To the crazy ones

So, I was thinking about something the other day and it hit me — and I know I signed up for my electives like 6 months ago, but whatever!— I realized I picked cybersecurity and French because they were familiar. Cybersecurity has always been my thing ever since I first learned about hacking back in 10th grade. And French? Well, let's not talk about it.

The point is, I chose those electives because I already knew a little about them. It was comfortable, safe. And then it hit me: Do we, as humans, just naturally avoid change?

Think about it. When you see something new, something you don't know, what's your first reaction? Are you excited? Or is it more like, "Whoa, wait a minute, what is this? Is this going to be a problem for me?”

I know for me, it's usually the second one. My brain goes crazy, trying to figure out if it's a threat. It's like my inner engineer takes over, analyzing everything, looking for risks and problems.

And I'm not the only one. Look at history. Galileo, the guy who figured out the Earth goes around the Sun? Yeah, people weren't happy about that. They called him names, put him on trial, and basically told him to shut up about this whole "Earth going around the Sun" thing. Why? Because it messed with their comfy idea that the Earth was the center of everything. They were so used to that idea, it was like their whole world was built on it.

And that got me thinking about pioneers in general. It takes serious guts to be a pioneer. You have to be brave, creative, and willing to go against the grain. At first, people see them as misfits, rebels, troublemakers. They don't follow the rules. They don't care about the "status quo." But they see things differently.

Like, think about Marie Curie. She was this brilliant scientist who was studying radioactivity, but back then, people didn't really understand it. They thought she was crazy, that she was going to poison herself with all those weird experiments. But she didn't care. She kept going, and she ended up making some of the most important discoveries in science.

Or what about Steve Jobs? When he introduced the $499 iPhone, everyone thought he was nuts. “Smartphones? Who needs those?" they said. But Jobs had this vision, and he stuck to it, even when people doubted him. And look at what happened: he revolutionized the way we use technology.

These pioneers, they're the ones who push us forward. They challenge our assumptions, make us think differently, and show us what's possible. They might be branded as weirdos at first, but they're the ones who change the world.

You can say what you want about them, love them or hate them, but one thing's for sure: you can't ignore them. Because they change things. They push us forward.

Some people might think they're crazy, but I think they're geniuses. Like someone once said, "The ones who are crazy enough to think they can change the world... are probably the ones who do."

So here's to the crazy ones. 🥂 The ones who dare to be different, who challenge our assumptions, and who make the world a more interesting place.

And hey, maybe next semester I'll try something totally new. You should too!