Stapler of Pi

I had to print a large manual at work today but when I went to the giant stapler, I found that it was out of staples and no one had bothered to reload it. Typical, I thought as I reloaded the stapler with its frighteningly large cartridge of giant staples. As usual, I punched out a couple of staples to release any clogs and also to align the cartridge. Lo and behold, when there's no paper, the stapler punches out Pi-shaped staples! It was a tiny thing and a geeky one at that, but it gave the rest of my day a little sparkle.

My Condition has resulted in me viewing the world quite differently these days. It might also be that I'm (finally, at long last!) fitting into a life role that I'm comfortable with. Regardless, when I was a child, little things delighted me, for the world was but a playground of discovery. I remember reading about an article in Reader's Digest a long time ago that if you cut an apple the "wrong" way (i.e. along the "equator" of the apple), the cross-section of core looks like a star. Yes, I did try it out and it's true! Somewhere along the way whilst growing up, I've lost a lot of my sense of wonder. It's been replaced by concepts like Duty, Honour and other such adult values.

I think it's a shame.

Maybe I wouldn't have had the major successes I've had in my career if I didn't pay homage to Ambition. Perhaps I wouldn't be where I am now if I didn't have the Drive to succeed. Don't misunderstand me; I'm not saying that these values are wrong. Far from it - being an adult means being Responsible and those values I've mentioned are important if you want to survive in this world. No, where I went wrong was in having these values drown out my sense of Wonder and other feelings of amazement that I used to have when I was a child. Being well-educated can be a curse sometimes - you start to understand (or think you understand) the world to the point that miracles seem ordinary. If you don't believe me, just look up at the giant tubes of winged steel flitting across our skies and ask yourself if it evokes any amazement anymore.

This is a timely reminder for me personally. I'm engaged in volunteer work locally as a guest scientist in schools. My original intent was to go and teach them about the subject matter. Now, I think a better path is to nurture their sense of wonder by feeding their need for comprehension. There is no better place to start than with my own kids. Now, where did I put the parts for that tabletop plasma accelerator I had...