The machines harvested the cotton, spun it into your sheets, and washed them clean.
The natural gas controller, fan motor, and thermostat kept your house warm.
The microchip processed the app and chirped the sound to wake you at precisely the right time…
Before you got out of bed this morning, you owed your entire comfort and well-being to science.
And throughout today your life will be made a thousand times easier thanks to people you’ll never know, who invented the things you couldn’t live without.
But it wasn’t just those people we have to be thankful for.
It was a method.
You probably first learned about it in 2nd grade:
1. Make an observation.
2. Ask a question.
3. Form a hypothesis, or testable explanation.
4. Make a prediction based on the hypothesis.
5. Test the prediction (break it)
6. Iterate: use the results to make new hypotheses or predictions.
This is known as the scientific method, and it’s behind every advancement known to mankind.
It’s why, despite our failures, we always end up a little better than we used to be. It is the universal method of progress.
You don’t have to look very far to see a scary truth: this method is in more danger than it’s ever been.
We have never been more afraid to state our observations, ask questions, share our ideas, and to test those ideas in public.
No, I’m not here to talk about the woes of cancel culture.
I’m talking about breaking things.
And the beautiful nature of being broken.
The entire scientific method; our entire existence as we know it, is based on our ability to break things, realize they are broken, and move along without judgment.
Why is that freaking so many people out?
Is it freaking you out?
My friend, let me assure you that it’s part of the process.
Your friends, your work, your health, your spouse, your kids, and your church… will break.
But it all leads to you being better than you used to be.
It’s part of the process.
It’s science.
You are a beautiful invention. But you are far from being out of Beta… and that’s okay.
It’s time we all embrace the broken, and move on to step six:
Use your results to make a new hypothesis.
You are far from done. This experiment is far from over.
And I can’t wait to see the results.
Take it easy,
BW
