Public Service: Engineerings Next Challenge

While some in the industrial engineering profession feel that engineers have no place in politics, this perspective is ruinous. It leaves unrealized the potential for industrial engineers to influence the development of legislation so that their specialized knowledge can be applied toward the resolution of important social problems. It is vital that professional industrial engineers question this outlook. It is also vital that professional industrial engineers assist in the development of an educational framework that promotes public activism in accordance with principles set forth in the engineering code of ethics.

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Twenty Five

Amazing that year 24 went by so rapidly… So much has changed. I’ve lost and gained family, made many new observations and had many new experiences at work, traveled to some new places in the US, lost and gained friends (well, I guess I never really lose friends, but some do become distant over time… frequency and quality of interaction is really what I’ve lost). I think that I’ve become more critical of the world in the past year. I don’t expect as much of the world and that bothers me because I used to have so much more optimism. I’m hoping that 25 will see much of that lost optimism regained. My birthday today gave me a boost; friends and family shared their wishes for another fantastic year. I’m looking forward to it… the next quarter century is now underway.

Twenty Four

I’ve been meaning to begin writing for some time. Today I turned 24 and I figure a birthday is as good a time as any to start something.

A loose plan exists for Blended Perspectives. This is intended to become a collection of editorials and essays that bring together varied perspectives to explore topics relevant to contemporary events. I’m not sure how this series of articles will evolve over the coming days and months. Likely, it will shift and change much as I have throughout my life.

A guiding theme will be juxtaposition. This is a fantastic word that represents the act of bringing two seemingly unconnected items together to reveal new meaning.

I may also, on occasion, sprinkle in fragments of my life.

The Missing Link Between Spirit and Nature

Originally published November 12, 2001 for USC Writing 140. Updated December 6, 2001.

It is common for people to associate with nature a sense of spirituality. For many, this spiritual connection with nature can be measured in terms of the satisfaction received from the environment in which they exist (Easterbrook 117). Take, for example, the comparison of a traditional pet, the dog, and an electronic cyberdog currently manufactured by Sony Electronics. While both aim to provide their respective owner with companionship, the owner of the cyberdog does not experience the same sense of sharing an intimate relationship with his pet. Some might suggest this is due to the cyberdog’s lack of soul, an attribute increasing numbers of environmentalists apply to the natural world. People often apply the concept of soul to themselves as well. For many, it is the soul that gives a person his or her true identity, that identity lost when the soul passes from the body at death leaving only an empty shell in its place. In the context of environment, soul thus may be thought of as the possession of unique characteristics brought about by a random evolution of genetic material.

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