Andrew Lau
As long as I can remember, I seemed to excel at technical subjects, especially when compared to non-technical ones. It only seemed natural that I end up here at a school like Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Many students at this school find themselves in very similar situations. We arrive at a school where we are given opportunities that exploit talents we are supposedly strong in. Too often though, many of us become lost in our own talents. We find our lives eclipsed by our work. In this environment, it becomes too easy to become overly immersed in the technicalities of our work. We too often focus so tightly on the specifics of this work, that we forget to take a step back and absorb the bigger picture.
Before attending MIT, I often faced the stereotypical image of the MIT student. People would always tell me stories of this student. Supposedly, students here are completely focused, immersed in our work and blind to the world and of course carry that "nerdy" aura. After a while though, I decided that this was not much more than a stereotype. I found people did not really conform too much to this stereotype, and most were just normal people. At most people seemed to spend more time with their studies than at other schools.
More recently, though, I have begun to realize that there really is some truth to the stereotypes below the surface perceptions. The truth did not seem to lie directly in the amount of time people spent studying or how "nerdy" they appeared. Instead, it was more related to how deeply students immersed themselves in the technicalities of their work and how they were unable to see beyond that extremely narrow scope.
In several classes, I found classmates having trouble looking beyond the specifics of their work. For example, in one class, we read a piece that questioned the importance of human values and accomplishments. The piece however, was presented in a technical setting, examining the progress of today's technology. The majority of the class, however, had difficulty seeing beyond the technicalities of the context. Instead of debating issues of the human values and such, the class sat hung, virulently arguing about the little technical details of the piece. The discussion ended up concluding with arguments of how the technical aspects of the piece were unfeasible. The class time was spent debating issues of phase shift, sync signal, degradation, instead of the real issues the writer tried to ask. It was amazing that even when it seemed clear the author was not concerned with the fine details that the class further attacked the little details. After a few these occurrences here, it seems evident that a sizable chunk of MIT students can not take this step back and look beyond the specifics of anything.
While I believe being extremely focused and knowledgeable on anything is very admirable, not being able to see how it fits in with anything else is a seriously hinders our ability to make impacts in the real world. At the least, it may not be a hindrance, but a failure to reap the full potential of an idea, if someone is unable to see how a concept fits in with the larger picture. This principal can be extended to a scope larger than science and MIT. In general, by diversifying our focus, we can achieve a greater understanding of any situation. With this greater understanding, we can make better decisions, better designs, and better relationships.
One aspect that we have to remember as students is that much of what we learn is generally a tool. This is even more true of students at schools like MIT, where it seems almost every course is geared towards the refinement of our technical knowledge. We strive to tune these tools to be able to make the best, most optimized, and most refined widgets. However, when it comes down to it, without a clear view of the big picture, it is difficult to produce useful output despite how technically superior these tools may be. It is what we do with these tools that really make the difference. Without seeing beyond these tools we can not create useful output with this training. We need to learn to step back and rethink what these tools are really good for and why we spend our time refining these tools. By stepping back we can see what the world needs and where impacts can be made.
This ability to step back directly affects real world applications. For example, if companies completely based all services on the tools of their engineers, their products could be some of the most technically amazing marvels. This company could build the absolutely fastest, most efficient, smallest whatever; however, without knowing what the world needed or wanted, all these great products would be put to waste. No impact would be made on the world, whereas a group that took the time to sit back and see what was needed would have the opportunity to make a much more useful product.
I, however, am not advocating that all work in the world be done for the sake of a product or industry that instantaneously affects the world. In fact, I am very much against that. A lot of research that does not seem to directly create tangible output eventually yields discoveries that change the world around us. Instead, I am arguing that people be aware of where they stand in the big picture. If someone desires to completely lower their head and dig into their work, they should feel free and do so as long as they are aware of what they are doing. Issues arise, however, when people are not aware of their surrounding situation because they are so immersed in the technicalities of their work.
If it were up to me, MIT, as it stands, should provide outlets for people to learn to step back. Too many here are stuck with their heads in the ground not seeing the world around them. My suggestion is to offer a larger diversity of classes, and give students a little more flexibility in taking what they choose. Even traditional classroom problems can be solved better, as the process of stepping back often yields alternative views which present alternative solutions. Also, by stepping back, a diversity of knowledge is collected which creates a more interesting person. It would be advantageous to everyone, as more intelligent and prepared students would arise. These students would be able to connect to and benefit the world better later in life.
In actually, this issue of remembering to look up every once in a while, boils down to strain of diversity. It is this diversity of how we spend our time that keeps us sane. The act of seeing the larger picture or another angle is just a different view of a given situation. Just as I do not advocate a blind focus in our subjects, I do not think there is much purpose in a life spent completely looking at the big picture without taking the time to focus on anything. This balance can be even extended to many other aspects of life. Looking up can be more than just stepping back from a problem and looking for more solutions. It can be taking breaks from a life overly dominated by one aspect. It is the diversity in our lives that adds the flavor and interest.
By remembering to take a break from the existing routine and intensity of anything, we enrich and better ourselves. While some of the stereotypes of MIT students are completely untrue, the truth to the stereotype may be worse than the stereotype itself. Instead of meeting the stereotype on the surface, if we forget to step back we may meet this stereotype in every way possible on a much deeper and core level. If we do not remember to look up, we could find ourselves unable to connect with the rest of the world, despite all the hard work we put in now.