“All is atoms and void” is an over simplification, but Democritus was right. However, it begs the question: if that is true then what’s the point of anything? I’d say, with time, these atoms evolved into complex structures from galaxies, stars, planets to life, society, emotions. It’s astonishing! These structures, both physical and human constructs make our lives interesting. But, what I don’t like is the fact that the time scale is usually in millions to billions of years for these structures to materialize. Then, it begs the right question: Do I, with my tiny lifespan of say 70 years, even matter?
Living in 21st century, with the internet, we have access to almost all of the world’s knowledge, and with AI, we have the ability to comprehend that knowledge at ease.That makes us really powerful, but I often find myself overwhelmed. I think the real challenge then is not about how much you can learn, but it’s about distilling out what you want to learn and what you want to do with it.
I attribute a lof of my attitudes and perspectives towards technology to the book The Art of Doing Science and Engineering by Richard Hamming. I love this analogy from the book:
“It is well known the drunken sailor who staggers to the left or right with n independent random steps will, on the average, end up about root(n) steps from the origin. But if there is a pretty girl in one direction, then his steps will tend to go in that direction and he will go a distance proportional to n. In a lifetime of many, many independent choices, small and large, a career with a vision will get you a distance proportional to n, while no vision will get you only the distance root(n).In a sense, the main difference between those who go far and those who do not is some people have a vision and the others do not and therefore can only react to the current events as they happen.”
I believe that making a contribution to humanity is a goal worth setting. As I write this, I am confident in saying that my vision lies in having an impact by making contributions to Science and Engineering. But, I am yet to narrow my thoughts down to an extremely specific and tangible goal that I can so obsessively chase and make happen.
PS: I often learn a lot just by talking to amazing people. If you are passionately chasing something…Tell me all about it!