Sometimes I’m faced with such idiocy when dealing with opposition to skepticism that I wonder why I even bother. I was listening to the Skeptic’s Guide To The Universe recently and Steve Novella was talking about how he feels that the fight against alternative medicine was losing ground. However, he had this to say:
Those of us who are working against it aren’t giving up. Certainly you know I will go to my death bead fighting pseudo-science within my own profession. I don’t how care much I lose. And that’s because I think we do have our successes even on an individual level. If we weren’t here doing what we are doing, it would be all the worse.
He then goes on to talk about the possibility of a long term victory even though we may face some set backs along the way. Although that’s something to hope for, I don’t even need that. What he said in the previous paragraph was enough. Even if it is ultimately a losing battle, if I can help make a difference somehow along the way, that is enough to keep me going.
