Just because you can do something, doesn’t always mean you necessarily should. I’m not sure who originally came up with that particular saying, but there’s a lot to be said for it, philosophically speaking, if you ask me – whether it’s in regards to science, politics or one’s personal life and the choices one makes.
A great example of this which immediately springs to mind: Scientists in Livermore, California, this past summer, who hoped to create a miniature sun by utilizing a Death Star-like laser, approximately the size of three football fields. Now don’t get me wrong, the idea of an unlimited supply of sustainable energy, utilizing nuclear fusion, is of great interest to me, especially with the possibility of man-made climate change staring us in the face. Yet I can’t escape the feeling that I’ve seen this one before (oh yeah, that’s right, didn’t Dr. Octopus build one of these things in “Spiderman 2” that almost destroyed New York City?).
And that’s just one example of scientists’ ability to outthink themselves on a regular basis in my opinion. For all the benefits modern science provides humanity, it seems there’s an equal opportunity for potential disaster. Think Sir Isaac Newton’s third law applied to everyday scientific, political or personal decisions, no matter the scale – “to every action there is always an equal and opposite reaction.”
And isn’t that the honest truth.
Politically speaking, I’m of a mind that our legislators and elected officials could use a good dose of this little tidbit of wisdom. You’d think politicians on both sides of the fence would have learned something from the November elections, yet alas, they obviously didn’t. Bickering for the sake of bickering really gets us nowhere as a country, and yet that’s exactly what they continue to do.
I suppose Republicans figure if they can shoot down most everything our president says or attempts to accomplish until the 2012 elections – and their hope for a conservative, right-wing commander-in-chief – they will then, once again, have control over the country. Unfortunately, this would simply result in the same kind of indecision which currently plagues Washington, only the roles will be reversed. In this instance, Democrats are no better than their Republican brethren, even if I do lean toward their political philosophy. As to President Obama, I’ll reserve my judgment on his accomplishments, and failures, until his term expires, but that’s just me. I happen to think the man is trying his best to come out on top, for the American people, in what could be considered a no-win situation.
Closely related to the whole just-because-you-can-doesn’t-mean-you-should concept – that all too familiar thought which crosses my mind at least a time or two per day – what on earth were they thinking. While that’s not the exact language I use when contemplating the foolishness (or sheer stupidity, depending on one’s point of view) of others, I typically try to keep those thoughts to myself.
My favorite what-were-they-thinking story was relayed to me by a close friend over this past summer. It involved a local residence, located outside the city, where they’d recently set up a new trampoline. Harmless, right? In this instance, however, the homeowners had, in all their wisdom, placed their trampoline on a concrete slab (hopefully you can see where I’m going with this). Now don’t get me wrong, I have no problem with trampolines, it’s just the thought of falling (jumping?) off from one that terrifies me. Add a concrete landing surface to the equation and I think you’ll understand what I’m getting at.
And that’s just one of thousands of what-were-they-thinking stories I’ve accumulated over thirty-plus years, not to mention the hundreds of times I’ve had to ask myself the same question. None of us are perfect, obviously, yet a little forward thinking in many cases truly goes a long way. Now I think I’ll go find myself a perfectly good bridge to jump off from, maybe in Brooklyn. My friend says it’s definitely worth a try.

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