I am on a journey of discovering some of the mysteries and secrets surrounding Nikola Tesla including his genius development. People are aware of the phrase, “You are what you eat.” And I will modify it by saying, “You are what you consume, all of what you consume, ideas and physical substances alike.” Meaning that the material and the immaterial (intangible objects) combined will influence and develop who you are. I am leaning on nurture rather than nature on this project on Tesla, although there can sometimes be a blurry line between the two.
There’s a video by Kathy Loves Physics called, Why Nikola Tesla is So Famous (and Westinghouse is not). She was dispelling many of the myths surrounding Tesla and where they came from. All of that is fine. But it seems like she dislikes the cult-like following of Tesla, and understandably so because of the exaggerated stories, myths, and errors conjured up by fans, as well as putting him up on a very high pedestal, while at the same time pushing down other famous inventors like Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse. However, she was sort of also downplaying Tesla’s genius and disparaging those who were influenced or inspired by him. I don’t want to shame those who are truly inspired by a genius.
To continue, I looked at the sources she provided and a thought came across me when looking at them. I will modify the first quote once again “You are what you eat,” and apply it to scholars and novices, “You are what you source!” As to say, what you source will wholly define your outlook on a topic that may differ entirely from someone else’s, and this can often give one blinders to the truth. Check the sources and look closer on a subject to find something new that they don’t initially see and vice-versa they will help you find what you didn’t realize until they brought it to your attention.
The sources I’m drawing on are much more different than hers (Kathy Joseph), albeit not as long yet. Her long list of sources is good, except it does not completely do Tesla justice since she was wholly focused and tackling it from a different angle for her new book, The Lightning Tamers: True Stories of the Dreamers and Schemers Who Harnessed Electricity and Transformed Our World. I really appreciate her video and what she does for a living and I think she’s a great communicator.
I do believe many people still misunderstand Nikola Tesla and his impact on the modern world. I do understand that no single man solely invented all of the technology that we see and use today. Still, Tesla played a major role in it and will continue to do so long after his death…
Social Scholarly 