Date: February 21, 2024
To: Suzanne Taylor and David Lorimer
From: Diane Kane
Re: The Scientific and Medical Network 2024 Essay Contest
Dear Suzanne and David (or Hope and Admiral Lorimer, as you are known in my essay),
It is Diane Kane writing to you here, but I am going to speak in-part as Prudence who is a character in my essay entitled Humility and Narcissism: A Parable of Science. Whilst Prudence respects that the time for entering a submission into the contest has ended today, she (and I) would very much like to reserve the right to submit a late entry. It is fully understood and respected that any chance of being considered for a prize will have passed. However, this feels important to bring to completion, yet Prudence and I need more time to finish. This essay has a life of its own and it continues to come out almost fully formed, but it has its own pace- as do I.
My health issues have flared over the past six weeks and there is a limit to how much I can accomplish each day. Having this project has been a light for me in a time of trial. Through the fantastical thinking that I am channeling for the writing of this parable, I have connected again with my mother very closely. I cried as I wrote that last sentence, and saying it aloud is not yet possible for I would drown in my tears. But they are not tears of sadness so much as tears of release. The vaccine took my mother from me and my family very brutally, and my heart got hardened. At least it got as hard as my heart can get and I retreated into my shell, which is a place where only my mother could reach me. I was too unwell to travel back to Florida to be with her before she passed and it remains my deepest heartache. There has been a pit of sorrow lodged in my soul for over two years now.
But God lives on in my heart and I do feel my mother’s presence when I pray, and whenever I mourn. I remember her always. Yet, there was this thing about my mother and I that was very special, and it had gone missing from my life. I have some of the same closeness with my sisters and my fathers as well, but nobody else will ever be my mother. We never once argued, and we could laugh together until we couldn’t breathe and we didn’t even have to explain why to each other sometimes. It was a rare connection and everyone who loves us would say so. We had the same blood disorder and life gave us both some real ups and downs, but we always bounced back. My mom taught me resilience. Even with the many sacred ways in which I still feel connected to her, a deep melancholy has remained and I had lost the laughter. Writing this essay has brought that back to me. My mother’s name was Judy and, in the parable, she is Grandmother Faith because she was a grandmother to many. When she passed, “Grandma” was her station in life and she absolutely adored every minute of it.
You see, she loved children and she reveled in nursery rhymes. She knew them all word-for-word and would sing them for fun, sometimes at the strangest of times. My father was fancier, with his Wall Street ways, but my mother was born and raised on a beautiful farm in Iowa- which she always called the heartland of America. For me, since that is where she came from, I knew she was right. She was my personal heartland, and she was right about many things in her own kind and humble way. I never imagined I would start this essay and find my mother inside of it but, like Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz with her ruby red shoes, I think I had this power within me all along. I simply had to open my heart, and my imagination. I can hear her in the words I write, and in the meaning behind those words. Her spirit and her laughter came back to life for me this way and for that, Hope (Suzanne), I am eternally grateful to you. My mother would have liked you very much and she would have wanted me to thank you for helping me to find her again. I have been lost without her, and my heart cannot thrive in such a hardened state.
And so, with disappointment that I missed the deadline but with a certainty that I have already received my prize, I am writing to say thank you and to ask if you could please give me a few more moments with my mother. It seems that I need to spend a little bit more time with her before I can bring this essay to a close. I know that she will stay with me afterward, and I am certain that our laughter will remain, but we have just a little bit more to say together. I have spent a lifetime researching and writing academic and medical literature, mostly funding procurement grants for social services agencies who help people in-need. My mother taught my sisters and I to be of charitable minds, and gracious hearts. I miss the mark on the second one sometimes, as perhaps we all do, but I keep myself going by staying focused on helping others. I believe that my essay may ultimately be able to really and truly do that if I can get it right. I have something important to say and I am going to keep working to say it.
By way of a progress report, I must confess that Prudence had a little trainwreck in her brain yesterday. It was a collision that occurred when trying to shift gears from writing scientific literature back over again to the whimsical prose. It was a little overwhelming, so a short pause was in order. Whenever I write, I have a process. I conjure and ponder, and I research and outline; then I conjure and ponder, and I hypothesize and create; then I conjure and ponder, and I edit and publish. I cannot rush it, for it sets its own pace. Although I will be late to submit, all in all, this essay is coming fast for me and so I do feel the end of this story is near. My sister and my father have both encouraged me to explain where I am at so that you can, at the very least, know how much this experience means to me. I can hear Admiral Lorimer from a distant shore encouraging me to stay the course, to be disciplined, to show up for the work, and to let the process unfold naturally. And I think you would both wish for me to continue to try to let my heart light shine, and to be able to spend just a smidge more time with my mom. And there go my tears again, as my heart continues to thaw.
With Hope in my heart, and a firm commitment to finishing this voyage, I bid you adieu for now. Thank you for this wonderful contest and I will applaud the winners are when they are named with no regrets. I will look forward to sharing my parable with you as soon as I finish. And then, we will all live happily ever after.
With my kindest regards,
Diane (and Prudence).
P.S. I will attach below a small sampling- or a teaser as they say in Hollywood, isn’t that right Hope?
Humility and Narcissism: A Parable of Science
By Diane Kane
Once upon a time, not long after the Great Plague of 2019, a group of humble Inquisitors uncovered many of the great mysteries of human health and disease. It was a marvelous feat of accomplishment, yet nobody ever sought any accolades. The story has remained untold until now because these unsung heroes had worked together quietly and diligently, with the soul-goal of bringing healing to their broken world. Twenty-six years later, it is hard to believe how painful life used to be for so many. The solutions finally came when more people started to understand the underlying problems. However, change was hard-earned because the humble Inquisitors realized that the innocent hordes of head-in-the-sanders who were being harmed would not seek change until the pain of the pain they felt had become greater than the pain of the change.
