
Growing up in Ivory Coast, and climbing the steps on the education ladder, I was taught that being smart meant a profession in engineering, science, law or medicine. In fact, to be more inclusive, any profession with large remuneration and intellectual standing was synonym of personal value. You were to be highly respected and sometimes even admired close to idolatry. I believed so until not so long ago when in the middle of my studies, I realized that nothing about these professions taught something very important needed to survive and attain true happiness (for some of us who believe in it). This important yet missing piece of my education was the value of a human being in His entirety, and His so flagrant ignorance.
Taking the respectfully called science classes (Biology, Chemistry, Physics) has never taught me how to value someone beyond their profession or how to assess their worth from their character, open-mindedness, altruism, willingness to stand for their beliefs or find sense in their enemy's struggle. In fact, I learn those things from taking anthropology, sociology, philosophy and history. While our science educators have begun to stress the value in collaboration and scientific discussion, they have overlooked the fact that decades in science education has taught us that being wrong is shameful, and close to ignorance. From the grades and awards to the publication numbers and grant money, scientists have been continuously taught to be right and how to measure that ability. Unfortunately, we have become so accustomed to do so among ourselves that it now has defined how we see those who aren't scientists like us. We find shame and nonsense in those who pursue degrees in sociology or philosophy or professions which are not directly linked to financially rewarding outcomes.
The internal strife, I mentioned above, was my realization that maybe I had failed as a scientist for not being able to see the world as other scientists. Was I achieving enough? Were my long hours pondering the meaning of our existence and reading philosophical essays straying me away from "scientific righteousness"? I would like to think that there was a time that the profession we aspired to did not define the person we identified as. There is so much more to learn for growth as a person and a human being beyond the numeric assessment tools we have defined for the world around us. Some of the most valuable treasures this world has to offer are found in individuals who differ from us in both aspirations and their ways to see world we live in. Love, passion, sadness, beliefs, cultures, hatred, the things which dictate actions more often than not have unfortunately little to do with science or money as much as we think.
Thus, separating the world in our minds between the have or have not, whether it be for scientific knowledge, aspirations or money, is probably a much deeper problem than the rather joking nature we have passed it as. So science or not, have we overlooked an upcoming form of segregation?
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