I'm looking at it from the perspective that everyone has the potential to go beyond their own limits. But sometimes that potential happens at the wrong time or the wrong place or doesn't fit in our conception of "potential". We live in a system that hesitates to nurture that potential if there's no chance of making a profit off of it. We need to change that state of mind. Everyone's potential needs to be developed and need not be compared or judged. If anything, we need to be like Vincent Anton Freeman in Gattaca; he can't make the team but he still needs to go to the stars. Fulfilling his potential makes all of us better.
2023-09-15 07:07:29 +0000 UTC
So, this will sound like bragging but it really is about humility. I have 3 hard science undergraduate degrees and thought I was destined for the lab. Before the advent of crispr I used bacteriophages to alter metabolic pathways in order to have the bacteria manufacture useful chemicals in fermentations. Several foundational shifts occurred and I made a sharp detour into medicine. Including 5 years of residency training and further subspecialization via fellowship. During this time I learned to fly, built a flourishing rental portfolio, and raised 3 great kids.
I thought I was pretty hot stuff. My initial reaction to Elon was that other than an inability to see risk the same way a normal person does nothing he did was all that special. I am telling you now that being tolerant of his views is not enough. He is in possession of a scintillating intellect which despite his perceived arrogance is actually remarkable subtle and more humble than most are about their much more limited facilities. This is the point:
If you find yourself in disagreement with Elon Musk on any issue, do yourself a favor and really consider whether your old prejudices and indoctrination (like your book about Washington in kindergarten) are playing you for the fool. Re-examine your assumptions, because I guarantee he doesn’t hold a single one that hasn’t been rigorously scrutinized.
2023-09-11 13:21:46 +0000 UTC
This is exactly what NIMBYs shut down. They have the impression that everything in the county is ‘their backyard’…
