Creating magic
“I SEE WOMEN ENGINEERS !! YES !!!”
When I was in Grade 2, I discovered I knew exactly what I wanted to be when I grew up.
I wanted to become… a SCIENTIST.
The great news is, I did. Literally, and then figuratively, and finally in my heart of hearts I understand that science is truly my passion and something that so fundamentally makes up who I am that I could never be parted from it. The quest for knowledge, the quest for answers colours virtually every aspect of my life.
Could you imagine missing an entire component of your life that’s so very important to your very being? Could you imagine how it would feel to have an entire chunk of your life excised away?
As a species, we need to come to a few conclusions as soon as possible. We absolutely need to come to an appreciation of the problems we’re facing. They transcend what any of us can manage by our own. They are deep, complex problems that require cooperation, ingenuity, creativity and the best we all have to give. We need to solve them if we are to survive as a species.
Imagine, if you will, a world where half the population is denied their talents. Who suffers? We all suffer, not just half of us. We only have half the answers, half the skills, half the ability, half the inventiveness, half of what we need as humanity to conquer the issues we face.
We can not afford to write off half our brain power. We cannot afford to restrict our thinkers, our scientists, our engineers, our leaders, our artists, our singers, our programmers, our designers, our ANYTHING to one gender or another. We cannot afford to waste any person’s talent in the days going forward. We need each and every last person to bring their best to the table.
We know that not everyone will. The ones who are willing to put their best forward are more important than ever.
Those women engineers, they are my heroes tonight. So are the men. Everyone who participated created something amazing tonight. So did the people who covered it, who explained it to others, who shared it with all of us.
We have landed a new rover on Mars, a different planet - and yet simply the easiest planet for us to reach. There is so much further to go. We have seen amazing sporting accomplishments in the Olympics. Humanity’s abilities are truly amazing, we must continue pushing forward.
What forms your character? What drives you to create something amazing, to build something new, to create something beautiful? Encourage it. Accept it from others. Encourage all of us to offer the very best of their talents for the benefit of us all.
Together we can make magic happen. Let’s celebrate and encourage each other’s strengths.