Being a nerd

Nerds have become popular over the last few years, what with the advent of the internet (no thanks to Al Gore), smart phones and any manner of technological advances that supposedly make our lives easier.  One of my favorite shows, The Big Bang Theory, leaves me in stitches.  Karen says I remind her of Sheldon Cooper, one of the main geeks.  In some ways, I have to admit, I'm like him.  This recurring riff about flags and his podcast about them hits a nerve, because I actually have a book on flags; they intrigue me. 

When I was in high school, I was caught between two worlds.  I loved playing sports, principally basketball and baseball.  Despite what the politically-charged coaches thought, I was pretty darn good at both, although advancement in either was dubious at best and highly dependent on the planets aligning correctly. 

At the same time, I took honors courses, sang in the choir, was a member of the Prairie Project that was geared toward reestablishing the prairie outside our town and sundry other nerdy groups. 

There were things about both groups in which I didn't get involved; I wasn't the overly macho athlete engaged in weightlifting, driving fast cars and being a boor toward girls.  And I didn't play Dungeons and Dragons or join the Chess Club.

It always struck me that there was an almost continental divide between the two groups.  In our high school, if you were in sports you were a jock and didn't consort with the nerds.  Conversely, if you were highly intelligent you weren't in sports.  I look at The Big Bang Theory guys and, contrary from being caricatures, they are very much like former classmates.  The twain never met. 

At the same time, being involved in both worlds enriched my life in different ways.  It made me a much more complex person than I would otherwise have been.  I can converse with people from both groups to varying degrees and enjoy the company of both.  To isolate either would devalue my life; I watch sports, but I don't paint my face and go to games in subzero temperatures and take off my shirt.  At the same time, I don't wear a pocket protector and attend Comic Con, but I love to read and enjoy mental challenges.

In the end, there needs to be more understanding of both groups.  Both have good and bad elements.  Jocks can be one-dimensional and limited sometimes; nerds can be socially challenged and hard to know.  But jocks can be fun people who are smarter than they are believed to be, and nerds can actually be quite engaging if given the opportunity.

If I could go back to high school -- a thought that makes me shudder -- I'd probably veer more toward the geeks because their interests are more open-ended.  But I like sports too much to eschew them completely.

And I'd certainly join the chess club.

(c) 2013 The Truxton Spangler Chronicles