Science is a great thing. Our kids should be curious about their surroundings and how things work. I am all for children having a good foundation in science and mathematics. Someday they may help alleviate the sufferings of many people- finding cures for diseases, finding methods to make "garbage" useful, finding better ways to feed people.

     However, something I heard on the radio disturbed me recently. Some people were harping on the "fact" that Americans are behind in scientific knowledge. The solution to this dilemma is to push science on our students. Even though this may be true (that students need science and that Americans are behind in knowledge), I find the obsession to be number one in the world disturbing.

     Life is not about being number one. It is the desire to be number one that has plunged people into heartache, and has plunged nations into conflict. Instead, we must build into our students a servant's attitude, maybe through a bolstered character education. What good is scientific knowledge in the hands of greedy, self-centered individuals? They may serve but they will do so only for their self-aggrandizement. On the surface they may make the world a better place, but only those that can afford their "service" will be able to benefit in this "better" world (think about pharmaceutical drugs that can help people, how much they cost). They will be resented instead of thanked. 

     Many of us like to blame governments for a bad economy. But the truth is it is self-centeredness that is ruining our economies. The welfare system would be good if the recipients think about the price of their depencence (a portion of other people's toil) and get motivated to be contributiors to society. CEO's and government bureaucrats could have denied themselves what they "deserve" for the sake of their underlings who are feeling the pinch of a broken economy, but instead put them deeper into economic despair. People who were trying to grab the American dream put themselves into compromising financial situations and have to be bailed out by government run by individuals who are telling people that they can deliver the American dream. Instead of promoting service, they promote greed, the same greed that put them into despair in the first place.

     The bottom line is, scientific knowledge will not save our society. We need people of character, people who are humble and care for others.. There is no formula for building character but we can start by valuing character more than knowldedge.