issue40 大家加油

换色UID: 2658709

TOPIC: ISSUE40 - "Scholars and researchers should not be concerned with whether their work makes a contribution to the larger society. It is more important that they pursue their individual interests, however unusual or idiosyncratic those interests may seem."

WORDS: 645          TIME: 00:45:00          DATE: 2010-3-13 13:20:01

Contribution to society is always rather an accident than destiny. For scholar and researcher, they don't know whether their work can be a thing. So pursuit their individual interests is usually becoming the start of a career while scholars and researchers still need to keep in mind that there is no reason to do any thing harmful to the society.

Many great scientific or art contributions towards society are created accidental. Since those experts can't predict the result of their work, they can only make most efforts to do every experiment. The best way to maximize the influence of their research is to stick to the end once they decide to carry on one research in certain field. The judge of whether their effort has its value is determining by the public or even the history. Many popular author in modern time for example, they are doing wonderful job while describe the scenes of various aspects of society like children, business and politics. But several years later when the feature of a society has changed, the works of those author lost their charming. However in every epoch, there are several but not so many authors have the chance to carve their name on the milestone of literature. Jane Austin, no matter how long the time has passed and the life in her book left us, most people appreciate the characters her made in her novel. But what she has done is the same with other authors--pursue the passion in writing and stick to it.

Though individual interests may seem unusual or idiosyncratic at first glance, they can give people courage and enthusiasm. Idiosyncratic things usually express someone's dream or hope which is the best fuel to propel people moving forward. Brother Greens, before them the society won't believe there was any way human beings could fly and even treated this idea as craze and mad thought. But Greens made it happen since the plane was their dream machine that they couldn't stop pursue. Additional, the interests can somehow indicate what we are good at. Because when we do some thing well, the success will reward us joy and happiness that simulate us to try further effort thus generate the interests in early time. The great chemist Otto Wallach has once worked in other field in his youth. He tried to writing as an author while he could hardly get any money through it. Then he went for paintings while his teacher refused to teach him anymore for his poor techniques. Only in the field of chemical, Wallach developed what he like and what he is good at and made great contribution to society in the end.

While in the progress of pursuit, scholars and researchers should keep one thing in mind that they can't harm the benefits of others or even the society. It is truly that pursuit to one's dream will pay something in return. Edison became deaf in an experiment and great correspondent Robert Capa sacrifices his live in the battle field. We all respect those efforts they have made. However, it can't be accepted if the payment is the benefits of others. For example, the environmental pollution and sustained development is hard to exist with harmony. The development of technology and society can't avoid deforesting trees or polluting the water. But the government should take management to compensate it like establish the project of protecting and planting forest and saving animals. The goal of scholars and researchers doing their work is to improve the society and make better prospect, not harm our planet.

Though it is reasonable for public to judge a scholar or researcher by their contribution to the society, scholar and researcher should still focus on their own interests no matter how unusual they seem. Great success always comes by accidental as long as one has the ability and makes enough effort.