Xavier+T’s+Final+AmEx+2013+Speech

=BECOME INQUISITIVE!=

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Everyday people live their lives week after week, month after month without really being grateful for what’s around them. They walk past a fountain in the city, and it may catch their attention for a measly 4 seconds, but it will probably never cross their mind of how the advancement and use of modern pumping systems can accomplish such spectacular waterworks. Now I’m not advocating that everyone should know everything about everything, but they should at least give some sort of effort into taking 5 minutes out of their 1,440 minutes they have each day to find out more about something that catches even their slightest interest. Over the years I have myself become more appreciative and fascinated about the world that we live in, due to the fact that I have taken that effort mentioned before and found out more about how things that surround us work.

Due to the ever expanding technological advancements and the dirt-cheap labor that the Chinese offer, people, now more than ever, have access to smart phones and computers which allow them to, at a whim, access the largest source of information about everything: the internet. Instead of looking at the work that went into creating the Global Positioning System, the vast majority of the population would rather stare at their brightly lit screens that contain pictures of adorable animals. I don’t blame them, because learning about GPS satellites does, in hindsight, sound like it would be extremely boring. However, that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be thankful for the fact that the need for physical maps is almost non-existent.

You don’t have to stop the quest for being appreciative right at gaining the information about whatever is it you sought. In fact, if it is possible and that something does grasp your fascination, get involved. I remember when I was about ten years old reading a book about the ocean and the methods scuba divers used to explore it. I was captivated by the thought of being able to breathe underwater and swimming right along side the creatures of the sea. Well, years later and doing some research after gaining the opportunity to travel to Fiji, I rushed to gain my scuba diving certification so that I could do what I had been eager to accomplish since the age of ten. I took the courses and tests necessary to gain the credentials allowing me to legally scuba dive and the next thing I new I was in Fiji, 70 feet underwater with the force of 3 gravities pushing on me, watching sharks feed in a spot suitably named “The Bistro”. I at that point forward looked at the world as a place that was filled with things waiting to be examined by intrigued eyes.

Now, I don’t see myself getting involved with nuclear cold fusion or learning to play the steam powered calliope, but I can read up on the effects of non-lethal doses of barbiturates on the brain and how the $10,000,000 D-Wave supercomputer which uses quantum theory integrated systems works. Though, this is the kind of random stuff that catches my attention. The problem with people today is that they are quick to just accept how things are, instead of asking why they are. In the America I wish to grow old in, I wish to see a more appreciative society that doesn’t take for granted the marvels that we experience collectively.

=Sources=
 * Myself
 * The Internet