It probably won't be a surprise that my favorite movie of all time is Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1977). I get asked about that a lot this time of year. Tis the season, so let me to tell you why I love it so much... 
You know that scene where everyone walks into the candy room and everything is edible? That magic in everyones eyes? The magic that you probably felt too when you first watched it?
I feel that magic when I watch it and that's the same magic I felt as a kid when I saw a computer screen light up or a circuit board spring to life.
I think that magic is in everybody. I think we're all born with it and that it's one of the things that allows us to transcend the circumstances of our birth. I think it's part of the thing that makes us human.
That magic had a large part to play in my success. My mom and sister died while I was in high school, my dad pretty much left me to raise myself at 15, and I was born poor in a place with little opportunity. I really shouldn't be here today. But, you see... the magic...
I have words for that magic now: curiosity and imagination. I was able to luck into situations, privilege, and people that allowed my curiosity to run rampant. That curiosity helped me see a future that everyone else around me couldn't.
One of the wonderful things about kids is that their curiosity and imagination are so much more apparent. They aren't burdened with the constraints of adulthood that often stifles those things.
"Come with me, and you'll be, in a world of pure imagination."
The world can be a sad place sometimes, but give kids an opportunity to connect their imagination to reality and it lets them see a world that most adult can't. From that, those kids can create.
The world can be a sad place sometimes, but give kids an opportunity to connect their imagination to reality and it lets them see a world that most adult can't. From that, those kids can create.
"We'll begin, with a spin, traveling in the world of my creation"
When kids create something from nothing they start to see the world as something they can change. Something malleable and less fixed or determined as it may seem to adults as we get older.
When kids create something from nothing they start to see the world as something they can change. Something malleable and less fixed or determined as it may seem to adults as we get older.
"What to change the world? There's nothing to it."
What did you want to be when you grew up? A scientist? Athlete? Singer? President? Hacker? I bet you thought it was possible at some point too. Kids who imagine and create have that audacious belief that they can do anything.
What did you want to be when you grew up? A scientist? Athlete? Singer? President? Hacker? I bet you thought it was possible at some point too. Kids who imagine and create have that audacious belief that they can do anything.
Everyone has the power to create in them...most just need to find the right canvas. Mine was initially computers, but also came to be writing, teaching, cooking, and woodworking. For others, it's code, engineering, art, music, parenting, welding, and any number of other things.
"There is no life I know to compare with pure imagination"
When someone's curiosity stimulates their imagination and that meets the right canvas, it's pure magic. It's where people feel powerful and like the world is theirs to mold.
When someone's curiosity stimulates their imagination and that meets the right canvas, it's pure magic. It's where people feel powerful and like the world is theirs to mold.
It's where people transcend their circumstances and develop the traits that help them make anything possible. That's 100x more true for kids.
As I said, I lucked into situations that allowed my curiosity to thrive. Maybe you did too. But, not every kid will.
But... what if we were able to create that luck for other people? What if we were to become "the music makers" and "the dreamers of dreams" who help spark those magical moments connecting curiosity to imagination to creation?
For me, it's that idea that planted the seed for the Rural Tech Fund, and it's also partly responsible for Applied Network Defense and my research work too. These are my canvases just as chocolate was Wonka's. But... my story isn't your story.
I bet you have your own canvases, you just might not have discovered them yet. What could happen if you indulge your curiosity a bit more? Imagine a bit more? And if you're there, what if you could help others do the same? I think that what you'll see will defy expectation.
Curiosity, imagination, and creation are liberation and hope. Stories like Charlie's demonstrate these things, but you don't have to own an entire chocolate factory to create these magical moments for others or win a golden ticket to experience it yourself.
The magic during that scene... all of us are capable of experiencing it, and most can WIELD it and impart it on to others too. Curiosity, imagination, and creation. Create moments that inspire those things and you're the closest someone can get to being a real-life superhero.
That's it. When I watch Willy Wonka I feel like I can be a superhero and that everyone else can be a superhero too. The world is often harsh and unforgiving. It needs more superheroes.
"Living there, you'll be free if you truly wish to be."
Thank you for indulging me in a bit of whimsy on this Tuesday morning.
Thank you for indulging me in a bit of whimsy on this Tuesday morning.
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