My commitment to the real world

The more I write in this blog, the more I realise what is important. I called it engineering for the real world, but now I realise the emphasis should be more on the real world and less on the engineering. I am an engineer and I think like an engineer but what I want to write about is the real world, the world that we all live in, for better or worse.

A few years ago I watched a documentary on how soilders are trained. The premise of the film was that most people do not have a natural instinct for killing, they have to be trained to do so. And the training that a soldier has to go through to create the natural killer instinct fundamentally changes the people that they are.

Of course, all this training must come at a price, and for soldiers it is a heavy one. The training does have an effect on who you are as a person and more importantly what your natural reaction to a situation is. This is by no means exclusive to the military, intense training affects us all as people. Many recruits probably don't realise this, but by agreeing to train as soldiers, they are making a huge sacrifise, not just potentially their lives, but they are allowing their nation to turn them into machines of war and in doing so change who they are as a person. It is of course not all negative, there are many benefits to becoming a soldier, but for those who have not been in the military I think it is important we remember all of the sacrifises that soldiers and their families make to protect our nations. Since watching the documentary I have always supported soldiers no matter what my view of the conflict they are engaged in, because of the sacrifise that they have made.

This morning I watched a TED talk by Deborah Scranton. She is a documentary film maker who has been creating a film covering the conflict in Iraq. This talk made me realise something, I have always said that I have supported soldiers, but to say something, and to make the commitment to do something are two different things. It is so easy to be a well meaning person saying that you believe strongly in this and that, but does this actually mean something unless you actually do something about it. It might not have to be something particularly special or important, but I think only by doing something can we demonstrate our commitment.

I feel now that I need to go out and do something for returning soldiers. It might not be much, but I have to demonstrate my commitment to myself, I have to find out if I am truly committed or if I need to reassess the way that I view the army and the people who work within it.

The talk by Deborah is really compelling. I'm not going to discuss the rights and wrongs of the wars going on around the world, but this is a film that is worth looking at for everyone. Whatever your point of view it does demonstrate what the soldiers are going through, and if demonstration is ever needed that soldiers in a conflict zone are not just doing their job, this film is it. It is a cliché, but this talk is so compelling that the silence is deafening.

Pangea day

I've often been struck by the power of films. Very few other methods of communication seem to have the same ability to touch me. I think this might be because of the unique combination of story, images, music and words that a film can have. A well done film is a powerful thing and that power has to be used carefully.

I see Pangea Day as potentially one of the most important days in the history of humanity. The power of the films could profoundly change the way the world works and the way that we interact with our planet.

If you want to get involved I would encourage you to take a look at another film. This is the original wish by Jehane Noujaim, given to the TED conference.I hope that many more wishes like this have a chance to come true.

Sir Ken Robinson: Do schools kill creativity?

In an entertaining talk by a leading thinker, Sir Ken Robinson proposes that creativity is being killed by the education system.

I think it's time for something positive, it's not good to dwell on the negatives too long. One of the greatest gatherings of minds in the world are the TED conferences. An astonishing array of people attend all with there own ideas and stories to tell. Bill Clinton, Al Gore and Bono have all given talks in recent years. 

Standing ovations are not common at this event, so what would it take for a teenager from Africa to get one? Could it be a story of person suffering, fighting against the odds, or making a stand. Not in this case, William Kamkwamba simply had an idea and he had a go. It is something we should all try and do more of. In the words of Nike; 'Just do it'.