Before I begin what I'm sitting down to write about, let me first say, I had a wonderful Christmas day. Aside from one sister saying she didn't want to come because she was afraid of driving in the snow (<1")(I called her a "wuss", and that worked); the same sister saying "Oh" or "Oh?" to everything said, a half million times, which got on my nerves bigtime; or me losing a half pint of blood from a hand cut (from handling a wooden sled), things went well. No fights, good food, great toddler (grandson).

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We are all familiar with MLK's "I have a dream" speech. Well, our local Nobel Prize winner (from Purdue in chemistry)
stated he had a "lofty dream": that the synthesis of more complex organic compounds holds the promise to resolve major challenges in energy production, food supply and climate change. He (Negishi, his name) is strongly optimistic about the power of science to address the world's problems.

Being a "scientist" myself, I applaud this dream and goal. We all know what the role of science has been in improving our lives over the centuries. We take it for granted.

Another Nobel Prize winner, in literature, Mario Vargas Llosa, has a similar dream (in addressing the world's problems), but with methods different than the scientific methods. He says that literature (fiction in particular) has cemented spoken or conceptual dreams for the ages. For him, the imagined life is the exalted life, freeing one from tyranny, poverty and other misfortunes.

Do you see the difference? Do you see the similarity? Same goal (dream), opposite ways to pursue it. Both are correct and "noble" (pun intended). We all desire a better world--in the whole grand scheme of things, and for our own personal, selfish selves.

How do we achieve these dreams and desires? Through science or thought--or both (after all, in science, thought i.e., hypothesis, comes first)? One thing for certain can be eliminated. And it's this one thing that seems to dominate this time of year. It's one ingredient that has never worked and never will work. It's been used and abused for as long as man has believed in one or many gods. From the ditch digger to the Pope, it's been called upon to save and protect us. It's been ultimately used to request something in the future, whether it's for better weather or a cure for a cancerous family member. That one thing is prayer.

We can all aspire to a better world. But in order to achieve the goals we have set, we must have individuals that have the ability to "set sail". These include political leaders, writers, and scientists (not spiritual "leaders"). We need to "get real", becoming proactive in solving current and future problems. No wishing. No hoping. No pleading. No pessimism. No praying. Let's just DO IT! A new year is a good time to begin.