It's interesting to think about the "noble scientist", who eschews popularity and wealth, as a modern hero. Certainly, that philosophy and personality strikes a chord for those of us who tire of people who so the opposite.

But what about someone like Tesla? We all know what a brilliant scientist he was, and how he lost credit for his massive scientific contributions to Edison, Westinghouse, and Marconi. The fact that he died in poverty while many of his ideas were left unfinished further illustrate the lost potential benefit to society from his genius. But how much of that lost potential is to be blamed on Tesla's wish to just do science, and not be involved in business or politics? Perhaps if Tesla HAD engaged in shrewder deals and better protection of his inventions, his fame and due credit would have brought sufficient capital investment to research and pursue all of his ideas, bringing forth another major revolution in energy and communications science. Maybe Tesla's apolitical mentality and lack of self-promotion is hugely responsible for the woes we've faced at the hands of transportation, telecommunication, and energy production companies and policies. Perhaps a more Einstein-like Tesla would have boosted our scientific progress such that we'd have free energy and a global wireless communication system with much higher speeds, coverage, and economy-of-scale. Maybe Tesla's reticence towards the limelight is why we don't have hoverboards. Maybe Elon Musk's bluster is his attempt at reanimating Tesla's potential to create the world that Nikolai SHOULD have created.

To those of you who want to change the world, don't cover up your light. Your greatness needs to be shared and nurtured. Take the wealth and fame for your cause, just wield it in a positive and constructive manner and don't be a jerk about it.