The advance of knowledge

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The advance of knowledge

By S.K. Bardwell
Posted Monday, April 20, 2009

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I’ve been thinking today about history. Specifically, my own personal history. Even more specifically, the differences between the present and my younger days. And I’ve been coming up with a plan to make sense of all the changes and advancements.

When I was young, liver was good for you. People wanted their kids to eat it because it was full of iron, Vitamin B12 and other things that are good for you.

Now we know it’s also chuck-full of cholesterol, and possibly toxins like hormones or steroids that were stored there, quite rightfully, by the animal who used to own the liver.

When I was young, frying was the most common way to cook meat. Aside from being tasty, it was thrifty—you wouldn’t have found a house in 50 where I lived that didn’t have a big can of bacon drippings on the stovetop. This was a natural byproduct of frying pounds and pounds of bacon, which everyone also did back then.

Now frying has gotten a bad rap. It also contributes to high cholesterol, and obesity.

When I was young, very stiff toothbrushes were good for you. They were recommended, because they got your teeth so clean.

Now, of course, dentists recommend soft brushes that get your teeth clean without abrading all the enamel off of them, or making your gums bleed.

When I was young, diabetics were strictly forbidden sugar, which made the one girl I knew who suffered from the disease crazy, and kind of pathetically sneaky. Many people thought sugar caused diabetes, so she was doubly cursed—not only was she forbidden any sugar, it was her own fault.

Now we know what causes diabetes, which is good because it’s lot more prevalent than it was then. We know now that most diabetics can handle a little sugar. But we also know there is a myriad of carbohydrates that have to be guarded against, because they turn into sugar as soon as you eat them.

When I was young, smoking was just beginning to be bad for you. It was more of a rumor, really, than a scientific fact. And smoking still made you look cool and grown-up.

Now, smoking cigarettes is not only known to be really bad for you, it’s cause for you to be ostracized from general society.

Even when I was young, opinions were mixed on alcohol: Some people thought it was pure evil, in any amount, while others thought it was fine in moderation. Then as now, nobody much liked drunks.

Alcohol and cigarettes were advertised all over the place when I was young, but nobody back then ever dared say any alcohol was good for you. Now you read reports all the time that a glass of wine is good for your heart.

Ah, civilization. It advances so rapidly. We learn new things every day. Then we have to un-learn some old things.

The chief problem is, when science discovers something that we’re all doing like crazy is actually bad for us, it’s hard to convince us. If the effects of high cholesterol were immediate and striking, like “eat red berry, die,” you wouldn’t have so many people going around saying, “Aw, hell, I’ve eaten a pound of bacon every day for 50 years, and it ain’t hurt me none.”

The other problem is, we like what we like. I happen to like liver.

Do you ever wonder what things we’re currently eating and drinking and doing will be proven in 15 years to cause cancer of the hair, and babies being born naked? Cell phones get my vote.

My plan is to live long enough to see the things I like become good for me again: Liver, bacon, cigarettes, starchy foods.

Not so much the stiff toothbrushes.