By Donald B. Ardell – April 19, 2009
Earlier this month, 400 schoolchildren, their parents and
shoppers gathered at a mall in Ithaca, NY for the 24th annual Egg Drop
Contest. Hosted by the local
Sciencenter and narrated by a professor of physics at nearby Cornell
University, the event was designed for both entertainment and education.
(See Liz Lawyer, “Egg
Drop Contest Draws Another Big Crowd,” The Ithaca Journal, April 6, 2009.)
The event consisted of kids dropping eggs from an upper
balcony. The contest’s biggest
winners were those who successfully constructed safeguards that protected the
fragile (i.e., no hard-boiled) eggs from smashing on impact with the first
floor. Considerations were also given for creativity of appearance of the
entry, as well as structure and design features. There were 187 entries. Needless to say, splattered eggs were
big crowd pleasers, if not winning entries. Kids devised all manner of
protections for their eggs, including “compact cardboard boxes packed with
mystery cushioning, a yard-long balloon animal in the shape of a phoenix,” and
assorted “balloons, feathers, aluminum foil, marshmallows, paper bags, string,
sawdust, packing foam, sponges and liter bottles.” Naturally, hard-boiled eggs were strictly forbidden.
There were almost as many prizes as entrants, since special
consideration was given for such categories as most earth-friendly, best
engineering design, best free fall, best parachute or slow descent, best
unsuccessful effort for drops that resulted in a spectacular splat and best
overall in each age group. The
latter won memberships to the Sciencenter. It was free to enter, thanks to
corporate sponsorship. No word on
whether contestants had to provide their own eggs. I suspect not.
“The purpose of the event is for entertainment, but it's
also about making science, especially physics, fun for kids,” one supervisor explained
to the Ithaca reporter. "You never know what kids are going to do in
life," she said. "You don't know what small piece of something will
stick with them."
Just so. Next
year, I suggest that the Sciencenter invite religious leaders to
participate in the contest. Give them a separate prize category - the
power of prayer division. Be sure to send invitations to prominent
representatives of the faith-based community. I have Rick Warren, Pat
Robertson, Benny Hinn, Rob Parsley and Richard Roberts in mind. However,
all local religious leaders should also be invited. The idea is to give
these prayer warriors an opportunity to enter the contest in order to
demonstrate the extent to which God hears our prayers.
All of the above-named Christian leaders have weekly
television shows. On their shows, God is said to heal cancers, repair
diseased hearts, restore sight, render the lame agile and so on. These
supernatural interventions are channeled by the preachers in response to
prayers, though they do suggest that it never hurts to help things along
with "love offerings" to the preachers.
The ministers can drop their eggs sans parachutes or any
other cushioning aides. If prayer can heal the sick (and do the wondrous
other things that most Americans seem to believe occurs on a regular basis),
prayers to protect falling eggs should not be much of a challenge for an
all-powerful Deity. The demonstration will serve to demonstrate to
all the little children the power of prayer.
Not that the teachers of science would want to suggest such
a thing, but if the eggs dropped by Rick Warren and the other pastors splatter
despite the prayers for their safe landing, well, won't that in itself offer a
learning opportunity? It won't prove anything, but it will encourage
young and old alike to think about science and faith. It certainly could
lead to many good questions - and isn't that a valued purpose of a science
experiment? You never know "what small piece of something will stick
with them."
I talked to Hester Vermaak, Public Relations Manager of the Sciencenter for this story. After reviewing a few basics about the nature of the REAL
wellness concept and summarizing my interests in the wellness implications of
issues related to politics, sex and religion, I read the above paragraphs
regarding my suggestion for next year's event. There was a bit of a pause when I finished, so I asked,
"What do you think? Would you
like to comment for the record?"
Ms. Vermaak declined to do so on behalf of the Sciencenter,
noting that their focus is on hands-on science exploration and that my idea
might be "slightly off mission."
If you think my suggestion might be "on mission"
for YOUR organization or church group, well, give me a call. 