Fact & faith

If deepening human values is intrinsic to our human quest for happiness, then it would be in our interest to develop a more holistic and integrated way of learning about the world.  What if it became manditory to explore both the seen and unseen?  To reflect on what is perceptible and imperceptible? To ponder equal rationale for fact and faith? What if spirituality and science were both used as accepted and complimentary means of investigating human existence and survival? 

As it stands, people often take a scientific view or a spiritual view rather than consider them together.  Historical, socio-economic and policial reasons aim to convince us they must be separate. We're led to believe scientific facts are meant to disprove the logic of faith, mysteries and uncertainty.  While the significance and influence of modern Science redefine our motive for curiosity, Science is not the only basis for all that is known and that is also yet to be discovered.

Science definitely has implications for how we understand our world. What we consider to be acceptable or unacceptable behavior in ourselves and in leaders is influenced by perceived morals of scientists.  How susceptible are we to the influence of views around us?  Science develops and draws information from repeatable experiments and empircal data. We choose to believe the discovered limits of gravity, relativity, light, water and other physical laws or face the predicted consequences. 

At times, challenging limits leads us to fascinating new discoveries.  Consider the Earth was once considered to be flat and it used to be assumed we couldn't prove travel was possible beyond the understood speed of light.  These limits were shattered because humans questioned elements of Science.  If humans were to suddenly take everything as is currently understood to be true, then we would cease learning.

Spiritual views remind us that it would not be in the interest of Humanity if we simply act to facilitate scientific progress at the expense of everything else which offers insight about our world.  To recognize that other valuable ways of perceiving and understanding exist reminds us our motives for using Science should include heart and mind.  We also benefit from recognizing that Science is not well-equipped to answer philosophical questions, such as the meaning of life, which go beyond calculations and predictions of probability.   Human existence isn't limited to the facts that Science offers to provide.  To look beyond supposed facts, we must take a leap of faith.