The gift of life
Is quite inexplicably wonderful
But fear not
Teams of scientists
Are working
Around the clock
To redress this problem
Skepticism has its limits. In practice, I am a skeptic of much skepticism. Life is wonderful. The foundation for life being wonderful is that it is a gift, something we received without any effort or merit of our own. This foundation of life as a gift is the most natural springboard for gratitude. Gratitude is the antidote for cynicism. Try it. Try being cynical and grateful at the same time. Nearly impossible. Of course, this poem mocks a particular form of skepticism, that of scientific skepticism. Scientific skepticism is a religion to some, even a disease. Not without deep irony, many of these same folks view religion as a disease. I find very few militant scientific skeptics as happy and carefree. While I appreciate the work ethic aroused by deep commitments, empirical skepticism, scientific reductionism, is simply unable to answer the most important questions in life. Over-committed skeptics regularly rule out contemplating meaning as a legitimate enterprise. If they do find some subtle tricks to allow for meaning, these heavenly concepts are confined to cramped quarters with narrow doors and frequently with no windows to larger realities. There may just be no explaining my wonderful, carefree frolicking about. Well, deal with it — and preferably not as a problem…
