It’s a Privilege to NOT Believe in Science
Here is the Cambridge Dictionary’s definition of privilege:
- A social advantage or authority possessed by a particular person or group
- A right or advantage that only a small number of people have
- An advantage that only one person or group of people has, usually because of their position
I know too many people who don’t believe in science. Not just people I see on Facebook who I’ve never met in person, or people I see being asked on the news why they won’t wear a mask. But people I know like Cecilia.
Cecilia is a cancer survivor and calls herself a warrior. She had a hard time of it, beating cancer. When I first met her, I found her to be strong and grounded. I admired her strength and her positive, life-affirming attitude. Cecilia suffered through surgery and two rounds of chemo. When her doctors recommend, she undergo a third round, she declined. “Every cell of my being was shouting ‘NO,’” she said on a recent podcast, “and I had to listen.”
It was this decision that led Cecilia to realize that her inner-knowing trumps science. Watching her share all this on her Instagram stories made me realize that it is not believing in science is not only a luxury, it’s a privilege.
