"I don't think that individuals thrive in the times of which they are most needed, I believe that they thrive when they are most welcomed."
That's why I talked about working with children. I find that they really do appreciate those who want to impart wisdom to them, in a way that most adults don't.
I also wish to make it clear that I'm making a distinction here, between those who are smart and use it in a utilitarian way (engineer stuff for the military, or work on designing financial instruments for walstreet), and those who I would call "nurturing thinkers" (people who love reasoning stuff through for themselves, and who have insights that they want to share with the world, because they care about the direction of their community and their nation, and they want to make a difference in others lives). Nicholaus Negroponte who spearheaded the One Laptop per Child project, is a person who is an example of someone who falls into the latter category. I guess that's the kind of "intellectual" I'm referring to, here. I believe the utilitarian intellectual does better for himself in a time of prosperity.
The problem that I'm seeing is that these "nurturing thinkers" seem to be adrift without a sail in the ocean these days, so to speak. There seems to be a draw on our hearts towards the poor in a way that's somewhat unhealthy. Young people might become goth, in order to try to understand the crass culture of their peers, for example. Some people might go into the peace corps, and come back looking like they're fifty years old, because of the incredible hardship they experienced out there. Smart caring kids in school are teased, and end up not becoming socially well adjusted - they get speech impediments or or social problems like aspergers, because they don't know how to relate.
My thought is that there's a way forward for people like us. But we have to cut a new pathway in this new era of prosperity. We have to find a new niche for ourselves.
That's why I talked about working with children. I find that they really do appreciate those who want to impart wisdom to them, in a way that most adults don't.
I also wish to make it clear that I'm making a distinction here, between those who are smart and use it in a utilitarian way (engineer stuff for the military, or work on designing financial instruments for walstreet), and those who I would call "nurturing thinkers" (people who love reasoning stuff through for themselves, and who have insights that they want to share with the world, because they care about the direction of their community and their nation, and they want to make a difference in others lives). Nicholaus Negroponte who spearheaded the One Laptop per Child project, is a person who is an example of someone who falls into the latter category. I guess that's the kind of "intellectual" I'm referring to, here. I believe the utilitarian intellectual does better for himself in a time of prosperity.
The problem that I'm seeing is that these "nurturing thinkers" seem to be adrift without a sail in the ocean these days, so to speak. There seems to be a draw on our hearts towards the poor in a way that's somewhat unhealthy. Young people might become goth, in order to try to understand the crass culture of their peers, for example. Some people might go into the peace corps, and come back looking like they're fifty years old, because of the incredible hardship they experienced out there. Smart caring kids in school are teased, and end up not becoming socially well adjusted - they get speech impediments or or social problems like aspergers, because they don't know how to relate.
My thought is that there's a way forward for people like us. But we have to cut a new pathway in this new era of prosperity. We have to find a new niche for ourselves.
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