Blind men and the elephant

December 2025:  Scientists and Electromagnetic Fields

Trent University has a beautiful campus in Peterborough, Canada shown here as a winter wonderland.  It has an east bank and a west bank (like the Middle East) and an address (1600 West Bank Drive) similar to the White House (1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C).

When our graduates convocate they are reminded of Trent’s motto, which is Nunc cognosco ex parte, which means … now I know in part.  A fitting reminder that learning doesn’t end with graduation.

Trent’s motto reminds me of the parable of the 6 blind men and an elephant.

Based on Wikipedia:

A group of blind men heard that a strange animal, called an elephant, had been brought to the town, but none of them were aware of its shape and form. Out of curiosity, they said: “We must inspect and know it by touch, of which we are capable”. So, they sought it out, and when they found it, they groped about it.

• The first person, whose hand landed on the trunk, said, “This being is like a thick snake“.
• For another one whose hand reached its ear, it seemed like a kind of fan.
• As for another person, whose hand was upon its leg, said, the elephant is a pillar like a tree-trunk.
• The blind man who placed his hand upon its side said the elephant, “is a wall“.
• Another who felt its tail, described it as a rope.
• The last felt its tusk, stating the elephant is that which is hard, smooth and like a spear.

In some versions, the blind men then discover their disagreements, suspect the others are not telling the truth and come to blows …

In some versions, they start listening and collaborate to “see” the full elephant.

In another, a sighted man enters the parable and describes the entire elephant from various perspectives, the blind men then learn that they were all partially correct. While one’s subjective experience is true, it may not be the total truth.

The legal systems recognize this and a witness is sworn to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

The parable has been used to illustrate a range of truths and fallacies; broadly, the parable implies that one’s subjective experience can be true, but that such experience is inherently limited by its failure to account for other truths or a totality of truth. At various times the parable has provided insight into the relativism, opaqueness or inexpressible nature of truth, the behaviour of experts in fields of contradicting theories, the need for deeper understanding, and respect for different perspectives on the same object of observation.

How electromagnetic fields affect living organisms

Trent’s motto and his parable of the elephant and the blind men is appropriate for the state of our understanding related to the effects of non-ionizing electromagnetic fields on living organisms. Scientists have discovered different mechanism:  some thermal and some non-thermal; some natural and some artificial; some harmful and others beneficial; some acute and others chronic.  These mechanisms work together and provide parts of the puzzle until the big picture comes into focus.

Science has made a lot of progress, both in the use of electromagnetic frequencies to make our lives more convenient and in our understanding of how these frequencies affect living creatures.  The mechanisms, in the image above, are discussed in some detail in an article entitled:  Food for Thought:  How the spinning of an electron can determine whether EMFs are beneficial or harmful.

The biological effects of electromagnetic fields and electromagnetic radiation are still considered controversial–less from a scientific perspective and more from a political/economic perspective.  Big Tech, electrical utilities, manufacturers of wireless device that make our lives more convenient have a lot to lose if policy makers followed the science. Millions of dollars spent lobbying ensure that the current guidelines remain in place despite the fact they don’t protect humans or the environment.  Millions of dollars are spent advertising, so mainstream media isn’t going to rock the boat by presenting some of the harmful effects scientists have uncovered for fear of losing their advertising dollars.

In the meantime, trees near cell towers are dying; migratory species are having difficulty finding their way; birds nesting near antennas are having difficulty reproducing; bees are more aggressive and abandon their hives; farm animals are less productive; farmers are suffering; pets are developing tumours; students are experiencing anxiety attach’s, are less physically active and are socially isolated; the young and the elderly and those in between are experiencing chronic health issues.  They can’t sleep; they’re exhausted and stressed; they had headaches; they can’t think clearly and have memory problems; they are either anxious or depressed for no apparent cause.  They have heart palpitations, ringing in the ears, vision problems, reproductive problems. Some are dying of cancer because they held their cell phone to their head or stored their phone in their bra. Many diseases of the elderly are now experienced by a much younger age group, as though people were aging more rapid.  This isn’t due entirely to our exposure to electromagnetic fields, but electromagnetic exposure is contributing to the deteriorating health of an ever-growing population.

Early warning scientists are criticized and classified as “fear-mongers”.  Attempts are made to discredit them.  Their funding is threatened and if they publish their research documenting these harmful effects, their funding is eliminated. Medical doctors who are brave enough to diagnose their patients as having electromagnetic radiation syndrome may have their medical license revoked.

We don’t tolerate bullies in the school yard, yet they roam freely and are unchallenged in some of our most respected institutions.

We call ourselves Homo sapiens sapiens. Homo is the Latin word for ‘human’ and sapiens is derived from a Latin word that means ‘wise’.  But when it comes to polluting the environment either with toxic chemicals or toxic radiation, we act more like Homo ignoramus.

Many questions still remained unanswered, but most independent scientist will agree that we know enough about the harmful effects of electromagnetic pollution to act.  Captains of industry, policy makers and much of mainstream media are acting in their own best interests and ignoring the effects they are having on the rest of society and the natural environment.  When will the media realize that they have a fundamental role in providing honest, unbiased information?  When will policy makers realize they are the front-line agents in protecting human and environmental health?  When will medical schools teach about environmental medicine, nutrition, and non-pharmaceutical therapies?  When will medical institutions treat doctors with respect and provide them with the authority to do what is best for their patients?  When will captains of industry realize that by hurting their clients, they are ultimately hurting their bottom line?  This short-term gain results in long-term pain for all.

Being unaware or ignorant is one thing but those in positions of authority are often well educated and intelligent.  Yet they behave unethically, immorally.  They are Homo unethicus.  Where is the leadership?  Where is the moral courage?  Where is the compassion for all living creatures?

Perhaps like the migrating birds that have lost their way, those in positions of authority have lost their moral compass and have become intoxicated with their power, wealth, and sense of importance.  Time to light a candle during this era of darkness and time for the pendulum to return to equilibrium.