Hi.
Have you ever wondered what would happen if everyone on the planet suddenly vanished and you were the only one left?
Maybe you havent, in which case now would be a good time to think about it.
Let the thought sink into your brain. You, just you, are left. Trains are probably crashing into each other as we speak. Planes are nosediving towards the earth and cars lie whirring helpless against obstacles. Now, silence.
What do you do?
Do you have the skills required to survive?
Can you plumb/cook/fix a car/weld your way to survival?
Yes, dear Reader. This is my worst nightmare. Its a vision that has plagued me for as long as I can remember.
I've really tried to do something about it. I really have!
I tried my best to pick up carpentry skills from my grandfather. I remember trying to clumsily operate his fretwork machine in order to shape a block of wood.
My aunt gave me a dremel set when I was 11, and I remember watching in awe as my grandfather skillfully changed the bits, and made all manner of clever little wooden figures, puzzles and knick knacks.
I'm sure I can theoretically operate a dremel. I understand the functionality of each bit; But when it comes to actually picking up a piece of wood and DOING something I'm afraid I'd be utterly inept.
I even got my aunt to teach me how to knit at some point (Just in case I had to make my own clothes). Well that didnt work out well either (Big Surprise)
Could I EVER do anything useful?
I gave up in despair.
And then a light dawned.
What would be my biggest problems if the world actually ended
1) Nuclear powerplants: It'd be rather pathetic to survive something which had killed off everyone else and then die in a nuclear explosion (OR, would it be the kewlest thing evaaah?)
2) What would the point be of my life if I didnt have any friends?
Because of reason 2) I became obsessed with wanting to understand quantum mechanics. I felt that if I understood it, I would be able to explain to myself clearly why God did/didnt exist and therefore understand the purpose of existence. It is for this reason, that when I entered IIT, I decided to take as many physics electives as possible.
Because of 1) I took as many nuclear courses as possible as well. Surely if I understood how a reactor was controlled, I would be able to drive to BARC in Mumbai, storm into the nuclear fission center and turn off the damn thing (not that simple as I now understand)
Looking back, this was the real driver of all the choices I made.
Yes, my decisions were driven by supplemental reasons, but this was the driver that triggered my interest in Physics and Nuclear engineering in the first place.
What a childish way of making life decisions!
I mean, it couldnt ever be possible that I would be the only one of a population of 7 billion people left on Earth.
(Or then again, Could it?)
