I went to a Southern Baptist University, extremely conservative and .. over ruled (IMO). I was a biology and chemistry major (started out pre med.. found out I had issues with blood in my junior year.. went toward research after that) and we would get some of the ... most unusual visitors during full moons. That is when I first noticed the connection between "odd behavior" and the moon.
There were several brilliant scientists that taught there, and as I have found of most scientists.. they were a bit on the odd side, and perhaps that is where the reputation and rumors started in the surrounding communities.
Normally it was people who would walk 12 miles or so to give us poisonous snakes.. so we could collect the venom for experiments and such, but one night..
I was the lab assistant on duty, and I kept the lab open late for students to study. A man came to the front door and knocked.. unusual as it was unlocked, glass, all the lights on, and people walking around inside. Someone came upstairs to get me, and when I heard the man's story, I excused myself from the forming crowd and called one of the professors to come deal with the issue at hand.
The man had heard that we were doing DNA experiments in the basement (the site of the actual water chemistry department.. don't know where that rumor got started) and wanted to offer his services. I haven't mentioned, but the school I went to was in a tiny little place in southern Arkansas, in the swampy areas.. a dismal lightly populated area. This man was from one of the backwoods communities in the area, and had discovered several years back that he had the gift of "breathing life" and wanted us to know that he could bring to life any humans we created. The man would not accept that we did not DO DNA experiments. We tried every argument we could, including that the southern baptist convention who sanctioned this school certainly would not allow those types of experiments to be carried out on school property. This man was adamant that we use his god given gift.
We finally got him to leave by .. and this part is terrible, I still feel guilty about it, but the head of the chemistry department told him that if anyone was doing DNA experiments, it would be the state university across the highway from us, and he really should try there. I never heard if he went over there or not.
Sometimes I wonder if the moon really has that much affect on human behavior, or if we as humans have grasped the IDEA that it does, and use it to allow ourselves to act in ways that we normally would not allow ourselves to act.
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Now that I have a bit more time....
Date: 2004-07-31 02:50 am (UTC)From:There were several brilliant scientists that taught there, and as I have found of most scientists.. they were a bit on the odd side, and perhaps that is where the reputation and rumors started in the surrounding communities.
Normally it was people who would walk 12 miles or so to give us poisonous snakes.. so we could collect the venom for experiments and such, but one night..
I was the lab assistant on duty, and I kept the lab open late for students to study. A man came to the front door and knocked.. unusual as it was unlocked, glass, all the lights on, and people walking around inside. Someone came upstairs to get me, and when I heard the man's story, I excused myself from the forming crowd and called one of the professors to come deal with the issue at hand.
The man had heard that we were doing DNA experiments in the basement (the site of the actual water chemistry department.. don't know where that rumor got started) and wanted to offer his services. I haven't mentioned, but the school I went to was in a tiny little place in southern Arkansas, in the swampy areas.. a dismal lightly populated area. This man was from one of the backwoods communities in the area, and had discovered several years back that he had the gift of "breathing life" and wanted us to know that he could bring to life any humans we created. The man would not accept that we did not DO DNA experiments. We tried every argument we could, including that the southern baptist convention who sanctioned this school certainly would not allow those types of experiments to be carried out on school property. This man was adamant that we use his god given gift.
We finally got him to leave by .. and this part is terrible, I still feel guilty about it, but the head of the chemistry department told him that if anyone was doing DNA experiments, it would be the state university across the highway from us, and he really should try there. I never heard if he went over there or not.
Sometimes I wonder if the moon really has that much affect on human behavior, or if we as humans have grasped the IDEA that it does, and use it to allow ourselves to act in ways that we normally would not allow ourselves to act.