Oppressed Nerd Mentality
 

I am concerned about the mentality forming in many of my teammates and FIRST members in general. Although gracious professionalism is meant to overcome this, I feel that there is too much focus on winning the competition. Building a versatile robot, making the best animation, or even giving back to the community all become a means to an end.

Further, many pick up a "better than you" stance on life because of not fitting in social situations and believing that their academic abilities will allow them to excel in the "real world." They embrace their flaws, and begin to feel entitled to many things, even when they are not. They come to embrace the American Dream, viewing success as monetary wealth rather than less materialistic ideals. This is especially clear in the thread Books that Inspired You. Self help books and literature that is pro- competition are often cited, further emphasizing the spread of the myth that the only good life is one that is "successful" among First members.

This philosophy is dangerous, as many shed their morality to continue on their dreams, nay, destinies ( :rolleyes: ) of riches. Many speculate that the Enron traders who formed the California Energy Crisis (and laughed while doing so) allowed themselves to cause so much hardship to the citizens of that state because of this.

I encourage mentors, teachers, and leaders in First teams to remind those under you of what is truly important in life, that it is not all about getting a big promotion, owning the biggest car, or (to a lesser extent) winning the regional competition. The American Dream can bring happiness, but one must remember to consider what his or her actions will truly cause for the world.

Re: Oppressed Nerd Mentality
 

You make a fantastic point.

Perhaps I could sum it up this way:

In this life, you are born, you live, then you die, and whatever happens beyond that is anyone's guess.

So, I suggest that people live this life so that they are not too attached to earthly things when they die.

And try not to work yourself to your death. Live and let live. In the process, don't screw up anybody else's lives.

One more thought: why be materialistic when everything material on this earth eventually goes away? Why not hope for something everlasting, or eternal?

-Joe

Re: Oppressed Nerd Mentality
 

This seems like an appropriate place to share this, which was written by Karl Linn, one of the co-founders of our Team 975. Sadly, Karl had to leave VCU engineering school when his Marine Reserve unit was sent to Iraq, and he was killed in action.

Who Am I?
I'm an engineer, an artist, or a U.S. Marine. I'm as comfortable with physics as I am with ballistics or a brush. Whether I'm feeling like the reasoned intellectual, the right brained artist, or the hard-corps Devil Dog, I've been called an enigma, a Renaissance man, or simply "Krazy Karl". I appear to be a nerd most of the time, sensitive and harmless, but around the edges I maintain just enough of the male bravado to take the lead in situations that require it. People can never quite put their finger on the nature of my personality, and the fact of the matter is, neither can I. I honestly don't know who I am, and I'm perfectly content with that, for it leaves me open to new experiences; I can be anyone I want to be, even if only for a day. Yet I always remember that I am flesh and blood like everyone else, so no matter how lonely I sometimes feel, my suffering is no different.

What Do I Want?
In the short-term, I want to establish what is best described as the American Dream. I want to be a success, but not necessarily the type that ends up in magazines. My definition of leading a successful life would leave me with a good job, a nice place to live, a great soulmate, and my own family.
However, I see that as no more than a stepping stone, a checkpoint I must pass before I can begin to pursue what I really want from life: the Truth.

How Do I Propose to Get It?
I suppose I've answered part of that already. Sometimes I feel emotionally lost, but I have to remember that everything I've planned for the recent future, college and military training and every other teaching experience is going to help me get one step closer to wherever I'm going, whether directly or indirectly. For the most part, I just intend to live my life, keeping all options open, and experience everything I possibly can. I really plan on nothing other than achieving some degree of wisdom; how I get that is irrelevant. But once I've lived an ordinary life to the degree I see fit, then I will be ready to pursue my ultimate quest for the Truth.
Karl Linn

Re: Oppressed Nerd Mentality
 

Not to be negative about your post(well the first part of it), but it is called FIRST Robotics Competition, not the FIRST Robotics Show...while all this is meant for us to learn about science and technology, it is also meant to be a game that you should be trying to win.
Personally, I love the whole learning aspect, but if it wasn't for the actual thrill of winning, I'm not sure how long i really would've been interested.
This is all one's own opinion though and is hard to discuss. Yeah there are many thigns more important then this competition, but we are kids and just having fun, and winning is, simply put, incredible.

Re: Oppressed Nerd Mentality
 

Two things I have learned over the years:

1. We are emotional beings. We often think we do things for logical reasons, but at the end of the day everything we do is caused by the emotions we have attached to those actions (both + and - emotions).

2. The single most important thing we do as humans is to connect. If there is no one anywhere (present or future) who will understand what you have done, who will see the value in the things you have put your time and energy into, then your life is pointless. This is why we sing and paint and write and engineer and create, to share our innermost reality with someone else, bravely hoping that someone else will understand. We need to connect with other people on so many different levels.

You cannot connect with someone if you think they are totally different from you. You cannot connect with someone if you think you are better than they are. The things that TVarmy seems to be worried about take care of themselves in the long run. If you only pursue material wealth and a feeling of superiority (power) then in the end your life will be empty, meaningless, and you will be very lonely and bitter.