And so, it begins. This is the story of the Science family and the Great Reckoning of 2024 that took place between the Land of Narcissism and the Land of Humility, and how this reckoning led to long-lasting peace and prosperity for all. But victory was not achieved without a fight. It was a classic battle between good and evil, between justice and oppression, between truth and deceit. In many ways, both scientific and spiritual, it truly was a matter of life and death. And so it was, a story as old as the ages but with a modern twist. The world had never-before possessed so many impressionable technologies with such extraordinary capacities to harm and control people, and these new tools were used during the Great Plague to deny freedoms in many lands where Lady Liberty had once reigned supreme.
It was a time of grave political and cultural inflammations, all of which resulted in great strife. Much to her dismay, Prudence came to realize that there were bad people intentionally lighting these flames of discord and destruction for it is easier to manipulate a society that is at-odds with itself. These efforts to destabilize were dizzying to most people, which was their nefarious intention. Prudence has a delicate sensibility, and she likes to see the best in everyone, so it took her a moment to see through their smokescreens and gas-lights. But, as their devious plans took hold, the dupers became unabashedly delighted with themselves and it was their arrogance that eventually led to their demise. It was the pride before the fall that had toppled them. Yes, thought Prudence, a story as old as the ages. Thankfully, it was a tale that her dear cousin Hope from the City of Angels helped her to tell.
As the troubles mounted around the globe, robust discissions were encouraged in the Land of Humility, but in the Land of Narcissism there was no debate. In Humility, ideas flourished and those ideas were freely shared far and wide to help ease suffering and to bring joy back to the world. Prudence and her sister Patience knew that over in Narcissism, where their brothers Risky and Reckless lived, that new ideas were cultivated and exploited solely for acquisition of money and power. Risky and Reckless never seem to concern themselves with matters of safety, and poor sweet Patience was all worn out by Risky and Reckless and their powerful friend Greedy. They did not seem to ever burden themselves with worry or concern over the bad policies and procedures they imposed. Collateral damage was to be expected, and the Humble people were ignored or denigrated when they dared to confront them. But, as it turned out, Greedy and his ilk were hurting many of their own people, so Prudence wondered when the Narcissists would rise up and turn on each other.
Prudence had not always lived in Humility. In fact, she grew up spending a great deal of time with Risky and Reckless and she knew them well. She understood first-hand how dangerous they could be when they had no restraints. Sure, they could be fun sometimes, exhilarating even. But all of it would leave Prudence with an empty and meaningless feeling, like they were always putting all their energy into things that only served themselves. And now, with Greedy paying their bills and feeding their predatory instincts, Risky and Reckless had grown completely out of control. In younger years, a little bit of a Risky behavior could be rewarding, but Prudence knew from those childhood days that Reckless was never wise. Not ever, not even once. Mother Nature had always told them that he was just an accident waiting to happen. While living full-time over in Narcissism had changed Risky into something else entirely, Reckless had always been eager to please people like Greedy. Reckless and Greedy were born for each other. Prudence knew the ways of the Narcissists, and she knew they were still on the prowl. Mother Nature needed to be protected, and Father Time was telling us to hurry. While the dear citizens of Humility never wish to fight, they proved themselves to be valiant warriors for all that they held dear…
Later in the story…
Wise Uncle Iain reminds us that we can view differences as distinctions rather than divisions and that our well-balanced friend Harmony must be respected. Trying to navigate between the two communities for the betterment of all the world, Uncle Iain drove over from Humility to Narcissism one day and what he encountered was most unusual. All the road ways turned only to the left, all the houses were on the left side of the street, and none of them thought this to be odd. In this closed system, one can drive in circles for hours while never covering any new ground or seeing any new points of views. If anyone dared to veer onto the right side of the road, they would be mocked and called all kinds of names like Anti-technology Terrorist or Creationist. The Narcissists seemed to think the term Creationist was an insult, but it is a term that many right-siders wear with gentle pride to this very day. As Uncle Iain maneuvered his way out of the closed-minded, one-way road system of this strange little elitist village, he could see more houses on the right side of the road, and traffic and information starting flowing more freely in all directions. He could hear birds chirping again and the sun started to shine more brightly. Seeking communion with Mother Nature was important, and the Narcissists would have none of it. “Oh dear,” thought Uncle Iain, as he put the pedal to the metal and aimed his car straight back in the direction of Humility, “whatever shall we do to overcome the discord and to halt the damage?”
Back in Humility, as Admiral Lorimer led Uncle Rupert and Uncle Iain beyond the brain to speak of the great mysteries of the world and of the truth-filled beauty of every living creature, they pondered the great unanswerable question they have of the “hard problem.” Together, they sought an understanding of how life is all interrelated. Wise Aunt Marilyn, the pioneering scientist and intuitive mystic who showed the world the phenomenally phenomenal phenomena of epigenetics, reminded them from the chatroom that all living beings are interrelated, from atom to cosmos, through our higher order structures, and that we possess not just the ability but the propensity for epigenetic inheritance. As it turns out, hearing deficits didn’t only occur in the Land of Narcissism, but even in the Land of Humility we can find that wise men do not always listen to the wise women who seek to educate them. But we overcame this and the answers were found…