When we call someone a "Geek" what do we mean? Usually a geek is someone who is overly enthusiastic about a specific topic or activity. Someone is typically called a geek because we notice they are passionate about math or science, but sometimes we call someone a geek because of their love of music, literature, or even a specific sport. It is usually given a negative connotation, but maybe that is because the rest of us are just jealous. For someone to be given the title of "geek" they have to not only love something, but love it so hard that their passion carries them to discovering new heights of achievement. Geeks look at their passion and they reinvent it, they don't stop thinking about it and are constantly dreaming up new approaches and ideas that they can use to innovate that area. Most people never experience that much passion in all of their hobbies over their lifetime combined. I genuinely hope that in my lifetime I will find something/ topic/ idea that I love so hard that I don't even have the option of moving to something else because nothing will ever capture my interest so much as that one thing/ topic/ idea.

It is human nature to not only try and find meaning in life, but to look for it through the approval of others. From such a young age we all seem to need to ‘fit in’ so that other humans will accept us and love us as if this will make up for the love we lack. When someone else finds a way to fulfill their inner thirst for meaning and purpose we for some reason feel the need to crush everything about that person and attempt to take away that thing that they love so hard. The funny thing is, we don’t get that the point of someone being passionate to the point of being known as a geek is that we can no longer touch that person. While we were busy trying to blend into the background and hope that we may find approval from others, they found the ultimate approval which stems from within their being from that same place that their passion for this specific thing originated. Be it football, poetry, or graphic design, this passion of theirs has led them to a place of self-awareness and acceptance. By loving this thing and aspiring to be the greatest at it, the ‘Geek’ has run out of space to care about what other people think. They are left with only space for their closest loved ones and their passion and that is it. The Geek is therefore not only going to be much happier than the non-geek, but since they have filtered out all of the unimportant worry and cares of life, they actually just might have an honest chance at changing the world. When you no longer care about judgment and find that all you care about is love and the innovation of the thing that makes you totally ‘geek out’, then you will find yourself full of ideas and insights that others may never realize over their entire lifetime.

So the next time you scoff at someone and call them a “geek” to yourself or out loud, take a moment to recognize that deep down all you want is to be a geek yourself. One day when I am old and gray and the world has changed, I hope that others will recognize me as a contributor to that change. When I get to the point where I can no longer speak for myself I hope that my actions and life work will have spoken for me enough that both my enemies and loved ones will remember me and say, “She was the biggest geek”.