Altruism is an Instinct

I’ve listened to Bill Nye the Science Guy read his book: Undeniable: Evolution and the Science of Creation at least three times as I ride my trike around the neighborhood each morning. It has answered a lot of questions I’ve had forever on things like skin color, the age of the earth, GMF, stem cells,  and especially exactly what evolution is. I’ve never understood it. I don’t understand it now, even after listening to it three times. He pretty well explains everything on a 4^th grade level but its complicated stuff. Heady. Potent. I try hard to grasp it. I never learned science in school.

All of the chapters were compelling but the one that grabbed me was Chapter 26 on altruism. I didn’t know it was a science. I thought it was a feeling. Altruism occurs wildly in nature. It is engrained in all mammals. When Vampire Bats go out hunting for blood each night, the ones who are lucky enough to find nourishing blood share with the ones who found no dinner by regurgitating the blood into the mouths of the hungry ones.

Altruism is the instinct that makes us look out for one another. Did you know it is an instinct?  It is encoded in us somewhere.  We expend energy for the good of another naturally. We render service for the betterment of our neighbors or those less fortunate simply because it is doing the right thing. Sure it makes us feel good.

Altruism is derived from a Greek work meaning: “To this other.”

Being selfless means helping another without expecting a reward. It is a mutually beneficial arrangement for all of us. 

This is the part I hadn’t considered:

Altruism requires enforcement at times.

Have you ever been mean just because it makes you feel better?

Ever felt compelled to get back at someone who has wronged you?

Have you ever sought revenge?

Have you noticed it takes a lot of time and energy to exact revenge? It isn’t easy. But by doing so we are helping to keep our society in balance.  Evolutionary scientists claim that we feel compelled to get back at someone who has wronged us because its good for society.  It keeps everyone honest. It’s in the tribe’s best interest. It is altruistically beneficial, keeping us in check.

We help each other out when we need to; on the other hand, to keep things in balance we should not be ashamed to practice altruistic punishment. It helps keep the whole system of altruism running smoothly.

So where am I going?

When we have no means to seek revenge there are no checks and balances. As time goes by, things get way out of whack. Demigods and dictatorships are established, silencing too many voices and the tribe suffers. We each should have a bit part to play; at least acknowledged as a valued member of the tribe.

If science can figure out that we are happiest and healthiest when we serve each other and that altruism is an essential part of who we are and altruistic punishment is part of that, then I’m wondering what happens to a society based on fear of retribution if you ever dare to stand up for yourself let alone seek revenge.

My world.

My country.

My church.

My family.

Too.

Duff

I made Eddy laugh.

“Finally got off your duff,” he heckles when he has been waiting for me to floss his teeth and I am stuck on the computer.

“My duff? That’s your grandpa,” I tease and he laughs heartily.

Clarence Duffin Pugh is his full name; he always went by “Duff” - that old coach.

Duff Pugh, coach (tall one in back) 1944-45 Valley High School

.Eddy was born on his grandpa’s birthday: March 11. That’s got to be worth something. We couldn't name him Duff since that' s Brooke's middle name.

Grandpa Duff & Eddy

Uncle Parl, Great Uncle Grant, DeRay holding Travis Edward, Great Uncle Robert, Uncle Norman, Uncle Charles, Grandpa Duff.
Ed's blessing day, April 1973.

They were kindred spirits. One time in church when Grandpa was visiting, the counselor taking charge, said at the end of the meeting. “I’ve been watching Eddy on his Grandpa’s lap during this meeting and it’s priceless. Everyone needs a Grandpa."

Travis Edward & Grandpa Duff

Amy Lyn, Grandpa, Eddy 1977

Grandma Pugh, Brent, Brooke, Grandpa, Eddy, DeRay, Jeanne, Amy 1977

DeRay, Jeanne, Brent, Eddy and Brooke on Santa's lap, Jeanette, Amy Lyn. 1978

"That Santa was Grandpa inside," Amy Lyn chats as we drive home.

"How did you know that?"

"I could tell by his hands. Grandpa's all hair on his hands.

Did you know that?"

Brooke, Grandpa Duff, Eddy 1986 in the house DeRay built.

Brooke Eagle Court of Honor at Duck Creek.

Kenneth, Robert, Brooke, Grandpa, Eddy, Eric, DeRay

July 12, 1986

Grandpa & Ed, November 1989 at Aunt Karen's.

Ed's 16th and Grandpa's 77th Birthday March 11, 1989

93 candles
Mar & Robert, Ron & Lynda with Christy & Brad helped us celebrate.

