One of the biggest disillusionments of my life was when I discovered that the academic world is not open-minded. Not even the science subset of that world, despite what we are made to believe about science.
Now and again we hear about someone who had a revolutionary, visionary, or counter-establishment idea that ultimately prevailed and became the new accepted wisdom. These people, when they initially presented their ideas, were confronted by all the power and weapons that orthodoxy can bring to bear against them: skepticism, ridicule, even difficulty in finding employment. But the story has a happy ending and in the end they won recognition for their ideas and their vision. You read about them, they appear on TV.
But for every story like this, how many stories are there—the ones we don't hear about—where the guy allowed all the obstacles and opposition he faced to beat him down? Five, ten, many more than that?
Surely it takes a certain personality type to successfully suffer through all the discouragement he encounters. Perseverance, belief in self, ego strength: it takes all these and more. Plus perhaps the ability or willingness to suffer financial hardship. When one is told, in effect, Don't quit your day job; when one has doors slammed in his face—well, you get the picture.
Those who have been successful in their fight against the obstacles thrown up in their road typically have not had to supply all their own support from internally. One hears that they were supported and encouraged by spouses, sometimes a parent or even a sibling. It definitely helps to have those things, someone "in your corner," as we say. Anyone who is or wants to be an academic or any kind of wielder of ideas had best have family who know the terrain or some mentor who can offer advice and encouragement. When these things are absent and the obstacles can just have too much force, it is humanity in general that loses.
Copyright © 2010 by Richard Stein
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Times have always presented what seemed to be unbearable hardships resgardless of which generation we're speaking about. There are always new and old obstacles to overcome in our daily grind but human ingenuity normally finds a way to shine through difficulties. Sometimes it takes awhile for new ways to prevail for whatever reason. Straying the course and continuously building a strong case for change might eventually succeed in altering the status quo but it's best to understand that Rome wasn't built in a day or by one person.
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