Science, a blessing and a curse

A few days ago, my 26-year-old son decided to have a cup of instant coffee. He took a cup of water and put it in the microwave to heat it up (something he had done numerous times before). I am not sure how long he set the timer for but he told me he wanted to bring the water to the boil.

When the timer switched the oven off, he removed the cup from the oven. As he looked into the cup he noted that the water was not boiling but instantly the water in the cup "blew up" into his face. The cup remained intact until he threw it out of his hand, but all the water gushed out onto his face due to a buildup of energy. His whole face is blistered and he has first and second degree burns to his face that may leave scarring. He also may have lost some sight in his left eye.

While at the hospital, the doctor who was attending to him said that this was a fairly common occurrence and water (alone) should never be heated in a microwave oven. If water is heated in this manner, something should be placed in the cup to diffuse the energy such as a wooden stirring stick, tea bag, etc. It is, however, a much safer choice to boil the water in a kettle.

Science is a blessing to mankind, but the at the same time its also a curse; the incident mentioned above is proof of this. It has added immeasurable comfort to humans, but, at the same time, it has left behind a scar which never leaves our mind. Science is a blessing, but yet sometimes it brings stupendous destruction to mankind. It has made us too materialistic. It has withdrawn from us spiritual support, without which life is barren. Spiritual values have dwindled and are crumbling.

UMA RAMAKRISHNA

Jakarta