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Science

Keep the Light Burning

by David Jensen

Perhaps you are doing something that becomes difficult and you want to quit. Don't! Many important inventions and advancements in both technology and travel were achieved by people overcoming obstacles to realize a dream.

Thomas Edison, as a young inventor, labored for nearly two years to make the electric light bulb work. Other people had been trying for years, but Edison refused to quit. Each failed attempt brought him closer to his achievement. Edison is known for inventions that paved the way to modern technology. But, hard work and perseverance made him successful.

Success didn't come easily or quickly for Edison. He struggled with many things throughout his life---including school. A teacher said Edison's mind was confused and that he was unteachable. Edison's mother, also a teacher, pulled him out of school and home schooled him for the remainder of his formal education.

He did well under his mother's instruction because he was able to study and to learn things in his own way. He studied a variety of subjects; but early on, he developed an interest in science. It was this interest in science that triggered his inventive nature. After reading what was available about a topic, he continued learning by conducting his own experiments.

As an inventor, Edison learned that first attempts seldom worked. Many of his experiments with light bulb filaments failed. So many disappointments might have caused anyone else to give up. But each failure only meant that something wouldn't work a certain way so, he'd have to find another way to make it work! After several thousand tries he created a working light bulb. Later, someone asked him how he felt about failing so many times. "I have not failed," he said. "I've just discovered ten thousand ways not to do something."

Edison persisted with everything he did, especially when something went wrong. One night his laboratory caught on fire and he lost over two million dollars worth of tools and materials. As the building burned, his son saw him sitting on a nearby rock, calmly watching the blaze. Edison said, "Go bring you mother here son. She'll never see anything like this as long as she lives." Many people might have considered themselves ruined after this kind of loss. Edison started rebuilding his lab the next day.

Not all of Edison's inventions were successful, but that didn't stop him. His goal was to keep learning and achieving new things. He spent ten years and most of his fortune working on an invention that pulled iron ore from rocks. His method eventually worked, but because it didn't make money, he had to shut his operation down. After learning that he lost several million dollars on the project, he said, "Well, the money's all gone, but we had a great time spending it." Although Edison never fully recovered his fortune, his goal-seeking nature kept him working and inventing-even at the age of 91.

"If I could solve all the problems myself, I would," Edison said. Over the years, he required help with his projects. He employed several hundred people to work in his laboratory. He believed that a team could accomplish things faster and better than one person. Many people contributed their own innovative ideas to Edison's work, but they chose to give him the credit for the achievements.

Edison believed that people often quit without realizing how close they were to success. Much of the technology we enjoy today is a result of Edison's efforts. Still, his crowning characteristic was his perseverance in the face of any obstacle.

Bibliography

Books:

Buranelli, Vincent. Thomas Alva Edison: Pioneers in Change. New Jersey: Silver Burdett Press, 1989.
Josephson, Mathew. Edison: A Biography. New York: Wiley, 1959.

Internet Sources:

Thomas Edison's Home page:www.thomasedison.com
Photo courtesy of the Edison National Historic Site

David Jensen holds a Master of Science degree in ProfessionalCommunication. He has been writing professionally for over ten years. Currently, he is a technical writer for a computer software company, a freelance writer of fiction and non-fiction articles, and works as a resume writer and career coach.

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