Musings against myopia

Scheduled for a launch today at 5:30 p.m. at the Science Education Complex at the Ateneo de Manila University is a remarkable anthology that ought to make it to every self-respecting bookshelf.

Cogito Ergo Sum and Other Musings on Science, edited by Queena N. Lee-Chua, published by ADMU Press, puts together essays, poetry, fiction and journalism by 41 notable Filipino writers who "reflect on and investigate the vagaries of physics, zoology, mathematics as well as computer science, environmental science, and agriculture, among others.

We cannot help but agree with the rest of the back-cover blurb: "In this groundbreaking collection, science is viewed from diverse perspectives and disciplines…

"Ponder how our attitudes towards mathematics affect our outlook on life. Decipher the chemical secrets of sexual attraction. Heed the call to save our earth in rhyme, reason, and story.

"The first of its kind in the country, this anthology of science writing is recommended for students, parents, teachers, and everyone interested in the workings of our universe, our world, and ourselves."

If only for the first four essays in this book, starting with the Preface from the popular math wiz and science columnist who conceived this book, it’s certainly worth a buy.

Like Lee-Chua, we too had marveled in our youth over "evocative essay collections… like Lewis Thomas’ Lives of a Cell." And we hope as she does that someday "we will immerse ourselves not just in the wonders of the arts and the vagaries of business and government, but also in the ways of science, technology, and our universe."

In her lead-off essay, "Cogito Ergo Sum or What I Know for Sure I Learned from Mathematics," the editor weaves her magic of felicitous prose and crystal-clear thinking.

"Good math, like good music and good basketball, emerges when mind and heart enable us to conceive and create – a state that Einstein likens to that of the religious worshipper or the lover. When buoyed by ‘the flow’ (or ‘the zone’), constant effort arises not so much from a deliberate program but straight from the heart, and becomes not drudgery, but benediction. Happiness, concludes an anonymous therapist, consists in living passionately, for it is only then that we uncover our true selves."

Ateneo University president Fr. Bienvenido F. Nebres, S.J., follows suit with a brief if well-argued essay, "Overcoming Myopia for the Future." Reflecting on the Ozone Disco tragedy in 1996 and similar other calamitous recurrences owing to the national failing to learn from past mistakes, Fr. Nebres likens our group behavior to that of brain-damaged patients that card-game experiments exposed to have little recall and regard for painful experiences, rather "are attracted back by the lure of immediate rewards. They live for the present and have developed what Damasio calls ‘a myopia for the future.’" The reference is to neurologist Antonio Damasio who authored Descartes’ Error.

Fr. Nebres writes further: "…(W)e inspect discos for a while, boats are not overloaded for a while. But soon we drift back to our older, easier ways…

"Those who are privileged with talent and learning should reflect on the pains and tragedies of our nation and see how we can learn from them. We can learn – as the lessening of firecrackers on New Year’s Eve has shown (though I hope that is a permanent achievement). We should not overprotect our children and youth – protecting them from the consequences and pains of their failures prevents them from learning. Worse, they incur myopia for the future – a permanent learning disability. Pain is not an evil to be feared, but is an important gift evolved in our long history of survival to help us learn for our future."

The next essay, "The Eloquence of Seeds," by Gelia T. Castillo, National Scientist for Rural Sociology and professor emeritus of UP Los Baños, starts by quoting a poem we learned as kids – "The Plant" by Kate Louise Brown ("In the heart of a seed/ Buried deep, so deep…"), and proceeds to make an eloquent case of how "The poet and the scientist share a common sense of wonder in one of nature’s most fascinating creations."

Castillo goes on to dwell on quite a range of related topics, from "the cultural managements of seeds" to the genealogy management system (GMS), food security, ethics, "intergenerational cultural heritage issues," formal seed systems, the farmer-cum-seed grower, the resurrection of lost rice varieties, and finally, the glimmer of hope provided by the International Network for Genetic Evaluation of Rice or INGER – composed of a thousand rice scientists "from the national research systems of 95 countries and four international centers… (whose) activities have yielded dividends" since 1975.

Castillo concludes: "Genetic diversity is helping to ensure that cultural diversity will endure. Grain quality, for example, must match consumer preferences, which are truly cultural preferences. Rice seeds share a common food value and speak a common language that transcends politics, geography, and culture.

"Let us celebrate seeds, with all their multiple glories in poetry, in song, in dance, in children’s books, in cartoons, in drama, in essays, in paintings, in drawings, in photography, so that biodiversity and interdependence will be internalized in our hearts, not just in our heads."

It’s that kind of a book, offering equal parts literary enjoyment, knowledge, enlightenment and inspiration.

As we’ve mentioned, the first four essays alone establish the worth of this collection. The other contributors, so many yet deserving of mention, are: (for the essay) Benito S. Vergara, Panna Melizah Idowu, and Julia H. Sumangil collaborating on "Abaca," Dean Jorge Bocobo, Fernando N. Zialcita, Fabian M. Dayrit (on "The Chemistry of Sex"), and Ma. Assunta C. Cuyegkeng; (for poetry) Zenaida B. French, Evee V. Huervana, Luis Cabalquinto, Alberto S. Florentino, Eduardo G. Geronia, Jr., Angelo V. Suarez, Cirilo F. Bautista, Alice M. Sun-Cua, Eileen F. Tupaz, Jose Mario C. Francisco, S.J., Edgardo B. Maranan, Carlomar A. Daoana, Annette P. Tamino, Alfred A. Yuson and Lawrence Lacambra Ypil; (for journalism) Jose Ma. Lorenzo P. Tan, Henrylito D. Tacio, Pennie A. dela Cruz, Sol Juvida, Massie K. Santos, Alan C. Robles, and Dana Batnag, Sheila S. Coronel and Lilian S. Mercado collaborating on "The Other Face of Philippines 2000"; and (for fiction) Jose Ma. Espino, Gregorio C. Brillantes, Luis Joaquin M. Katigbak, Maria Elena Paterno, Isagani R. Cruz, Maria L.M. Fres-Felix and Angelo R. Lacuesta.

Well done, Queenie; take a royal bow.