Hold Your Convictions Lightly

In the early 20th century, tobacco companies proudly proclaimed that "20,679 physicians say Luckies are less irritating." Doctors recommended specific cigarette brands to their patients. They appeared in advertisements that would make today's medical professionals recoil in horror. We look back at these endorsements with a mixture of amusement and disbelief. "How could they not know?" we wonder. What once passed for medical wisdom now reads like satire.

Now turn the lens on us. What practices of 2025 will make our grandchildren shake their heads? Are we still prescribing antibiotics for minor ailments as if there were no long‑term cost? Do we treat ultra‑processed foods as everyday staples without a second thought? Are we comfortable with ubiquitous chemicals in our water, air, and packaging? Have we accepted factory farming stretched to the horizon as normal?