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Cornell, Sagan and Campbell
A crucial story that is not being told
SOS #300 -- J. Morris Hicks -- (11-5-24)
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On this crucial Election Day 2024, my dream is that there will soon be an American president who will have the knowledge and courage to promote the complete truth about what we must do to give ourselves a fighting chance to survive as a species. | |
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My dream is that there will soon be an American president who will read this SOS Memo and will invite me, Dr. T. Colin Campbell and Dr. Sailesh Rao to the White House to discuss a bold new idea.
I am talking about a possible cabinet role aimed at coordinating a number of concurrent global initiatives focused on helping all of the world's humans quickly learn how to live in harmony with nature.
In such a role, we will draw heavily upon the collective wisdom and courage of Dr. T. Colin Campbell, Dr. Sailesh Rao and the late, great Dr. Carl Sagan.
Over the past few years, I have watched many hours of Carl Sagan videos. During that time, I have concluded that he is far better at explaining complex information than anyone who has ever lived.
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Every time I watch one of Sagan's videos, I find myself wondering how he would be handling the information today about how we humans should be living -- and the crucial consequences of our consumption of the wrong food for our species.
In today's SOS Memo, I explore a possible way of tapping into this man's brilliance in 2025 -- 29 years after his premature passing.
Let’s go back 43 years. The year is 1981 and there are two world class scientists (relevant to this SOS Memo) on the faculty at Cornell University.
- They are both 47 years old and are tenured professors.
- They are both hitting their stride relative to their careers.
- They both appear destined for greatness in their respective fields.
Also, both have followed the scientific method of inquiry at Cornell as they each set about uncovering powerful truths that would most certainly play major roles in the future of humanity.
I am speaking of Dr. Carl Sagan and Dr. T. Colin Campbell.
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During his prime, Carl Sagan was one of the world's most famous scientists and received well-deserved global acclaim for his breakthrough work in astrophysics.
Tragically, he suffered a premature death from bone cancer at the height of his career. Twenty years later, a Cornell Institute was established in his honor.
Dr. Carl Sagan is still revered by Cornell University -- as well he should be.
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Notice in the photo above, Carl Sagan had almost no hair just before his premature cancer-driven death in 1996.
The above slide features Dr. Sagan being interviewed by Charlie Rose. Click this link for that 20-minute video. Later in this SOS Memo, I will address the question about Dr. Campbell in the above slide.
But for now, here are a few selected quotes from Charlie Rose's interview with Dr. Carl Sagan. I begin with the words of Dr. Sagan:
- "This combustible mixture of ignorance and power, sooner or later, is going to blow up in our faces. I mean, who is running the science and technology in a democracy -- if the people don't know anything about it?"
- "If we are not able to ask skeptical questions -- to interrogate those who tell us that something is true, to be skeptical of those in authority -- then we're up for grabs for the next charlatan, political (political or religious) that comes ambling along."
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"It's a thing that Jefferson lay great stress on. It wasn't enough, he said, to enshrine some rights in a constitution and bill of rights -- the people had to be educated and they had to practice their skepticism and their education. Otherwise, we don't run the government, the government runs us."
- "What is faith? It is belief in the absence of evidence. Now, I don't propose to tell anybody what to believe, but for me, believing when there is no compelling evidence, is a mistake."
"The idea is to withhold belief -- until there is compelling evidence. And, if the universe does not comply with our predispositions, okay, then we have the wrenching obligation to accommodate to the way the universe really is."
Charlie Rose then asks, "So you step forward to say that you deny all religion because you can't see it?"
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Sagan replies: "Religion deals with history, with poetry, with great literature, with ethics, with morals -- including the morality of treating compassionately, the least fortunate among us."
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"All of these things I endorse wholeheartedly. Where religion gets into trouble is in those cases where it pretends to know something about science. The trouble comes with people who are Biblical literalists -- who believe that the Bible is dictated by the creator of the universe -- to an unerring stenographer."
In another video, Sagan is asked by a student, "My question is, what is your personal religion? Is there any type of God to you? Is there a purpose, given that we're just sitting on this speck in the middle of this sea of stars?"
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Sagan replies. "Now I don't want to duck any questions -- and I'm not going to duck this one. But, let me ask you, what do you mean when you use the word, God?"
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The student asks a final question: "It seems that throughout the ages, humans have created a mythological framework that has always involved some kind of higher, spiritual powers. And, as that goes away, as we know more and more -- and it seems harder and harder to prove that anything might exist like that, where does that leave us?"
Sagan replies with this 3-word answer: "On Our Own!"
What about Dr. T. Colin Campbell?
Why is he not revered by Cornell university?
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After all, just like Sagan, he simply followed the scientific method in searching for the truth.
Surprisingly for him at the time -- he uncovered some very dark secrets about the meat and dairy industries.
Yet, while the world desperately needed to hear those Earth-shattering truths, the career track didn't work out too well for the scientist who discovered those truths, perhaps more aptly described as dirty little secrets.
