“Water does not flow if it is level”

A Chinese proverb, according to the book on issues relating to water as a resource, which I am reading for class. I’m not exactly sure what the proverbialist had in mind when he or she said it, but it made me reflect on my conclusion, supported by my own experience, that you have to be a little nuts in order to really shine. The people I have most admired – Kristi Curry-Rogers, a paleontologist; John Klein and Melinda Bennett, biology teachers; Carl Sagan (he was the classic engrossed professor) – all of them have something odd about them. Something that sets them apart or a specific interest that they have devoted an incredible amount of time and energy to exploring. On the other hand, some people I try to avoid are the ones with the lukewarm interests and the average, perfectly non-abnormal mindset on the bell curve. To me the proverb means you should encourage and nurture the little things that set you apart or that make you unique. If your life is a roller coaster ride of ups and downs, periods of intense creativity follwed by torpor, better that than a smooth baseline lacking the bad times in addition to the good. I myself remember being a little kid, first with my knowledge of dinosaurs which verged on Asperger’s, then my mold collection, then my obsession with birds and birdwatching, then my series of rats and plants and hermit crabs. There was always something consuming my attention, and always some adult delighted to see a rat poke its snout out of the little boy’s shirt or to see the crystals he was growing in his room. Later that specific engrossment gave way to a kind of generalist approach that forgot the detailed pursuits and conformed more to getting on with high school, friends, and all the other hands on my time. But I’m going to keep the proverb in mind and keep flowing like water on a rugged stream. Fuck being level.