About Astrophysicists

[Frame]

I was going to write a post about career opportunities. I was sitting on the bus when it occurred me that the the old saying about; "where else but in America can a poor child of immigrants grow up to be President.", is more true than than to ask; "where else but in America can a poor scientists grow up to be an Astrophysicist?" Why would I say that? That's what I was going to write about.

Physicists bodies may live on this planet in the real world, but their minds are somewhere else all together. And when their growing up, as children studying their world, their minds only touch lightly upon this earth. They are a handful for their parent or their governess or who ever clothes and feeds them. They need more support than your more down to earth child. Their body must be protected while their mind is away. Why give physicists all the credit? All brilliant scientists, artists, geniuses are this way.

Presidents on the other hand, deal with more concrete matters. And as they grow up they learn to tackle, succeed, and conquer more earthly challenges. Sure, by the time they are president, they are surrounded with wealth and protection; which can insulate then from the reality (the suffering and the joy) of those around them. But they still carry the weight of decisions over the lives of thousands or millions of people. These are life and death decisions of reality not theory. And they don't have to make the math come out right to order an air strike.

But I digress because I was going to say that, unlike physicists, presidential candidates (if they are poor) grow up learning survive on their own. Sure, some of them never had to do a days manual labor in their lives. But they still had to work with earthly issues, persuade people, to win debates and elections. And there are exceptions; brilliant politicians who are also brilliant philosophers who envision a new world, a different world, a better world, who need someone to tie their shoes.

I was going to write something about how brilliant people, in order to succeed, need the support of a community which understands the need for creative people (people who's minds are firmly somewhere else). I was going to talk about how artists generally don't need as much to survive as politicians, aren't that much trouble, are a positive influence.

But I walked to my shop from the bus (maybe four blocks). On the way a passed a mentally ill homeless person in the middle of traffic shouting foul language at a construction worker. So the big burly construction worker walked out into traffic and punched him in the face, knocked him to the ground in the middle of traffic, bloodied his mouth, walked away acting like Rocky Balboa.

I don't know what to think about physicists any more.

[Alaska1958]

I'm hoping that the construction worker is not representative of the astrophysicist and the mentally ill man the politician.

I'm not quite taking your point at the end. In general, I do agree with your earlier point about supporting the sciences.

By the way, by definition an immigrant cannot become president.

[Frame]

I don't know Alaska, perhaps this should have been in Expressions. Seems pretty random upon rereading. I guess the construction worker was the president and the homeless person the artist/scientist/physicist (touching lightly upon the world).

But it was pretty much stream of consciousness. Just to follow through, when the worker hit the homeless guy, the traffic was stopped at a red light, and about five people were standing watching. People started yelling; I started into the traffic shouting; "That was wrong!", but thinking to myself, this is stupid; what everyone is doing, including me, is stupid. I followed the worker a few yards as he left (pretty much just to get out of traffic) shouting at him; the homeless guy popped back up, with blood dripping from his mouth, and continued to swear at everyone within ear shot as the traffic began to flow around him.

It was just another day of people alternately, being mean or ignoring each other.

But I guess my point is that even the vulnerable and powerless have value and deserve support. I have been convinced for years now that the homeless person sees things that the rest of us don't. One of the most basic types support we can give each other is to listen. The more powerful have an obligation to listen, not silence, others with guns, or fist, or tasers, or tear gas. We also have an obligation to talk to each other. We're friggin humans, the only living things, we know of, that can have global (cosmic even) conversations. We need to say hello rather than pass by with sharp pointy stares. Scientists can't create great visions if they can't live in a safe environment.

And sure I'd like to support the sciences. I want to support the sciences by supporting people; I don't mean huge conglomerates of vast technology corporations churning out technological glitz for the Hummer5. I mean groups of communities that build the technology to live healthier lives. I want to get back to the hopes my parents had. Cause I've lost hope in the hopes of today.

OK, enough, I'm going to go put some flowers in my hair (Or answer some angry e-mail, which ever comes first).

Oh, and thanks Alaska. I'll change the immigrant bit.

[karolanne]

Too much for my small "chihuahua seized" brain.