2004-03-16 - 4:42 p.m.

Distracted by Sedna

Who can't be? OK, actually plenty of people probably don't care. I do. Today when I read the paper instead of leaping ahead to a future where the human race may explore the Oort cloud, I started multiprocessing. I look forward to the day when humans are mature enough (scientifically and socially) to explore. But I also thought about how cool it would have been to have read about the discovery of Pluto back in 1930.

I for one think there is a link between science and social progress. Scientific advances often cause people to think critically, and without critical thinking concepts such as universal suffrage probably would not exist today. The world is full of political and social backwaters. Not because people are inherently evil, but people do seem to be cautious.

While I don't expect Sedna to bring about any major social change, having your world view: in this case the ideas that either Pluto isn't technically a planet or that the solar system now has 10 planets, may be enough that people might make the leap and accept that maybe it really doesn't make a fucking different if a married couple are of different genders or the same genders. Despite what some guys thought when they wrote the books on the various religions of the world, if they were wrong about other things, maybe other things we take for granted are equally wrong?

I got caught up in the excitement of this NationStates game, because it has many Model United Nations qualities I love. Namely the idea of people coming together to solve a problem. I do it at work, and I like to do it at home as well. It is why I volunteer for elections and will drive hours to go to a club. But in the NationStates game, I recently was having to defend a well written and sound resolution on Ballast water management. I was amazed by literally how stupid many of the arguments against the resolution were.

Even the discovery of Planet X will not be enough to reach the truly closed minded. Nothing short of a life-threatening event will do that. But it is all the in between folks that I hope will rethink their world. This is big news either way and has me excited.

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