Evolution vs. Intelligent Design
I can't believe the debate about creationism ("intelligent design") and evolution has resurfaced in our country. WHY???Passionate folks on both sides of the debate are getting downright nasty with each other. I have the perfect solution to the whole mess, and it's so insanely simple it can be implemented in every school in the country tomorrow.
The solution: DROP IT. Yep, that's right. Don't teach it. Jesus freaks, don't get excited. Same goes for you, science geeks. I don't mean don't teach the other guy's side - I mean don't teach any of it.
Back in my 10th grade biology class, we were taught both sides. Neither was said to be correct and true. We had to research both arguments and have our own little debate - our own "Monkey Trial". Sixteen years later I guess it's not good enough to present all sides of an issue and let the students weigh the evidence and work it out for themselves. Now one or the other must be preached as absolute truth and those wanting to hear the other side must be derided and belittled. This issue is literally tearing communities apart, pitting neighbor against neighbor. How sad.
For the record, I don't believe any of it. I don't believe that any superior being played Bob Ross and dotted the landscape with happy trees (and us). I don't believe we evolved from apes. (If that were true, then why do we still have apes?) The reason I don't believe either theory is that it simply doesn't matter to me.
Why doesn't it matter? When it comes to paying the rent, doing my job well, loving my family and trying to keep people from peeing in my yard at 1:45 AM it just doesn't matter how we came to be. I suspect that for today's teens facing difficult life issues like underage drinking, smoking, drug experimentation, after-school jobs, safe driving, getting into the right college and sex it doesn't really matter either. It's just something for the supposed "adults" to pontificate on and to destroy their communities. There are enough useless things taught in high school these days like the rules of field hockey and trigonometry. Why add another? Let's teach useful stuff - stuff that matters in the lives and futures of these kids. Let's teach responsibility. Let's teach money management. Let's teach job interview skills and career-planning. Let's teach how to handle difficult people and situations. Let's teach how to manage stress. Let's teach nutrition and try to keep these kids from weighing 250 lbs at graduation.
Let's NOT teach about things that do not matter. Rather than teach about where life came from, let's teach about where it can go from here.
I can't believe the debate about creationism ("intelligent design") and evolution has resurfaced in our country. WHY???Passionate folks on both sides of the debate are getting downright nasty with each other. I have the perfect solution to the whole mess, and it's so insanely simple it can be implemented in every school in the country tomorrow.
The solution: DROP IT. Yep, that's right. Don't teach it. Jesus freaks, don't get excited. Same goes for you, science geeks. I don't mean don't teach the other guy's side - I mean don't teach any of it.
Back in my 10th grade biology class, we were taught both sides. Neither was said to be correct and true. We had to research both arguments and have our own little debate - our own "Monkey Trial". Sixteen years later I guess it's not good enough to present all sides of an issue and let the students weigh the evidence and work it out for themselves. Now one or the other must be preached as absolute truth and those wanting to hear the other side must be derided and belittled. This issue is literally tearing communities apart, pitting neighbor against neighbor. How sad.
For the record, I don't believe any of it. I don't believe that any superior being played Bob Ross and dotted the landscape with happy trees (and us). I don't believe we evolved from apes. (If that were true, then why do we still have apes?) The reason I don't believe either theory is that it simply doesn't matter to me.
Why doesn't it matter? When it comes to paying the rent, doing my job well, loving my family and trying to keep people from peeing in my yard at 1:45 AM it just doesn't matter how we came to be. I suspect that for today's teens facing difficult life issues like underage drinking, smoking, drug experimentation, after-school jobs, safe driving, getting into the right college and sex it doesn't really matter either. It's just something for the supposed "adults" to pontificate on and to destroy their communities. There are enough useless things taught in high school these days like the rules of field hockey and trigonometry. Why add another? Let's teach useful stuff - stuff that matters in the lives and futures of these kids. Let's teach responsibility. Let's teach money management. Let's teach job interview skills and career-planning. Let's teach how to handle difficult people and situations. Let's teach how to manage stress. Let's teach nutrition and try to keep these kids from weighing 250 lbs at graduation.
Let's NOT teach about things that do not matter. Rather than teach about where life came from, let's teach about where it can go from here.
posted by Basskitty @ 8:44 PM
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