Informed Consent

When I was growing up, it was implicitly understood that science was a Good Thing. There were two main reasons for this as I understood it, though I'm not sure there was ever a solid discussion about it. One was simply that Science = Technology = Progress and Progress was always a good thing. The other was that Science was Education's best friend, and Education in my household was The Most Important Thing.

And yet, now that I'm an adult, I'm finding that more and more I turn my back on "progress" and strive to live 'naturally'. This manifests itself in a variety of ways.

* I use modern cloth nappies instead of disposables
* I use modern "mama pads" instead of disposables
* As a household, we're in the process of going organic on all our fresh produce
* Natural and homeopathic remedies are relied on at least as much as Western "medicinal" remedies

And most recently, I've (mostly) made the decision against giving my daughter the MeNZB vaccine.

The ironic thing is, in regards to every decision above, the decision was not simply a negative reaction towards science. Rather, each decision was made after much reading and research on said topics. And, granted, some decisions were far easier to make than others. Still, every time I make a decision that seems so anti-science, I surprise myself. There's a little part of me that wonders "how did I get here?"

Then, of course, I remember. I got here because this is the point I was raised to get to - the point where I can do the research and get the education and information. It's that information that allows me to make a truly informed decision about how I will lead my life. It's not turning my back on my upbringing... but rather, a continuation of it.