Power and the Geek: About
A geek is one that is willing and able to apply one’s intellect in order to solve particularly difficult problems in math, the sciences and the languages. A geek works with aplomb. A geek may even work to the exclusion of certain social functions. Not incapable of socializing, the geek simply chooses to concentrate upon the task at hand. Perhaps the geek’s skills in the social nuances may be modest, but the geek is trustworthy, has a moral compass, understands the difference between good and evil, and carefully applies knowledge in an honorable, worthy way.
Geek-dom is the collective effort of geeks around the world to foster talent and productivity as well as to promote responsibility and accountability in technical fields amongst intelligent, hard-working, scientifically-minded and engineering-driven enthusiasts, experts and professionals. Geek-dom seeks to brings positive change with minimal negative impact to the individual geek and to the communities in which one resides and upon which one has influence.
Power is the application of force to effect change. Change can be quotidian, such as waxing a car, planting a tree, or grilling a steak. Change can also be revolutionary, like writing an innovative software program or launching a space probe to an unexplored destination.
The geeky individual and humanity as a whole face some profound challenges, such as peaceful and lawful conflict resolution among people and nations, the economy of production, the conservation of nature, and adaptation to changing global conditions. Whenever those problems have conceptually difficult or technically complex solutions that have yet to be created and could be applied in a moral and conscientious manner, the geek is there to provide.
The technical arts can be a source of great beauty, as may be attested by the flourishing of computer-generated imagery in film, video games, and social media. There are forces operating within popular culture seeking to lure people away from real life rather than reinforce that vitality. Those forces target impulsive behavior by seducing fans with the charms of click-bait, binge-watching, virtual reality and imagined universes, stripping these story-telling mechanisms of meaning in order to service their marketing goals. When the appeal of these arts is yoked to the service of self and the amplification of baseless fear and hatred, rather than love and cooperation, service towards the needs of others, productivity of the family of mankind, joy of story-telling, and the search for ultimate truth, the geek does not comply.