“[W]hen I was growing up, being a nerd meant that I liked things that were a little weird, that took a lot of effort to appreciate and understand. It meant that I loved science, playing board games, reading books, and really understanding what went on in the world instead of just riding the planet through space.
“When I was a little boy, people really teased me
about that and made me feel like there was something wrong with me for loving
those things. Now that I’m an adult, I’m a professional nerd, and the world has
changed. I think we have realized that being a nerd is not about what you love
but about how you love.”— Actor-writer Wil
Wheaton, “Why It’s Great To Be a Nerd,” Reader’s Digest, January
2014
I hope that elementary and high school students read
this quote and come to understand, sooner rather than later, than it’s okay to
be yourself, even if it does mean that some others may regard you as a nerd.
Maybe you’ll even grow up to star in the next
iteration of the Star Trek franchise, or even guest star in The Big Bang
Theory: The Next Generation.
(The photo accompanying this post, of Wil Wheaton speaking at the 2012 Phoenix Comicon in Phoenix, Arizona, was taken by Gage Skidmore May 27, 2012 and posted on Flickr: Wil Wheaton.)
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