To the Engineers…

We seldom ask what it is that makes our lives better. We seldom ask that what it is we should live for. But then, we seldom ask questions. But let’s ask ourselves this today. What is it that makes our lives better? What is it that improves people’s lives? Is it money? Nah. You cannot eat money or stuff money into your car to get it to run. Is it the government and politics? Nope. All they do is propose budgets, make laws and declare war. Is it religion? Of course not. Religion does nothing. Except provide intangible solace for those who require it. No, the only thing that has ever improved people’s standard of living and made their lives easier is Technology.

What is Technology? Technology is a pencil, that lets you solidify ideas on paper. Technology is an automobile, that lets you travel faster than feet would allow. Technology is all around us. From ceiling fans to power plants to computers. Technology is the only tangible thing that has improved the standard of living of humans ever since the first human walked on earth. It is Technology that solves the problems mankind faces. From providing light in the nighttime to preventing buildings from collapsing due to earthquakes to traveling faster than the speed of sound.

We, as engineers, have been trained in Technology. We are supposed to be at the forefront of technology and, through it, at the forefront in solving the problems mankind faces today.

It is sad to see what people think of engineering today. They are told that engineering is a ladder to success. It is portrayed as a ladder to become rich. They are told that if they study engineering in an IIT they can get into a better B-School or do PhD abroad or get a high pay job. Do they realize why? Do they realize why engineers are valued thus? It is because engineers are the only people that have been trained in tackling the problems of the world. They are the puzzle-solvers of the human world.

The problem is that the engineers don’t realize this. I live in a campus containing around 2500 engineers and to-be engineers and never, in 4 years of living here, have I come across a single one who so much as talks of solving the problems of the human race.

Part of the problem lies in our lifestyles. Usually, engineering students get their laptops in the beginning of their period of study. What then? It is a nonstop marathon of movies, games, soaps, sports, and other forms of entertainment. The problem is that the “entertainment industry” has grown so large that people have forgotten what entertainment is supposed to be about. Entertainment is what you pursue when you get time out of doing the “actual” work. But right now, people are so engrossed in entertainment that they don’t believe there is anything else worthwhile in the world. Consequently, we have a whole “industry” that just produces entertainment.

Wake up my fellow engineers. You are the ones who are supposed to take the human race to a standard of living so high that even millionaires today cannot imagine such luxury. When you realize the knowledge and the potential you have, you will sit and wonder at how distracted you were that you could not see the possibilities of an intelligent race that is known as the Homo Sapien. For it is you, who will, through technology, solve problems like the energy crisis and climate variability, and then, through technology, improve our standard of living, like automation of boring jobs, producing abundance of food, eradicating diseases, and thus, building a system that is sustainable and efficient and environment-friendly.

A new awareness is required. A new lifestyle is needed. A renewed effort is called for. For it is a new future that awaits us. A future of prosperity, for all people.