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Speech on Receiving the G. McLeod Bryan Caring Award
April 13, 2004
by Frank Brown Beacham '04
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The Truth. This magical five-letter word holds power unlike no other.
A proverb describes Truth as being as strange as fiction. We are taught to always abide in it and no matter the circumstances to tell it. The Bible even says that it will make us free. Aristotle puts truth above Plato. Truth is two fold: there is truth, with a lower case t, which is that which isn't a lie, a virtue. But Truth, with a capital T, is a higher power, an understanding of what is real; it is as Dryden says, the foundation of all knowledge and the cement of all societies. Truth can be found in ourselves if we have the capacity and the willingness to find it. It cannot be found through induced injustices or prejudices. It takes time to find it and render it. Many fields of study attempt to find truth in their work.
I am a science major and in many ways think like one. Scientist believe they can find Truth through, among others, experiments, calculations, and or observances. They have managed to determine how and why the world revolves in the way it does. They can explain why we look the way we do. Why objects float and why they sink All these questions can be answered using wet, fundamental science, the core of my education here at Mars Hill as a chemistry major. On the other hand, scientists can not answer the questions of why our society is confronted with issues of inequality, poverty, or even war; why a hard working single mother cannot find adequate health care for her and her children, or why we support our troops while they are in the military but fail to do so when they become veterans. Science can prove these issues exist, but cannot find a way to solve the problems. For a solution we must look outside the fundamental science field.
Philosophy is a school of thought that is able to address and find answers to questions that science lacks. As Cousin puts it, "true philosophy invents nothing; it merely establishes and describes what is." Aristotle says that philosophy is the science that discovers Truth. It seems that philosophers have a way of not making things cut and dry like science, which makes it sometimes hard to understand. Somehow they are able to find truth through people and their society. In some ways I hope that I think like a philosopher.
I have been asked to share with you part of my Mars Hill experience. Mars Hill has taught me many things both inside and outside the traditional classroom. I know the Truths behind quantum mechanics, Newtonian mechanics, Kinetic molecular theory; I even know what the difference is between polyfunctional acids and bases. My research experiences have only added to my knowledge that my passion and gift is as a scientist. An alchemist once said, "Chemists are a strange class of mortals who seek their pleasures among soot and flame, poisons and poverty…yet among these evils I seem to live so sweetly…may I die if I would change places with the Persian King." Yet on the other hand Mars Hill has encouraged me to develop my own Truths of a different sort.
To help a fellow person brings me happiness. To stand-up against the injustices of this society does not bore me, but yet drives me. I find myself wanting to strive for peace the way Mac Bryan has done and believe his caring award acknowledges a peaceful world is possible if we bring all our strengths and weaknesses together. I cringe at the thought of war in Iraq. Mother Teresa is a hero in my book, alongside Albert Einstein. Whether it is through hard labor or through a listening ear to a stranger, I have learned that it should be a duty for all to reinvest into the community. I promise I knew this before our President told us to do so and then months later cut the funding for the government agencies that provide the opportunities for us to do so.
The fundamental question is, have I found Truth in my work? I have found Truth in both the sciences and humanities. I have had the privilege to perform research in two labs that are admired in their respective fields. The idea that People can take what IS and invent or even improve a product or service that will revolutionize our society fascinates and encourages me but at the same time scares me. We are about to experience a new wave to science and technology. The issues of cloning and stem cells are just the beginning. We are going to see a lot of great inventions in the next years, both good and bad. Polymer bone implants, medical imaging, and nanotechnology are all going to be common terms in ten years. With these numerous advances will come consequences, and we must find the real truth behind the respective science. Our nerd community must not become so tied up in our work that we do more harm than good. We must know when to say enough is enough.
Through caring, laughing, crying, sharing, listening, loving, and thinking I have come to realize there are truths in this world that can not be verbalized, especially in this brief talk. To understand what I mean, you must find your own truths. You must open your eyes, think for yourself, listen to people's stories, and never under any circumstance stop asking questions. We need to limit our TV watching, pick-up a book, lend a hand, offer a stranger a smile, give a neighbor a word of encouragement, and yes, we can also find Truth through loving our families.
A huge challenge for me has been whether to follow my calling as a scientist who is socially conscious and bring philosophy to the lab as I seek to answer questions and deal with the advancing ethics of science and technology, or should I be a peace loving hippie who knows the scientific method and use philosophy, along with faith and beliefs, to find knowledge in this world?
I know I can fit right in with the pocket-protector-wearing nerds, our brains of the research world, but I am not sure if I want to . If I had gone to a large school whose single laboratory budget is twice the size of the entire MHC chemistry department's budget, I would have never gotten to interact with you all sitting right in front of me, and that in itself is satisfaction enough to know that I was meant to be here. Do I dare say that philosophers can be compared to scientists? Yes, philosophers and scientists share in the desire to understand and comprehend the Truth. Philosophers answer different Truths than Scientists. I struggle to bridge the two. Mars Hill has shown me there exists a bridge. There are times when I will need to use scientific methods to get to the bottom of things, and there are times when lending a hand of compassion to someone will show Truth. Truth is out there; we must use our gifts and passions to find it.
I want to make a difference in this world. I want to have my hand in striving for justice for all people, but at the same time I want to continue exploring the vast scientific world that surrounds us. I do know that whatever I decide to do in life, Mars Hill has given me the capacity to think for myself, to acknowledge that there is more to this world than a science book, and that people no matter where they live, how they look, or what they believe are still people and have a right to be here just as much as I do. Thank you to all of you who have played a role in this experience for me. Mars Hill is special because of people like you all. Thank you for believing in me and empowering me with knowledge. May you all find Truth in your lives and be blessed while trying.
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