Discovery

Listened to a great story today. It was about Christof Koch, a Catholic-raised scientist, struggling with his religious beliefs while working the late great Francis Crick. In his own words, he recounts his difficulties reconciling his spiritual church beliefs (or his Sunday beliefs, as he called them) with his scientific work (the rest-of-the-week beliefs). And he also talks fondly of his mentor, Francis Crick, a titan of intellect with heroic courage, especially during his last days fighting cancer. What gripped Christof was how Crick never let his fear of death and the unknown interfere with his reason as scientist, and his amazing ability to come to grips with the inevitable without the need for the supernatural. Or, as Christof put it, "It's like leaving forever the comfort of your childhood home, suffused with the warm glows and fond memories. But I do believe we all have to grow up. It's difficult for many; it's unbearable to the few, but we have to see the world as it really is, and we have to stop thinking in terms of magic. As Francis would have put it, 'This is a story for grown men, not a consoling tale for children.'"

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