... Why, What, Who, How, When

Why am I writing "An Open Mind"?

I love geology and geophysics and want to share the excitement of my profession. I am worried we do not have enough scientists to pursue the complex technical issues facing our society. As a youth I read "The Double Helix," a biography about Watson and Crick discovering the structure of DNA. It excited me, and encouraged me to pursue science at school. I want to help create the same type of excitement for the next generation. We have 10 children in our family (two marriages with 6 and 4 kids respectively). Having spent years working with my kids, the Boy Scouts through church, starting and managing company sponsored university programs, and working with college students, it is very disappointing to observe the mechanical atheistic approach schools take towards scientific disciplines. I have a passion for encouraging a pie-building approach to science, where science supplements faith, rather than a fixed-pie approach, where science focuses on destroying faith, maybe out of fear religion will again attack science.

My life is centered on my belief in God, and I want to share spiritual insights. Growing up in a non-religious home, I had a personal spiritual experience when I was 18 which convinced me of spiritual power outside of myself, i.e. which introduced me to God. Because of my scientific interests and tendencies I have continued to question the basis of my religion, and of all religions. My profession in the oil industry has allowed me to travel and live in Canada, China, England, India, Israel, Japan, Mexico, Nigeria, Norway, Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, various places in the U.S., and elsewhere. When abroad I have taken opportunities to study with local Buddhists, Christians, Confucian, Hindus, Jews, Cabbalists, Native American Medicine Men, Shaman, Shiites, Sunnis, and other religious leaders, looking for patterns and similarities which correlate with my scientific interests and appear to be universal.

Lastly, I recognize my insecurity. My mother was domineering, and even though she has passed on, it has been pointed out I am still trying to prove my worth as an individual. I have always enjoyed reading interesting biographies. I feel a need to document the interesting an exciting experiences which have accompanied changing how every oil and gas company in the world explores for hydrocarbons. I have enough of an ego, and enough experience, to believe others will find these stories interesting.

What is "An Open Mind?"

The initial media offering is a book, emphasizing with red, green, and blue text the filters we all have regarding science, religion, and personal experiences. The second media offering will be an electronic tablet, with built-in wireless and Ethernet networks and links to interactive forums discussing details of specific scientific topics and religious concepts. It is my vision and hope the book and the eldo (ELectronic DOcument) will enable on-line forums and conventions to get people together to explore common patterns and relationships in more depth. In today's electronic/Internet world, on-line forums allow communities-of-interest to be built around topics like those explored in the book.



Who is the target audience for "An Open Mind"?

I started outlining the book after hearing a young woman at church express her frustration with the science-religion paradox. It seems science dominates scholastics to the exclusion of faith. While being convinced we need more youth with better quantitative and scientific understanding to tackle the complex multidisciplinary problems facing our society, I firmly believe these problems are proving to be too complex to solve with only math and physics and chemistry. We need spiritual insights, too. Just as Newton and Einstein acknowledged spiritual insights in development of their theories, there are many, particularly in the Southern United States, who have faith, and these folks will be the primary target audience.

I have enjoyed, and not yet completely understood Stephen Hawking's "A Brief History of Time" and "The Universe in a Nutshell." It is my perception the same demographic interested in these books, will be interested "An Open Mind." The framework being built can be expanded on by scientists of all disciplines, as well as by theologians of various religions, allowing creation of a continuously improving body of knowledge which will eventually better reconcile science and religion. I believe professionals from both sides of the divide will be interested in participating in order to increase students of their science or members of their flock. Given it is possible to develop this type of involvement, the potential audience is almost everyone.

With this large of a potential audience, why would anyone actually read this book? There are people who will read anything which claims to reconcile science and religion. Hopefully the material is being packaged in an interesting and unique way, a way which will lead to good reviews, and which will encourage more people to read it and to encourage others to read it. It is important to develop involvement by scientific and religious leaders, hopefully even before the initial publication. Creating a buzz and the associated synergy driven marketing drives successful sales of a book. The concept is solid, and obtaining the best editor to polish packaging is critical to a successful offering.

How will "An Open Mind" be edited and published?

The original plan was to self-publish, and the idea was to approach Laura Pankonien, who edited my book "New Technologies in Exploration Geophysics" about being the editor. However, I am now approaching professional brokers because it is taking too long to write with my limited resources, and I assume they have editors better tuned into the larger, more general audience described above. It also seems reasonable these editors will have the tools to help overcome my writing deficiencies.

I have sent an e-mail to Jan Miller, who based on my research to date is my first choice of a broker, and whom I assume has access to world-class editors. My cousin, Roice Nelson Krueger highly recommends Jan, and suggests I also contact Greg Link, who was involved in the successful marketing of "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People."

When will "An Open Mind" be available?

The Preface was posted on-line in August 2002 for review and comments by friends and family. Chapter 1 was posted in 2004, and Chapter 2 in June 2006. At this rate, the book will be completed, along with Appendices, Indices, and References in 2020. However, it seems like there is a market ready now. Given an appropriate advance, one which allows me to focus on writing and indexing, "An Open Mind" can be finished within another year. This timing allows synergistic marketing with the United Nation's "Year of Planet Earth," which is 2008.