A Way of Life

Scientific research is one of the most pioneering and progressive spheres of human evolution today. Every day, new discoveries, results and failures take us one step closer to finding the solutions for the problems that affect human health, society, ecological biodiversity and the physical world in a multitude of different aspects. Research involves asking questions that seek to solve these issues and answering questions that arise from the first questions we asked. This was something that I struggled to understand for quite a while- to me, scientists were these super-smart people who instantly asked the right questions, found the right answers and knew how to apply these solutions to real life. At the same time, it is one of my dreams- to engage in research whose end results benefit communities across the world. After all, that is the main goal of scientific research, is it not?

However, recently I began reading a book that gave me a new sense of perspective about what the true essence of research really is. It's a book called 'Letters to a Young Scientist' by Edward O. Wilson. In this book, Dr. Wilson documents his personal journey into research and his calling in entomology, and talks about the traits that a young student who aspires to become a scientist one day must inculcate and the experiences, trials and tribulations that you will have to face with an optimistic and firm, determined mindset to reach your goals, to accomplish the research projects you choose to pursue and dedicate years to in the future. He puts these in the forms of letters that he addresses to the future scientists, or aspiring, growing scientists who might come across this book, and have similar dreams for their lives.

Book cover for Letters to a Young Scientist

You might think that research is much a part of the scientific niche, but in reality, research holds within the same existence and spirit as that of science- it is present all around us, and we use it in our everyday lives, except that these everyday actions do not fall under us restricted definition and setting of what research means and where it occurs. Research doesn't reside only in the lab- it shows up when we shop at the grocery store, when you try to figure out how to find your way to a destination, how you plan your schedule each day, how we plan for special occasions, the reasons behind our celebrations and mourning, behind every action that is carried out after the brain ultra processes these decisions and allows us to carry them out efficiently and accurately.

Scientific research isn't just a career path- it is a way of life that we unconsciously adopt throughout our long journeys on this planet, a way of life that we choose to serve humanity, out of the dozens of ways that people choose to do so. It is a way of life that urges you to bend your mind and discover its incredible beauty and unknown depths, to never lose the spark that gives each of us our creativity and values that become the guiding light for our worldview and our way of living. It isn't just scientific- it's driven by passion, love, hope and the driving force that gets us through each day with something new to look forward to, and helps us build optimistic mindsets that see the good in everything around us while embracing the flaws that we hold universally.