Every day is a good day to inspire someone

A famous quote attributed to American inventor Tomas Alva Edison states that "genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration" referring to the fact that most groundbreaking insights come only after months and years of hard work, because only through that work one gets ready to recognize the true value of the revelations that might come in a moment of enlightenment.  However, there is a completely different type of inspiration that also might take years to come to fruition but is equally important: the inspiration that we receive from the people around us.

Precisely because life is hard and even with a lot of work success is not guaranteed, it is important for everyone to have a vision, a idea of what they want to do with their lives, what they intend to achieve, because otherwise it is very easy to get lost. Like a ship at sea, sailing on a sunny day is manageable, but once it starts to rain, the wind picks up and the waves start to swell you better have a good navigation system because otherwise you will not be able to recover your way.

Photo: Eugenides Foundation

This vision of the future self can originate in a number of different ways. Family heritage is frequent one: since the children sometimes "eat and breathe" the profession of their parents they often realize that the job is indeed quite enticing, they share on the excitement of their parents and, to no lesser extent, they can leverage on their position to have a more solid start. This is frequent among lawyers, doctors, teachers, but also among fishermen, carpenters and many other crafts. However this is far from the only solution. Among other reasons, because in most cases one of the children can inherit the shop of the parents, but it is very rare that several children work together and share the inheritance. This leaves at least all but one to choose different careers, and that is where inspiration comes into play.

Growing up, my father always said that we could not like (or dislike) something that we did not know. That is why when my middle brother Jack, who was a fairly picky eater, refused to eat a dish that he had never been presented before, my father systematically insisted that he had to try it, and only after giving it a serious consideration would his judgment be granted some weight.

In a similar manner, being exposed to different career options, even from early on, can be very eye opening for the kids. I personally do not believe in a moral obligation to "make the best out of your life" or a part of modern society to ensure that everyone "reaches their full potential"; many people are content to have a happy life and do not feel the urge to strive for the stars, so for them any half-passable would do. But for those who want to "do something" but just do not know exactly what, the information about the options is very important, because for them settling with something "good enough" can lead to frustration and dissatisfaction.

Unfortunately, many of my scientific colleagues are a bit lacking in the department of inspiring other people. They are quick enough to accept interviews for TV and the newspapers, because that pumps up their egos, but they are much more reluctant when it comes to leading a guided tour around the institute or giving a talk at a school in the neighborhood. I understand that devoting one morning to talking to kids might delay the research, but is the possibility of inspiring someone not enough of a compensation? Putting it in the right perspective, it is like choosing between your next discovery and all the discoveries that this kid might do if they pursue a career in science.

This lack of engagement is particularly burning in the case of space science, since it is so appealing to a big majority of the people (children and adults alike), that you only have to introduce yourself and the questions start to poor in faster than you can reply to them. Just this morning I brought Trevor to the doctor for a check-up and we ended up spending 10 minutes talking about the International Space Station and satellite watching! As they often say in the framers' markets, space science "sells itself" to the public, why not take the chance and possibly change a kid's life for ever? Have a nice evening.