Avatar: The Last Engineering Bender (Old)

There is a cartoon TV series that I enjoy called Avatar: The Last Airbender. For the uninitiated, the premise is that in this magical parallel universe humanity is broken into four sects. Each sect is defined by the ability of some folks to manipulate one of the four classical elements at will, ie. fire, earth, water, and wind. These people are thus dubbed Firebenders, Earthbenders, Waterbenders, and Airbenders respectively, and the sects they belong to are the Fire Nation, Earth Kingdom, Water Tribes, and Air Nomads.

I sometimes find it amusing to view the field of engineering in a similar manner, each specific discipline forms a sect (Chemical, Electrical, Mechanical, etc). With that in mind, we could call each individual engineer a ChemBender, or an Electrobender, or a Mechbender, etc. And the Electrical Engineering Empire is catchy enough. 

Jokes aside, I would like to hone in on a more important aspect of the show, the idea of the “Avatar”. This is the sole individual who has the ability to wield all four classical elements masterfully, and is sort of the steward of the human race until he or she dies. At that time they will be reincarnated into another individual of a different nation, and the cycle repeats ad infinitum until the end of the world, which the protagonists are working to prevent.

The engineering parallel to the “Avatar” might be the people of the world whose contributions to science and engineering are so great that everyone knows their name. These are the Edisons, the Teslas, the Archimedes’, the Wrights, the Da Vincis… the list goes on. When you look at each one, you’ll notice that none of them really stick to one area of science. They hop around to whatever suits them, and they aren’t necessarily masters but can certainly do enough to get what they need. They are the true engineering generalists. 

Given that, I would extend this “Avatar” idea to the less famous creators. That person you’ve heard of that if given a vague idea, they can throw something together in a grand, seemingly effortless display of engineering. The end result is something you might be able to recreate if given a bottomless budget and a lifetime to work. Moreover, while you are stuck on that project they’re just doing it again and again, each time producing something that pushes the limits of their knowledge and everyone else's.

But I think it’s deeper than that. In my opinion, the real reason these folks and others have made such great contributions to the art is their holistic intuition for the natural laws of the universe.  They have an ability, bestowed at birth and then honed through practice, to not only understand these laws, but exploit them fruitfully. It’s goes further than the specialize vs. generalize debate, it’s about having such a deep understanding of our world that, as said by Tesla, “whole inventions would pop into my head. All I had to do was write them down.” 

The point is, these technical genius’s are our Avatars. And speaking for the rest of us, it is our responsibility and most important purpose to support these people with everything we got. Fortunately, we can have more than one of these people alive at a time (unlike the show). In fact, we should strive to have as many of them alive as possible. With the wealth of information that surrounds us, there should be so many that it’s almost a shame we can list them.

Going forward, if you ever find yourself in a position where you have the ability to shape the world significantly from a high level (like being an elected official or multi-millionaire) I urge you to consider directing your purpose towards fostering these avatar-like people, opposed to eradicating a specific disease or some other noble cause.

Einstein is credited with saying, “Compound interest is the 8th wonder of the world.” By unlocking these avatars from all walks of life, you're not just investing in one problem, but all the problems that they choose to take on in the future. It’s amazing what someone can do once they don’t have to constantly worry about their next meal and can freely access the internet.

In closing, I urge you to identify the people in your life with potential and do your part to support them, mentor them, and teach them what you know. All in the hopes that they can stand tall upon the giants that precede us, subsequently pushing humanity to greater heights than anybody alive can imagine and farther into the future than is comfortable to think about.

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