Looking forward

I want to be terrific. I think we all do, but I don't care what other people want right now.

I don't want to have a child until I'm ready to have one, in every way. I think that's about a decade away. Another 8 to 10 years ought to do me right. I don't want to wait too long although; I want to be able to play soccer with him and teach him to climb fences and duck the po-lice.

I want to be a terrific author, with a vast knowledge of my largely important subject matter. I would hate to end up as one of those writers you see on the internet each day, writing opinionated peices on subjects they scarcely understand. That I think is one of my greater fears of the future. I think the most comforting thing about credentials and acclaim is the empowerment it brings, giving you permission to pass judgement on life or at least a part. I don't want to be a self-proclaimed anything, because self-proclamation is the easiest currency in the world to buy, and the hardest to sell. I would be devastated to find out someday that for the length of my career, while I thought I was looking down at the people from my intellecual hightower - watching them mindlessly sort through their everyday lives - I was in fact gazing down on a deceptive mirror of arrogance, which was reflecting the image of the townspeople as they carry on with their lives floating high above me, mocking my ignorance.

It's hard writing about people, because ultimately all generalizations about people are false. Funny, far-reaching or insightful as they may be, generalizations will never apply to everyone - somebody will fall through the net and prove me wrong, either naturally or on purpose. It's actually pretty easy writing about myself, I could go on for days (in fact, for maybe 20 years or so) but that wouldn't be alligned with my goal. Goal, you say? Yes, I have a goal.

I want my words to be of help. I think about all the philosophy throughout the ages that has been written sometimes. I think about the Greeks writing about logic and absolute truths, in an effort to help people understand that there is a world outside of the trading of goats for coin and coin for bread, to help them understand that the realm of knowledge offers possibilities far beyond what the physical realm gives us access to. I think about the Chinese and Indians, giving light to the spirituality of nature and all things under the sun, even human constructs. I think of the logicians of the last few hundred years, trying to get past to cloak of mysticism brought on by centuries of blind adherence to religion and practice. I think of the scientists of the last hundred years, trying to find the ultimate truth of the universe, and on the way tapping into the subtleties of the universe and exploiting them for what seems beneficial for mankind. The ages will never forget these waves of human intellect for probably the most simple of reasons - they helped. They helped elevate mankind to a higher, more complicated, more developed level of existence. [expand]

I think there's a part of each and every one of us that appreciates this elevation. If I were forced to quickly ascribe a purpose to the whole of human existence, I think I would have to say something along the lines of "preparing ourselves for level 8." We all know we're not going to make your way through the castle and save the princess and defeat Bowser if you're that tiny Mario that can't even jump high and has no flower power ammunition. But even with all of those at our disposal, if we have no concept of the game, without having suffered through the levels, messing with shrooms, crawling through sewers and dodging the attacks of the lesser species, we'll still be helpless at completing the game.

Likewise, our world is making fast progress at a continually accelerating rate, we're constantly equipping ourselves with 'super mario powers,' but we're all so new to the game that it's hard to know how to use them. In some aspects, there's no room for mistakes. Our society has created the most dangerous of weapons with the greatest power ever, but we're so confused as to how to use them that we've actually decided to simply point them at ourselves. It becomes the work of a select few to continually let the people know the capabilities and implications that are attached to this progress, teaching the people how to play the game properly, completing the preparation for level 8.

It would be terrific if my work was a part of this. I would be terrific if my work was a part of this.