Coyote, Jeff,

What bothers me about your romantic notions that the universe rewards you
when your relate to it in a sweetly harmonious manner is that it often
(usually?) simply does not. "Why do bad things happen to good people?" is
a cliche, as well as the title of a good book. Indeed, if one looks
objectively at nature (not from the standpoint of a stereotyped,
closed-minded scientist, but just from the standpoint of a objective,
rational realist), one sees that the normal order of things is filled with
unfeeling, unfriendly occurrences, often wiping out entire communities and
even civilizations. Are we to believe the universe is just expressing its
wrath upon those it deems unworthy to live? Look at all the natural
disasters - hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, floods, volcanoes,
asteroid strikes, supernovas. What about the countless innocents who have
died due to epidemics, hunger, and war? Where do these very real things
fit into your fuzzy-wuzzy view of the universe? (And why doesn't the
antelope hire a lawyer to sue the lion when it loses its loved one during
a Serengeti slaughter?)

And why bash scientists as being unsympathetic to all of this? Of all the
people in the world, scientists are at the forefront of sacrificing their
time, energy, and resources to help us cope with the realities of nature.
We see reality for what it is, not what we want it to be, and we act
accordingly. There's a certain humility in this. We know our limits, and
we try to do the best that we can to help as many of us survive in an
often unfriendly universe. Sure, it's not as romantic as your Santa Claus
world-view, but when all is said and done, we have helped our race
survive, and we have succeeded where eons of mystics have failed.

I'm not saying the current scientific enterprise is perfect ... by all
means, no. Like any human endeavor, it has weaknesses. But it is
self-correcting, and the central search for what is true drives it.
Before you trash it and raise mysticism above it, just consider the
historical evidence and all the mayhem which has resulted from mystic
ideologies. Sure, you're free to believe what you will, but that doesn't
mean what you believe is real (nor necessarily good).

I would rather believe in what is real, not what I insist to be real
contrary to the evidence. The latter is called "delusion."

HF