SEE FORUMS (Observing Your World)

Science is the process of trying to make sense of the world around us. Every culture has its own way of making sense of how the world works. Modern science follows a tradition of asking questions, forming hypothesese, testing the hypothesese through experimentation and recording observations. These observations are compared against the observations of others to see if the results are varifiable or reliable. Most of what we accept as factual in science was ascertained by this process. There are limitations to this world view and there are other ways of coming at the same information or at the very least recognizing patterns in the environment etc. without necessarily knowing why.What are your cultural ways of understanding the world? How do you do science? What conflicts have you faced or contradictions?


One of the most touching cultural practice for me as a Chamorro that began since I was a young girl is what we do for our departed loved one. Because we strongly believe that prayers are very powerful, we pray for our dead so they can be allowed into Heaven and be by our Lord's side. Our belief is that if a spirit of a loved one lingers in Purgatory, through prayers from family members and friends, that spirit makes its way into heaven. It is customary for us Chamorro's to pray the rosary for 18 straight days . The first 9 days of rosary is open to the public and the remaining 9 days are only for immediate family members. Through experience of having lost loved ones, I believe that as we gather together to pray the rosary, we not only help our beloved ones reach heaven but also help each other cope through the difficult times. This in itself explains why I am so touched by this cultural practice of ours.

Our cultural ways of understanding the world I would have to say is through "respect." Respect is strongly practiced in our culture. Respect for the land! Respect for the animals! Respect for the plants! Respect for the dead! Respect for the elders! Respect for the visitors! Respect for the people who do not believe in God! Basically, respect our entire surroundings because it is our way of life.

My way of doing science is through observations, documentations and experimentations.

One conflict that I have faced is our custom of having to provide food for everyone during the 19 days of rosary. Not only is this custom a burden for the surviving spouse, it really is not realistic.