“If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of Giants.” – Sir Isaac Newton
Since the dawn of time, the human endeavor has capitulated to the ever-growing thirst for understanding and using our world. From the earliest known examples, that of primitive hunting tools, to the Large Hadron Collider, one thing is evident: They comprised of the collective effort of many different people.
During the Tareq Rajab Docent Program’s opening event, a Canadian veteran that went by the name of David approached me. Intrigued, he asked me about the Kiswah, which is the large piece of cloth that drapes the Ka’aba. Obligingly, I answered. What started as a conversation about the Ka’aba however soon delved into the crux of Canadian politics, a personal insight into his numerous experiences in the military, and Canada’s relations with its neighbour, the United States of America.
Within the span of twenty minutes, I had received multiple accounts of the aforementioned topics, yet was not afraid to provide my own opinions and insight. Undoubtedly, we both left having learned something new. My own political aspirations were somewhat evolved following the conversation, changing and adapting.
On the other hand, later throughout the night, a girl came forth, and asked me,
‘Sir, what is this room called ?’
She was writing notes, describing each room in detail and what she had learned. She was eleven years old. Curious, I asked her what she wanted to become when she grew up, to which she replied, ‘astronomer.’
Lasting for several minutes, she proceeded to give an explanation for the universe, and our Milky Way galaxy. Nothing I didn’t know already, nor a speech filled with advanced physics jargon mixed in with mathematical equations. What was clear however was her youthful enthusiasm and willingness to learn.
It felt like I had found a seed. That it was my duty to nurture her into a blossoming flower. To say that I had achieved that within a conversation would be far-fetched indeed, what I did, however, was introduce her to Cosmology and Stephen Hawking coupled with Elon Musk and SpaceX. In line with her studious personality, she started scribbling down the names on her notebook, without hesitation.
Looking back at both interactions, there was quite an interesting dynamic. David, quite a bit older than me by upwards of forty years, had given me a run for my money, with an intellectually stimulating conversation, that I left having learned a lot. On the other hand, the little girl, younger than me, gave off a sense of purpose – an aura of genuine curiosity which has sparked human endeavor to the discoveries of today. I learned from both individuals.
Age is but a number.
You could even say that I had stood on the shoulders of giants.