Grandpa and Ed at Puerta Penassa, Mexico. March 1990

Dad & Ed visiting Grandpa in St. George March 21, 1990

Ed & Grandpa - Fruit Heights

Brooke's recital celebration May 26, 1990

Grandpa Pugh was a go-getter.  He built parks and programs relentlessly.  A community mogul.  A leader.  The kids were always so proud of Grandpa when he ran the 4^th of July shebang in Kanab or the Easter Egg hunt; the race meet, everything. Their grandpa was Mr. Kanab. For several years, DeRay took the kids down to Kanab in the little yellow Honda for the July 24th celebration. Clare came out from Vegas with her kids. DeRay and Clare did the Dutch oven dinner while the kids worked in the booths and ran errands. 
Duff Pugh was very proud of his heritage and his name. He was insulted when a nephew and his family changed their name from Pugh to Hugh. “They are the laughing stock of the whole town when the newspaper reads: ‘Kent and Karen Hugh came home to visit their parents Leslie and Della Pugh’,” Grandpa would report in scorn. Imagine his alarm when his oldest son followed suit. He never forgave him. He found an ally in Eddy. He made him promise when he turned of age, he would change his name back to Pugh. To this day, Eddy wishes his name were Pugh like his grandpa.

TUESDAY AUGUST 21, 1979 – WE CHANGED OUR LAST NAME FROM PUGH TO HUGH in 2^nd District Court in Farmington, Utah, and the Judge smiled.  It was quite a pleasant—even humorous experience.  After DeRay and I answered the questions, Judge Swan took over and he had Brent, Jeanne, and Brooke sworn in to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.  They were all dignified and cute.  Brooke, missing his two front teeth, had a big grin and the Judge got a kick out of asking him if he understood and would like to have his name changed. They were both grinning from ear to ear. Not to be left out, Eddy stands up in front of the whole court and announces, "I don't want to change my name." Our attorney intentionally didn’t have the two younger ones sworn in for fear they would kibosh the request. Nevertheless, Eddy had a message and he intended to deliver it.  His Grandpa Pugh had been brainwashing him. They have always been in cahoots.

"I've got to find the picture of when we changed our names," I say to Ed today. ". . .which upsets me," he grimaces. Still loyal to his Grandpa.

Grandpa died on May 10, 1991, when Eddy was 18 years old.

The same day in court,

we changed Eddy's name from

Travis Edward to Edward Travis.

We called him "Travis" until he started talking

when he let us know he did not like that name.

He's been Eddy or Ed (never "Edward") ever since.

DeRay changed his first names around too,

from Clarence DeRay to DeRay Clarence.
He learned in the army and at university,
that you do not have a hidden first name.

Solar Eclipse Day 2017

 I freely borrow from Facebook. (This is still a free country, isn’t it?)

     "There is no science in this world like physics. Nothing comes close to the precision with which physics enables you to understand the world around you. It's the laws of physics that allow us to say exactly what time the sun is going to rise. What time the eclipse is going to begin. What time the eclipse is going to end." - Neil deGrasse Tyson

Peggy Fletcher Stack: My 96-year-old dad Robert Fletcher on watching the solar eclipse from his front porch in Salt Lake City: "The real miracle is that science could predict it with down-to-the-second accuracy."

Then my physicist father exulted: "Physics is true!!!"

Comments: (Too good to exclude.)

Andrew Hamilton: I bear my testimony that physics is true, I love my mom and dad and the Salt Lake Tribune...

David H Bailey: I knew Harvey Fletcher, Jr (mathematician) at BYU. He was your uncle, wasn't he?

Peggy Fletcher Stack: Yes. Still is

Scott Pugsley: As I'm sure your Father would agree, physics is true but it doesn't disprove the existence of God, as some physicists claim.

Peggy Fletcher Stack: Dad said nothing about God today and, though he sees no conflict between God and science, he was simply expressing sheer joy at physics.

 Brigitte's eclipse pictures from Rexburg, Idaho.

     While his family traveled to Wyoming, Jonathan stayed home to work. He drove to the Kansas City Temple grounds to view the eclipse. It is north of them in the totality path. It had rained all morning, sometimes hard. They got their basement flooded. Just at eclipse time, the clouds cleared and he witnessed the eclipse. He was a happy camper. It was cloudy the rest of the day.

 Brent's eclipse day photos.

 Near Douglas, Wyoming 

 As it gets darker and darker in the middle of the day.