Those "secrets" were all about the fact that our wildly popular, animal-based foods are strongly associated with many chronic diseases, including cancer, heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
Perhaps more importantly, the global industry that produces those animal-based foods comprises the single largest driver of climate change. That industry includes all forms of animal agriculture.
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Just think of the implications!
Dr. Campbell had discovered the cure for cancer -- a simple way of eating that could also slow or possibly even reverse climate change.
And that's not all. By simply returning to the natural diet for our species (whole plants) -- people all over the world would improve their own health, prevent or reverse many chronic diseases, cut their grocery bills in half and much, much more.
Obviously, most humans in the developed world have not adopted that way of eating. Far less than 10% actually have made that dietary shift. And, now we are suffering the consequences. In this SOS Memo, I explore an idea that just might help us get on the right track before it's too late.
Dr. Campbell is pictured below along with the cover of his 2005 best-selling book AND the image of the 2011 documentary film, Forks over Knives, that broadcasted to the world -- the health promoting "truths" documented in The China Study.
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Unfortunately, Dr. Sagan and Dr. Campbell did not become well-acquainted in the late 1980's.
That is when the latter was connecting the dots between our food choices, our own physical health -- and more importantly, the health of the ecosystem that keeps us alive.
But before Campbell and Sagan had a chance to get to know one another, Carl Sagan died of bone cancer at age 62 on December 20, 1996 -- at a cancer research center in Seattle..
Meanwhile, Dr. Campbell, along about that time, was well on his way to proving through his research that animal-based foods played a huge role in the development of cancer in humans.
He had been studying that relationship since discovering in the late 1960's that the children of the wealthier families in the Philippines, those who ate lots of animal protein, were much more likely to develop liver cancer than were the children of the poor families who ate mostly plants.
Fast-forward almost a half century to 2010, which is when Dr. Campbell was filmed in this 45-minute video whose title says it all. Click on the image below to view the video.
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I am not certain exactly when the above lecture was recorded, but this YouTube version has been available since 2010 -- and it has been viewed almost 600,000 times.
Sadly, Campbell and Sagan never became well-acquainted at Cornell -- for if hey had, Carl Sagan may still be alive today.
That's because, after collaborating with Campbell, he would have learned the truth about the relationship between animal protein and cancer back in 1984, when both men were in their early fifties.
As a fellow scientist at Cornell -- and a man of great integrity -- Carl Sagan would have learned all about the scientific truths that Campbell had been discovering.
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Then, after learning those alarming truths, he may very well have chosen to partner with Campbell to CALL OUT the Cornell administration for trying to "bury" any research that implicated a group of industries that had been "funding" research at Cornell.
On that nasty topic, take a look at this slide from my latest PowerPoint talk. It features an excerpt from an email that I received from Dr. Campbell in July of 2024.
The title of this slide summarizes why Sagan could do no wrong -- while things were not quite so rosy for Campbell. Sadly, it's all about the money. And it's absolutely disgusting!
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As stated at the bottom of this slide: Essentially, since Colin Campbell began openly discussing his findings about the relationship between animal protein and cancer, Cornell has done their best to make him disappear.
But my dear friend and colleague, a man of the utmost integrity, Colin Campbell, is still going strong at 90 years of age.
As I was about to finish this SOS Memo, I was thinking about what may have transpired -- if Carl Sagan and Colin Campbell had begun collaborating in the 1980's.
What would Carl Sagan have done once he understood the truth behind Colin's research -- and the harsh reality he has suffered since going public with that lifesaving information?
There would probably have been a movie about what they were able to accomplish together. Just think about their collective legacies AND the impact of those legacies on the future of humanity.
Maybe there still can be a movie. The world definitely needs to hear this message of hope for our future.
Just think about curing cancer & reversing climate change -- by simply choosing to eat whole, plant-based foods, the natural diet for Homo sapiens.
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The Bottom Line
Just think about what would likely have happened had Carl Sagan become familiar with Colin Campbell's work forty years ago -- in 1984, twelve years before he died of cancer in 1996.
- Sagan may have been able to slow or reverse his own cancer -- once he had realized that a primary driver was animal protein.
- With a global superstar like Carl Sagan as a partner, Colin would probably have enjoyed the complete freedom to pursue any kind of research that he pleased -- without fear of upsetting the big Cornell funders from the meat, dairy and egg industries.
- That said, the entire world may have learned the scientific truth about what humans should be eating -- two decades before Campbell's blockbuster book, The China Study, was published in 2005.
- If Cornell had started publishing the results about heart disease and Type 2 diabetes thirty years ago, who knows where we would be today regarding those and many other chronic diseases?
And where would we be right now regarding climate change and the ongoing ability of the biosphere to support our species indefinitely?
As one of the greatest story-tellers of all time, Carl Sagan would be helping Colin Campbell educate the entire world relative to what we should be eating.
