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Many people are warning that R. F. K. Jr. poses a clear and present threat to public health with his use of conspiracy theories and vaccine skepticism. They are alarmed that he now oversees the federal health bureaucracy, that is going to take government in dangerous directions. He’s part of President Trump’s many initiatives to move quickly, break things, try new ideas to fix an already seriously broken system.

Lynne Jackson the other night was saying to me she can’t believe anybody voted for Donald Trump. I bit my lip and nodded along. But let’s be honest, many things have been broken for a long time in our country, people are dying prematurely from unhealthy eating, lack of exercise, while our cities get surrounded by ever growing mounds of waste, our cities smoggy, burn and flooded because of the vast amounts of energy we are dumping into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide which is changing the climate. And don’t get me started how fucked up societial institutions are with their high taxes and poor quality of services provided by government at all levels. Not to mention how blacks and others are getting the shit beat out of them by cops and robbed by the government and scammers alike.

R. F. K. Jr.  is most known these days as a vaccine skeptic. But I also remember him from years ago back when he had a mid-morning progressive radio show on WPRI and other stations. Back when he was known as the crusading environmental lawyer, maybe always prone towards sueing polluters with an eye for cash but also helping to fight against some of the worse cases of dumping and abuse of the Hudson River. Our river is a lot better off because of the precedence he help set out in law.

Things are changing in America, in many ways a lot quicker then one might expect. But the old system and way of doing things was broken, and needed to change. And honestly, I think he has some interesting ideas – we should be looking more to harness the power of psychedelics both recreationally and to treat mental illness  – and old thinking about fats, especially as it relates to minimally processed foods like whole milk and meats enjoyed in moderation, do need to be reconsidered based on contemporary science. Sorry Greenies, there are no healthy granola bars, even if the label says they are organic oats and cane sugar and packaging is to be recycled at least in your mind. An apple or orange is far healthier option.

A field fire, while potentially destructive and costly to a farm’s crops in a first year, usually leads to much greener fields as new grass grows into the nutrient-rich ash left by the fire. Often communities grow stronger after a fire, flood or hurricane, even if there is initially a lot of destruction and loss. Indeed, there is a lot of evidence that is what is needed.

The old way of doing things was failing. We needed a reimagination, not just an automatic rejection of all new ideas as being dangerous and foolish. Are all of the unconventional policies of the Trump administration a good idea? Probably not, but only time will tell. Yet, when an old idea fails it’s important to try a new idea, which was too often lacking in liberal society, that was too addicted to defending the status quo. If all things are failing around you, shouldn’t you try something new, even if the experts believe the new idea is risky or potentially harmful?

When you are in a hole, you really should stop digging. At least for a few minutes to see where all the digging is leading to. Even when the experts say you should continue to dig. And maybe you should reconsider the advice of the experts, as even smart, well-researched people make mistakes and get overly bought into an idea even if it turns out to be wrong. And maybe it is time to try something new.