Scrub Bulls that roam the rugged plains of the Australian outback broke through the fences of cattle stations before they were castrated. They're wild and fierce with the need to return to the domesticated herd to mount females; a privelege reserved for select bulls only. They're bulls with balls and for that they're hunted for sport.
Scrub Bulls are a perfect metaphor for the men and women who exhibit the same fierce independence when resisting forces that would dictate their behavior and censor their speech. What makes them so dangerous is their curiosity about the world around them; they question everything and then question the answers in a continuous pursuit of deeper and more comprehensive meaning. They assess and judge what to believe and who to trust. Whether intellectuals or simple folks, it's their god-given ability to think clearly and critically that enables them to penetrate and disrupt an ingenious mixture of propaganda and lies without which there cannot be a domesticated, compliant, human herd . They are bulls with brains and for this they're hunted, shamed, and censored.
The critical need to question and interprete as symbolized by the scrub bulls can be found in theologian and philosopher Bernard Lonergan's insight that meaning shapes perception and perception shapes reality. In his 1973 book , Method in Theology, Lonergan writes: "The world is mediated by meaning... and in this larger world we live out our lives. To it we refer when we speak of the real world. But because it is mediated by meaning, because meaning can go astray, because there is myth as well as science, fiction as well as fact, deceit as well as honesty, error as well as truth, that larger real world is insecure."
How, then, can anyone believe anything in this real world without questioning its meaning and intent? Curiosity, questions, and critical thought should be integral to every endeavor whether navigating myths and propaganda or determining the foods fit to eat.
I am not a scholar, but I'm as capable as any scholar of expanding my horizons, transcending my self-imposed cognitive boundaries, and questioning, reflecting, and judging in the pursuit of deeper and more comprehensive meaning. It isn't difficult, but it takes time and perserverence, especially if you want, for example, to comprehend theology without being a theologian, or metabolics without being a biologist. I don't study theology or biology, I read and listen to the many theologians and biologists online and then research to comprehend what, ultimately, they have to say or write in plain English. It's a huge difference.
It was seeking this level of comprehension that prompted me to write elevator speeches of what I manage to integrate, and arguments countering the belittling and unfair criticisms that I'm a presumptous fool who believes he can pontificate on biology - and theology - and philosophy - and psychiatry. That's why this blog. It may not appeal to anyone, but it's open to anyone, and I accept reasonable feedback, challenges, or corrections. (feedback@scrub-bull.com)