When
Nerds Rule the World
“Saying,
'I notice you're a nerd' is like saying, 'Hey, I notice you'd rather
be intelligent than stupid, that you'd rather be thoughtful than
vapid, that you believe that there are things that matter more than
the arrest record of Lindsay Lohan. Why is that?' In fact, it seems
to me that most contemporary insults are pretty lame...”
John
Green (Author of The Fault in Our Stars)
When
I was in high school (many decades ago) one guy in my class would
have qualified as a “nerd.” He was the kind of boy who studied
constantly, who had no interest in social interactions, and who would
correct the teachers when they made mistakes. He was resoundingly
disregarded, even shunned, by those of us who put all our teenage
eggs into the “good looking” basket of attraction. We'd titter
behind our hands as yet another teacher sarcastically thanked him, and tick up the value of our own ignorance.
I can look back now and see just how far our good looks got us, and
know in my heart that that nerdy boy is probably heading up a fortune 500
company.
Almost
all the young people I know today would qualify as nerds. They've had
a lifetime of access to instant information, and international social
context. They know how the political climate looks in Egypt and
Siberia, and what kind of music is coming out of Morocco and Indonesia as
well as they know who is playing at a local club. Their news comes
from late night comedians, because they view the news, for the most
part, as a joke. They've had the plasticity of their teen-aged brains
expanded by 24-7 contact with friends and media and internet
instruction. They don't even need to hang at the mall anymore because
the mall and all their friends are in the palm of their hand.
I
have no idea where all this “nerdness” is going, but I do know
this—they're far better informed, and way more intelligent as a
group than my generation was or is. They will be in charge of the
world sooner than we think and will bring their own brand of
spirituality and ethics to it. The rest of us better stand back and
take notes, cause things are about to get real up in here.
Today,
I salute the nerds of the world! You rock!
In
the Spirit,
Jane
No comments:
Post a Comment