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I was visiting an office colleague today while our highly competent IT team was trying to ascertain just what was wrong with my computer. For the first time, said office colleague’s office mate was there and since work had come to a stand still thanks to my dead computer, I sat down to talk for a while. One comment led to another and I stopped for a second to consider the math of one of the statements. (I believe it was about the carbon capacity of the ocean and I thought about what was the fastest way to measure the liters of water in the ocean).

I remarked that I had to stop to think about this. The office mate said something to the effect of “Wow what a nerd you are” to which I happily told her the story of my college’s unofficial motto: “Where fun comes to die”. Upon which I was asked in disbelief, “Why are you admitting this?”

Why indeed. Consider: I read sci-fi, I play video games, I listen to opera and techno, I can out pun all but one person that I know, I devour knowledge, but most of all, I understand technology in a way few people do. Most people think an internal combustion engine or a computer or why the sky is blue are magic; I know enough to explain the mechanism to someone else. I’m decently good at math and I grok a fair amount of physics, economics and a few other fields to not be so that I am not confused when people far ahead of me try to teach me a thing or two. And I am not afraid to ask questions.

I pride myself for knowing more than most people. And I enjoy verbal swordplay and banter. And I enjoy intellectual discourse. And challenging mental problems. And reading. The pursuit of more knowledge is the single greatest joy of being alive.

So you know what? I am a nerd/dork/geek and proud of it.

If you are too, take the word back. It’s about our quest for information. Not their label for something they don’t understand. Not their label for those of us who revel in the quest for more.

Edit 1: And one more thing – I list the stuff above not because it makes me a genius, but because it tells you a little bit about my quest for knowledge. More information about a lot of things is infinitely preferable to more information about a few things. These are just some of the “nerdy”/”dorky”/”geeky” fields I look for information about – and from there, learn to tell others about. If that makes me a nerd/dork/geek, I am proud to be one.