don's report archive

by Donald B. Ardell, Ph. D.

Wellness in the Headlines
(Don's Report to the World)

The American philosopher and seer, Dave Barry, made a bold prediction at the start of the new millennium when he wrote, just before midnight on December 31: The effects will be catastrophic. Lights will go out, phones will stop working, the banking system will collapse, juke boxes will refuse to play anything except `Copacabana,' VCR machines will suddenly start displaying the correct time, and -- this is the ultimate nightmare scenario -- airline computers will charge people who are on the same flight THE EXACT SAME FARE. Within hours, civilization will collapse.

Well, it turned out that Dave was a little pessimistic -- these and other predictions of gloom and doom did not occur and civilization is still going. More or less. The airlines, for example, took steps to insure that the profitable and unintelligible fare structure remained in place. Governments and other institutions (like big corporations) also survived nicely, as well they should have given that they spent over 100 billion dollars on Y2K concerns for years leading up to the turn of the millennia.

From a critical thinking perspective, you might wonder what, if anything, can be done to prevent future instances of mass hysteria caused by an insufficiency of critical thinking about issues, large and small, personal and society wide? In my view, the key to public sanity or at least more rational behaviors on a mass scale is to devise strategies that promote more respect for and attention to reason, science, and other disciplines of a critical thinking nature.

How badly is this skill needed? Well, let me offer a few examples, without attacking anybody's favorite sacred cow! In Iceland, road projects and other needed construction efforts are often halted because some groups believe that elves and other unseen creatures lurk beneath the surface. These include gnomes, trolls, light-fairies, lovelings, and "huldufolk" (hidden people). And, at Christmas, there are also 13 unholy Santas, called "Yuletide lads," who skulk about doing mayhem. Iceland's president explains the presence of these beliefs among the people are due to their isolation and loneliness. A museum director has a more practical explanation that relates to personal responsibility: Hidden folk have provided a wonderful excuse for clumsy workers. 'I didn't wreck the bulldozer, boss, an elf did it!' (St. Petersburg Times, 12/19/99, p.27) A closer to home version of this ruse can be seen in the excuse 'the Devil made me do it.'

On New Year's Day, some irreverent pundits recalled The Great Disappointment of 1844, referring to the disappointment of thousands gathered on an upstate New York hilltop to await transport to Heaven, as foreseen by a Y2K doomsayer of that era. When the world did not end as feared, you'd think there would have been merriment, not disappointment. By dawn, the "Millerites" as they were called after their leader, were the townsfolk's favorite punch line. As Vonnegut might conclude -- and so it goes.

Today, as then, many could gain from tips on critical thinking. Even though we are past the fear and anxiety over Y2K, something else will be along soon enough. Please tune in tomorrow for these tips.

Take care, have a wonderful day and be well.

(Ed. Note: Views expressed in this and other columns are those of the author and not necessarily those of the SeekWellness Editorial Board.)

 Send e-mail to Don Ardell