Working in The Void (That Place Outside of the Box)

Sometimes you have to admit to yourself, “you are a problem child.” Let me explain; I have been the odd man out all of my life, to say. I don’t think this is a bad thing, just a thing. I have never been one who stays within the lines, especially when I see there are better ways of doing things, the concept that doing things the same way for a long time constitutes them being done right is not a concept I adhere to readily. This has caused turmoil in my personal life and my business life. The point is that too many times, I have had people tell me that I could not do something and when I do it, I am usually punished. Which to me has always been a strange thing because of the implication of the punishment: only certain people are allowed to think and expand their horizons, and guess what Henry Anthony McKelvey? You are not one of them (stay in the box). This way of thinking has haunted me since my time at Jefferson Junior High School, which was a breeding ground for the way of the elite, there are the haves and the have nots, and you should know your place. It was also the breeding ground for the true bat crap crazy who dared to think outside of the box, even though thinking outside the box was the very thing people like myself were not supposed to be doing. Little boys and or girls from the ghetto do not write papers on Cryogenics or Superconductivity, and shudder the thought that one little boy would go on to being an Electronics Engineer, Cybersecurity Engineer, Adjunct Professor of Cyber Security, and hold 14 US Patents for Internet and Cloud related Technologies, one even dealing with nanotechnology (rewards of out of the box thinking).

I often write about my growing up, hoping that the parents of that little boy or girl who reads my words will see that there is hope. The problem is that hope comes at a price. That price is that sometime in your life, you will run into people who have power who want you to “stay in your place.” These people should not be ignored because they could care less about you and your accomplishments; in fact, don’t be surprised if they attempt to destroy any mention of your achievements. The fact is that these types of people will always have power because it was their goal in life to have such authority, and let’s face it; usually, they are more interesting and appealing than we are. For example, a musical group, “Living Colour,” wrote a song called “Cult of Personality,” they hit the nail on the head, and people who crave power often develop these Cults of Personality, who further the goals and wishes of the leader. Being a person who pushes the limit often puts me in direct opposition to such people, yes, and that is where thinking outside of the box is both a blessing and a curse. You cannot think outside of the box and remain in the box; it just does not work that way, sometimes I wish I could go back into the box and be a good soldier, but then I realize that my going outside of the box has led to technological advancements, that I see every day. I feel the pride that my father and brother-in-law felt when they passed a building that they had a hand in building. I look at some of the technology I helped build, and I cannot help but think to myself, “I helped build that.”

Therefore the point of this rant is to say that if you think outside of the box as a way of life, understand it will make you no one’s friend, buddy, or pal. You will have more enemies than friends; in fact, some of your friends may become enemies. The point of thinking outside of the box will have to become its reward, the reward of having the ability to create something that has not been before or to aid in the betterment of that which exists. So have fun, it is a blast, but beware, it does come with problems and concerns.