In so doing, we humans would have been addressing, slowing and possibly even eliminating the leading driver of climate change and several of the five other planetary boundaries that we humans have already crossed.
Speaking of story telling, do yourself a favor and watch Dr. Carl Sagan, perhaps the greatest story-teller of all time, talk about one of the most sensitive subjects of all time: religion.
Just think as you watch this video: If Dr. Sagan can successfully tackle a very delicate topic like religion, imagine what he could have done with the world-changing work of his fellow faculty member at Cornell University in the 1980's and the 1990's.
Do yourself a favor. Watch this powerful 15-minute video:
Why Humanity Needs Science, Not Religion.
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Although Dr. Sagan is no longer with us, we can still leverage the brilliance of his thinking in educating the entire world about the most important TRUTH in all of human history -- what we humans should be eating.
Hopefully, it's not too late for a blockbuster movie that tells this entire Cornell, Sagan and Campbell Story to the world.
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Perhaps the greatest filmmaker of all time, James Cameron, will think about telling that story.
Only he would know exactly how to tell it -- in a manner that could prevent the near-term demise of our species.
Why would he do it? Because he's the only major filmmaker who ever lived -- who fully understands what is at stake here for all living creatures, including Homo sapiens.
Further, he fully understands the health and environmental consequences of humanity eating the wrong food for our species.
In closing today, stories like the one in this SOS Memo are extremely frustrating for me.
I just keep thinking about what might have been -- if Sagan and Campbell had been able to collaborate forty years ago at Cornell.
Who knows what would have transpired? Maybe it's not too late for the entire world to still hear that story real soon.
Meanwhile, I choose to remain positive, smelling the roses and enjoying my life. Here's how I usually start my day. This photo was taken at Fort Trumbull near my writing studio in New London, CT.
It often features Canada Geese and the three-masted Coast Guard training vessel in the background. As a former officer in the USCG, this morning scene brings me joy.
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As for smelling the roses, I recently updated an SOS Memo documenting the joy of living in my current world. It is entitled: Walkin' the Talk to Sustainable Living Living. Check it out. It might resonate with you. It's all about simplifying your life.
Until you truly "simplify" -- you will never fully appreciate the countless benefits of following the wise advice of Henry David Thoreau, who famously stated:
"Our lives are frittered away with details.
Simplify, Simplify."
Best regards, Jim
PS: Here's a link to an earlier SOS Memo on this topic, posted about a year ago: Cornell, Cancer and Climate Change
J. Morris (Jim) Hicks — hpjmh.com
500 Bank Street, Suite 215
New London, CT 06320
jmorrishicks@me.com
End of this SOS Memo
Scroll on down for more information.
Click here for Appendix to SOS Memos
(lots of data, FREE books, scientific reports, videos & more)
You can join my mailing list and find all previous
postings by visiting this SOS Memos page.
Again, my primary website is hpjmh.com -- featuring a powerful summary that appears on the landing page. Click the link below for my one-page bio summary:
J. Morris Hicks, engineer. writer. big picture guy.
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Next Up: The China Study Documentary
Just before publishing the John Mackey SOS Memo on 6-11-24, I watched the excellent video below -- a 30-year-old documentary that illustrates the failures of our institutions to tell the global public the complete truth about our FOOD.
Shamefully, for many decades, Cornell, other schools of nutrition and hundreds of governments have withheld the TRUTH about our food choices from the public.
Had they shared that truth long ago, we may very well NOT be facing runaway climate change today. Click the image below to watch this 55-minute China Study video documentary.
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How can YOU make a difference?
1st: Become a healthy vegan -- making sure that over 80% of your calories are derived from whole, plant-based foods. As such, you will be doing your part in dismantling the leading driver of climate change: global animal agriculture. As a personal bonus, you will get healthier, eliminate most prescription drugs, lose weight and save money at the same time.
2nd: Start "walking the talk" of sustainable living. Let your actions do the talking for your friends and family. My thoughts on that process are in this updated SOS Memo #200 from early 2023, when I moved into my delightful 443 square feet, about halfway between New York and Boston -- on the busiest passenger rail line in the USA.
3rd: Check out the FREE stuff in the appendix below and start sharing all of this info with your friends & family.
4th: Schedule a FREE Zoom call with me and your group.
Again, my primary website is hpjmh.com -- featuring a powerful summary that appears on the landing page. Click the link below for my one-page bio summary:
J. Morris Hicks, engineer. writer. big picture guy.
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Finally, want to get started nurturing your own health
and the health of our planet?
Take our dietary survey at 4leafsurvey.com (2 min). With your answers to 12 multiple choice questions, the survey provides an estimate as to what percent of your daily calories are being derived from whole, plant-based foods.
Over 80% from whole plants = "4Leaf Level" of eating
(The average American or European gets less than 7%)
Click to learn all about this dietary assessment tool:
About the 4Leaf Survey
For much more about 4Leaf, visit 4leafprogram.com
Also: Link to the FREE e-copy of the The 4Leaf Guide
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