What does an Albatross have to do with this website?

The Albatross is a reference to the Samuel Taylor Coleridge poem, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner. This is a story about a mariner who roams the earth waring people of his mistakes from when he was aboard a ship in the Arctic. He shot an albatross that his shipmates believed was helping them in their sea voyage. Their suspicions were later confirmed as the weather turned and curses fell upon the ship. In response, the sailors forced the mariner to wear the albatross around his neck in an attempt to quell the misfortune brought upon them by killing the bird. Ultimately, only he survived the voyage. Feeling guilty, he now roams the world telling his story.

Wearing the albatross around his neck and his decision to dedicate his life to warning people were both burdens he bore in hopes of helping others. Likewise, here at The Albatross, we acknowledge that we are very fortunate intellectually and that this is advantageous for navigating through the perils of life. This reality is what compels us to be socially responsible and carry some of the burden carried by those that are not as fortunate in this regard. I understand that for some of you this explanation may sound more arrogant than compassionate so I think an example is necessary. Many good hearted people fall prey to scams all the time. Many lack the mental tools or knowledge necessary for making informed decisions. Being well informed and having a strong foundation in critical thinking, I am aware of things like homeopathy and understand the importance of immunization (vaccines). Other people who lack this may find themselves losing their child to a preventable disease simply because they refused to vaccinate and instead place faith in snake oils. Personally, I find it selfish for educated people to enjoy the benefits of their privilege and not help out those who are not as fortunate. I believe that we the educated have a commitment to serve which isn’t much different from other occupations. In the military and life in general there’s an expectation for the strong to support the weak, the young to assist the old, the healthy to alleviate the sick. The albatross represents this metaphorical burden that we the fortunate bear.