Occasionally, I am asked to give my views and opinions on
various subjects and I find the exercise difficult, preferring to write about
the views and opinions of others. This year, my Alma Mater has an important anniversary and, as part of the
celebrations, the University invited Alumni to write short pieces under
different headings, feeling that we had worthwhile things to say. This is what I came up with (using the headings that we
were given).
Life's turning points
I was a Freshman in 1965/6 (that's me in the picture above,
taken on a 1st year field trip). Many things stay in my memory of that year:
arriving at the University; buying an undergraduate gown (yes, really); buying
a University scarf (very 1960s); finding the first lectures and practical
classes a bit scary; and making new "friends", some of whom I lost
contact with after a day. It was a time of many changes and I was certainly aware
that I had left home and that there were new experiences
ahead. As the first member of my family to attend University, there was also a
feeling of pride and an awareness of being part of an important institution.
After three years, I was ready for new challenges, but didn't
want undergraduate years to end. They were that good.
Life's turning points
University courses delivered some major surprises. We
covered the basics of the three science subjects that I had chosen during the
first year, but this was made pleasurable because we were taught by experts in each
field, all being interested in teaching. I found it thrilling to be introduced to areas of study about which I
knew very little and one stand-out course was a series of lectures on the History
of Science. We started with Greek philosophy, and my admiration for the
original thinking of Democritus and Aristotle continues to this day. The course
put the topics I studied into context and all degree programmes should do this.
We can have the feeling that the contemporary view is the "correct"
one and studying the history of a subject shows that this may, or may not, be the
case.
Life's turning points
Small children seem so curious about the world around them
and are always asking questions, some of them very difficult to answer. As we
grow, the number of spoken questions becomes less and we find out more for
ourselves or, if we are passive, we accept things that we are told. Information
may come from a parent, a teacher, books, sources on the internet, or
television and radio programmes. However, it is essential to retain a child-like
curiosity, to question what we receive and to fight the passive response. That's
what education is all about – the more we learn, the more there is to learn.
Work
Conventions are observed in the workplace and at social
gatherings. Some of these are valuable, others just a matter of formality, but
they give us a framework for interactions and for behaviour. There are also unnecessary
conventions and we shouldn't be afraid to question them, just as we shouldn't
be afraid of challenging widely-accepted viewpoints. Every individual is unique,
and we all have our own views as a result: as long as we think out our position
on any issue, we should trust our own judgement.
Health and wellbeing
In developed Western cultures, we are obsessed with health
and ageing. In part, it comes from the knowledge that we are all going to die
and we resist that idea, and the signs that death is getting closer. Our
susceptibility to illnesses, and to ageing, is affected by our genes and the
way that the products they code react within the environment, be that within a
cell, an individual, or the world around us. Recent medical research seems to
focus on genes and cells, often ignoring the wider environment. It could be argued
that the research conducted in medical genetics will result in increased
longevity, while the world beyond individual humans will become more and more
impoverished. As we obsess about our own fears, we seem less interested in the
environment in which we live and which supplies many of our needs, both
physical and emotional.
Spirituality
We all have explanations for things that we don't understand:
these might come in the theories of scientists, or the belief in a Superior Being.
These two positions have been considered irreconcilable, but there are many
scientists with strong religious beliefs. There are also many varieties of
religion, all offering explanations for everything, but trouble results when
the religion becomes organised and ceases to be solely personal. We've all had
people knock at our door, whether in our homes, Dorm, or wherever we are
living, to tell us about their views and why we should take their viewpoint.
These proselytisers of organised religion are convinced they are right and, by
implication, that those with other views are wrong. As we all know, this can
lead to schism, family and community conflicts, and even wars. Shouldn't we
accept that each individual is entitled to their own view and that what is right
for one person might not be right for another?
Spirituality
Have you ever had the experience of listening to a piece of
music and having a spine-tingling sensation and a feeling of being taken to
another place? There are some pieces of music that do this for me over and over
again, especially if I am in the right mood and listening intently. Can this
experience be considered to be spiritual? The answer comes in whether one
believes in the supernatural, or whether the deep feelings engendered are just the
result of nerve impulses and chemicals travelling through one's body. I favour
the latter explanation, but have no idea why some pieces of music have this
effect and others not. Although I think we will never understand the nature of
the mechanisms involved (some scientists probably think that we will), I don't
feel the need to look for supernatural explanations.
Family
Having my own family was never a priority; nor was pushing ahead
in a career. I knew that I was fascinated by Natural History and was delighted
that this took me to some interesting places, with agreeable research colleagues.
I feel very lucky to have been able to teach the subject and I have also been fortunate in
that my wife certainly did want to have a family. The result is two wonderful
children who have given me so much and who have gone on to successful
independent lives. My son lives with his partner in a beautiful house in
Islington and my daughter was married last autumn in a lovely ceremony in Norfolk.
It took weeks to come down from the glowing feeling of the day and, as Bob
Dylan remarked about parenthood in his Sign
on the Window, "that must be what it's all about".
Fini...
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