These Are Humans

Today, in economics, we began an introduction to macroeconomics - how individual choices and actions aggregate to form that "big picture" stuff like the global economy.

We looked at a series of graphs chronicling the unemployment rate over time. There were of course high peaks showing recessions and the low troughs symbolizing good economic times, but Mr. Kopff instructed us of an important element we must consider. He said, "It's easy to think of these in an academic sense. But these lines are people, they are human beings going through a struggle."

A lot of times, I think science falls into that same trap. We think about all of this amazing biology and we're inexplicably curious. We are captivated because we want to know more about how everything works, how it's all so intricate and unique. But what we often forget is that these cells, organs, and systems are packaged into people.

It's great to be curious about Alzheimer's simply because the brain is an amazingly mysterious organ... But it's also a fatal flaw. We have to remember that when we dabble in biology, we dabble in the humanity that encompasses it. Disease research isn't simply an academic challenge, rather it should be regarded as a dutiful effort to save the humans affected by the disease.

Whether we're studying graphs in economics or neurons under a microscope, we must remember that the desire to know should never be separated from the humans which this knowledge affects. (247)