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Originally Posted by Clark Gilbert
Just saw this flipping through the channels, but it appears that Dean Kamen is making an appearance on some CNN show right now. I think it's called Welcome to the Future and it appears he's part of the panel of guests on the show. |
I saw that this morning at 6 AM EST while in the hotel for Battlecry, and it was quite interesting, at least until the end where there was only like three women left. I don't know about everyone else, but you can get a lot of weird looks from other people* in a hotel when you start shouting out, "Hey look, Dean's on CNN!"
But is this a bad thing? Is this not the ideals of FIRST at work - proving that engineers and scientists can be as much as a role model (if not more than) to our nation's youth than athletes and actors/actresses? I seem to think so. It may be slow at first, and it may start with only people immediately involved in FIRST, but the lives and ideals of participants of FIRSTers are changing. There
will be a day - quite likely in the foreseeable future - when many people not "inside the FIRST circuit" will share these ideals.
And although it may seem like a pie in the sky dream now, we all must remember that everything started somewhere. The mightiest oak tree started with a single acorn. In 1860 the very idea of a non-stop transcontinental railroad from the "sea to shining sea" was pure folly; in 1869, the final golden spike was laid in the 1,777 mile route at Promentary Point. In 1960 the idea of Americans setting foot on the moon - let alone within that same decade - was relegated to science fiction. We all know that changed in 1969.
We may not all initially see that FIRST will someday have the impact on society that we can only dream about nowadays. But that is where we need to look at everything
not for what it is at the
moment, but for what it can become. Going back to the transcontinental railroad, some "sensible" businessmen once asked J.P. Morgan why he would fund a nearly 2,000 mile railroad to "nowhere". He replied with "Morons! I know there's nothing out there. That's why I want to build the railroad!"
So instead of everyone out there in FIRST "doing their own thing", why not try a 'Bring a Buddy' to FIRST day. Go find one friend or acquaintance who has never really experienced FIRST before and bring them to a team meeting or a competition. Who knows, they just might like it and stay.
* I think FIRSTers need to figure out a name for people that are not yet educated about FIRST. Kinda like the term "muggle" in Harry Potter, but only as FIRST version.