  Timeline photo by Eric Melander
North Butte near Menan, Idaho, 12 miles north of Rigby

(catch the Canada Geese left of children)

Brent says these are the best pictures of the eclipse that he has found. By Damian Peach

Here is the full eclipse sequence as captured (rather primitively--thus the dust spots etc) through our 6-inch telescope. It's kind of neat to see the sunspots as they are covered/uncovered by the moon. Best seen via this slideshow: https://www.flickr.com/photos/hughs/…/72157685940343874/show. Brent (Great job, Brent!)

On 8/24/2017 11:13 AM, Brent Hugh writes:

I've read about eclipses for many years, and observed a few partial eclipses. But this was the first total eclipse I saw in person. Here is what surprised me:

1. Baily's Beads all along the edge of the moon, at the far ends of the sun's dwindling crescent, for about the last 30 seconds before totality.

I observed the last 1 minute or so leading up to totality via our 6-inch telescope with a Baader solar filter that gives a very neutral (white) image. I expected to see Baily's Beads just at the last point before the moon covers the sun, as typically seen in Baily's Beads photos like this.

But instead, I saw very clear Baily's Beads all along the thin edge of the crescent, on both ends, as the crescent shrank. So basically along 50% of the moon's circumference, moving from each end of the crescent towards the center.

So for example, I saw the crescent of the sun along (say) 40% of the moon's circumference, then very clear Baily's Beads along the remaining 5%, where it was thinnest, on each side. Then this progressed up towards the center, with 30% of the moon's circumference being a crescent and another 5% at each end of the crescent showing the beads. This proceeded along for many seconds--20 to 30 seconds I would say--until the very final bit of Baily's Beads were just before totality as shown in the NASA photo above.

I haven't found any photos or videos of previous eclipses or this recent eclipse that clearly show this phenomenon--and would be very interested if anyone can find some.

I wonder if the beads were more visible further along the limb simply because the moon & sun were quite close in apparent size this eclipse. Additionally, I'm sure this phenomenon is quite difficult to photograph or video--the contrast is very high, and most photos I see have the center of the crescent super-bright, blooming, and washing out the much dimmer edges of the crescent where this phenomenon was apparent. It was really quite a delicate effect.

#2. The corona was much, much brighter, larger, more detailed, and more colorful than anticipated. This was by far the most striking celestial phenomenon I've ever observed (and yes, I have observed quite a lot).

Photos & video really truly do not come close to capturing it.

#3. Using the 6 inch telescope & solar filter we were able to clearly observe mountains & other irregularities along the moon's limb against the sun.

Particularly there was one fairly large mountain near the tip of the crescent in the 20-40 minutes after totality, that was quite obvious. I've never noticed this during the previous partial eclipses that were observed using the same gear.

These mountains etc we quite easily visible using a moderately high magnification eyepiece with the 6-inch scope--probably around 150X magnification.

Of course, these mountains and other irregularities are responsible for Baily's Beads so we know they are there and observable. But you normally expect them to be too small to observe clearly.

#4. The temperature drop was very, very noticeable and much larger than anticipated. We observed a quite noticeable temperature drop when the sun was about 1/3 covered, and it was even more clearly noticeable near and at totality.

This was particularly interesting to me because I've observed several partial eclipses and never made much of any drop in temperature. This was a very noticeable drop in temperature starting quite early on in the partial eclipse--perhaps just more noticeable because the day was so hot already?

The 360-degree sunset and people (very understandably) freaking out were striking, too--but more in line with what I had read about and was expecting. The sunset effect was particularly beautiful.

 Watercolor Impressions

 Brent

Brent

 Amanda

Naomi

 Meanwhile, back in Fruit Heights . . .

 I saw no glasses as classy as ours - saved from 2012.

The science teacher misses the first day of school due to surgery last week.

Her schools provided solar glasses for all students.

 Bedtime for Gnocchi

Crescents in the street

 The oak tree

 Not a cricket but a befuddled grasshopper.

  

 The garden in the shadow of the eclipse

 A crescent on the squash leaf 

     I wonder if they deliver mail on the day of the eclipse, I ponder as I go out to the mailbox at 9 PM. It seems for all the world like a holiday; one of the grandest of all occasions. Even though we didn’t experience a total eclipse, the crickets chirped so they must have thought night was nigh; and a steely shadow permeated our beings, thoughts and plots. They say a total eclipse is life-changing; it seems tonight as if we too experienced a life-changing event of significant magnitude. I feel differently today than I did yesterday because I beheld something phenomenal; astounding. As Amy and I walked through the hollow at dusk with the sun setting through the trees, it was magical. The crickets were chirping for the second time today. 

A wondrous world.

If I had  it to do over again,

after reading Brent's impressions,

I'd jump in the van Sunday afternoon

and hightail it to Idaho.