in si de ha lto n. co m O ak vi lle B ea ve r | T hu rs da y, Ju ne 24 ,2 02 1 | 32 ON NOW AT THE BRICK!ON NOW AT THE BRICK! SAVING YOU MORE For more details go instore or online @thebrick.com. STEVE PAIKIN FROM TVO'S THE AGENDA Democracy is fragile. That's the thinking behind the Toronto Star and TVO partnership, The Democracy Agenda - an in-depth look at threats facing democracy here and abroad. Tune into TVO tonight @ 8pm or 11pm ET Stream on tvo.org On my nightstand this month is a well-thumbed copy of James Burke's "The Day the Universe Changed." I remember meeting him at a lecture years ago, and was struck by his un- yielding assurance of the power of knowledge. That memory came bubbling up recently as I thought about perceptions and knowledge, and vac- cines and the very real and desperate need to get ev- eryone on board if we are to win the battle we find ourselves in. Yup, it's like one big sci- ence fiction movie still, but we're slowly tottering toward the credits -- that is, if we're smart and ac- cept the reality of the new knowledge we've been pre- sented with. As Burke points out, up into the 1500s everyone was absolutely certain that the sun, moon and stars were fixed to crystal- line surfaces in the sky and that they all revolved around Earth. Perceptions began to take a right angle lurch when irrefutable new in- formation was afforded by the innovation of tele- scopes, showing how limit- less the universe was and that Earth moved around the sun. The shift in perception was counterpointed by one scientist positing the ques- tion, "If the sun did revolve around the Earth, I won- der what it would have looked like?" Yeah, exactly the same, but it's the knowledge shift that makes the difference. It took time as skeptics hung on to their percep- tions until universal ac- ceptance of the knowledge shift became the new nor- mal. Such is the sway of per- ceptions -- hard to change, until it's just gotta be that way. I was thinking about perceptions and accepted normals being assailed by ungrounded, word salad conspiracy theories on so- cial media, and frankly, people feeling comforted by heresy. It is futile to debate those vocally hesitant about taking a vaccine, the threat of disease being an abstract in their minds, or that microchips have been inserted into the vaccines to control our minds. Our job is to emphasize the real knowledge over and over until, like Burke, we have assurances in the power of our knowledge. Revisit your old books; it'll bring a little therapy to your home. Stephen Ilott is a pro- fessional home organizer with decluttering.ca and author of "The Domestic Archaeologist." He can be reached at silott@coge- co.ca. OPINION IT'S TIME TO GET ON BOARD WITH PERCEPTION CHANGE WE NEED TO THINK AS ONE TO BEAT THE PANDEMIC, WRITES STEPHEN ILOTT STEPHEN ILOTT Column Do you like to take photos showcasing Oakville's beau- tiful nature and landscape? We'd like to feature some of them in the Beaver. We're looking for photographs of nature at Oakville's best -- animals, plants, sunsets, water scenes, trees, flowers, etc. -- shot by local resi- dents of all ages. Metroland Halton pho- tographer Graham Paine will review all submissions and choose his favourites to be published in an upcom- ing print edition and/or on Insidehalton.com. You and your photo may also be chosen to appear on the front page of the Beave- r.Email your high-resolu- tion photos to insidehal- ton@metroland.com. Please write 'Oakville na- ture photo' in the subject li- ne.Be sure to include your name (the person who shot the image) as well as details of where the photo was tak- en -- all for publication with the photo. So get out there and start shooting and send your best photo to us. The submission deadline is June 30. COMMUNITY Local nature photographers are invited to send us their photos. The deadline is June 30. Maria Kjerulf photo SEND US YOUR NATURE PHOTOS