A remnant of my Drexel Senior Design Project
A friend of mine teaches middle school and wanted some help. He was looking for volunteers to be interviewed by students in his 8th grade class. His goal was to teach communication skill and to give the students an opportunity to learn about possible careers. The method was we would exchange letters, the student would then craft questions for the interview.
The letter shared by my paired student was a perfect jolt of spiritual fuel at just the time I could use it.
Over the past year or so I've been feeling bombarded by negativity from many online places I used to enjoy spending some time and attention. I'd even started to consider—like many others—that social media and the internet at large are terrible.
The thing is I've spent a good portion of my life working on, learning, and enjoying the ways we can connect using the internet. So I was reluctant to give it up or consider it bad but the evidence was srtong. Or so I thought.
The teacher knowing I'm an engineer paired me with a student who is very interested in electronics and video games. In his introductory letter he shared with me three youtube videos of him doing electronics work, modifying and repairing a broken Nintendo DS, modifying his Game Boy Advance, and building a handheld RetroPie setup in an altoids tin. The spark of curiosity and desire to overcome his obstacles as he worked through his project were intoxicating. And his willingness to share it with the world confident that in the same way he found other people's work and exploration useful others may find the same from him. Finally the pride of accomplishment of a goal achieved were amazing to witness.
Seeing this at the same time I was to write a return letter about my career made me realize how important the Internet has been in my career and life overall and it helped me conceptualize why the thoguhts dwelling on how terrible a place it can be were really bringing me down.
Plus I could see what is possible to a young person intersted in electronics today. I took apart plenty of technology when I was middle school aged but I didn't have youtube to help me learn what it was I was looking at and to share my findings so readily.
And I say the timing couldn't be more perfect. I read this letter and wrote my response last night right before the scheduled presidential debate with two people I disagree with on many levels were going to put on a show and be adulated by the supporters for things I find horrifying.
What I saw, what I've known for years, but can forget at times. People with a real thirst to pursue values and to achieve are what is important. And the rest, the suffering, and the pain: "We never had to take any of it seriously, did we?"