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Science Fairy Tales and What They Teach

Sometimes, I think that scientists, early on and at a very early age, get an tremendous education through classic Halloween horror stories on the pitfalls and error of disregarding the opinions or feelings or thoughts of the rest of the human race, especially if they're particularly brilliant. That just because you might think they're stupid or slow or whatever doesn't mean that what they think or feel doesn't matter or that they can't hurt you badly if you treat them badly.

Everything from Frankenstein to Dracula to Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde to 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea all tell the same sort of story. Don't put yourself above or beyond humanity, or the mobs with the pitchforks and torches will be coming for you.

Not that we all *get* that lesson, but still... I got it pretty early, and I think my time at Caltech made me VERY aware that I'm not really that smart, and certainly not smart enough to act like some idiots with very high IQs. So I ended up just doing my best to treat everyone pretty well.

Sometimes, I think that 'regular' people need the same Halloween education. I'm running smack into two people who think that everyone else's opinion (yes, including mine) is just a waste of their time. And it's like they don't realize that their disdain is easy for everyone to pick up on and resent, and just 'cause they believe that they have all the answers doesn't actually mean that they do.

It makes me want to hit my head on something. It's annoying and disrupting, but not dangerous, yet.

On the other hand and in the real reality, Halloween's been a blast. My boy's having a great time with his usual gang of friends, and they're running around with the usual parents still following them. We had pizza together, and I'm giving out the candy as usual. I also had my annual checkup, and my doctor has called my lipids panel "phenomenal". So I now have a clean bill of health and yet another mammogram scheduled. Whee...

And on the gripping hand of reality, I am recovering from a 3 hour session under the needle of Mike at Main Street Tattoo. He was recommended by the nurses who were taking care of Julie, the lady who went with me to get the tattoo she's wanted for decades. I fell in love with the art Mike presented me, for all that it was quite different from what I'd originally half-envisioned. If you see me, ask to see it, and I'll quite cheerfully show you, as I did my doctor. And getting a tattoo is just like getting etched with fire.

It is beautiful. I am in love with it. It's more powerful than I'd originally thought, and I think I can grow into it. It makes me think of the spell tats in Robin McKinley's Sunshine. This one is for warding, seeing, protection, and the power to make things real.
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