Enthusiasm makes the world go round

People impress me.

Perhaps I’m a guy who is easy to impress, but I’ve always been impressed by others and this has in no way abated lately. I’ve always been aware that people are smart, resourceful and innovative and possess all the other virtues that makes life and science progress, but lately I’ve come to realize that there is another human attribute that tops all the rest in terms of usefulness and in terms of magnificence. It’s enthusiasm.

Being part of a partial university lockdown where only necessary tasks are to be performed on-site and physical human contact is essentially zero, I sometimes find it a little difficult to get my own levels of enthusiasm above the waterline. I basically meet only myself, and while I can be as charming as the next guy in a brief encounter, I wear a bit thin as company over time. I’ve known myself for over 60 years now, and the novelty has worn off. No surprises there. I need people to function and I need people to feed my enthusiasm.

In the past few months, I’ve been struck by the enthusiasm that has reached me through conferences in which I’ve participated online. This is where people impress me. Sitting in my flat, contemplating whether to do something about the piles of dust quietly gathering in the corners of the room and in the recesses of my mind, I’m struck by the enthusiasm conveyed to and conferred to me by other participants. This year, I’ve been electronically to conferences in Dakar and Novosibirsk and late last year, I was teleported to Mexico City for the same purpose. I came away enthused and refueled. Certainly, online meetings are not the real deal. The energy levels are not those of a physical meeting, and above all, the coffee-break revelations and the collaborations that start over beers after the day is done just don’t happen, but you still get to listen to real people and you get reminded of all the exciting things others do that make this world, despite it all, a fun place!

The IUCr Congress and General Assembly that was postponed from last summer will definitely take place this summer organized from Prague. The organizers are presently working very hard to arrange what right now looks to be a hybrid meeting. There are many practical challenges to schedule all the sessions and meetings that are to take place given that a fair proportion of the attendees will sit in time zones far from Central European Time. I want to thank everyone who is working to organize meetings around the world to bring people together. It has never been more challenging. It has never been more important. By being smart, resourceful and innovative you help us all find our way back to that enthusiasm that makes the world go around. Thank you! See you soon at a screen close to you. Now I’ll go and do a bit of dusting …