Be the Adult

When I was a little baby sailor in the Nuclear Power Program, one of the first principles drilled into my head from Day 1 was that of Integrity. Doing the right thing when no one is looking. Questioning your own bias and motivation before giving an order. Insisting on engineering excellence. Question everything. It was the cornerstone of the program, and with it the United States Navy could give a bunch of twenty-somethings the keys to a nuclear power plant. It was an awesome responsibility; one that none of us took lightly, but shoot- we were just a bunch of fun loving, globetrotting kids. We partied like rock stars, but also took college classes, cross pollinated American culture with new friends around the globe, and most importantly, maintained the safe operation of hundreds of nuclear power plants around the world. Fast forward twenty years, and I feel like the culture of excellence is drifting away. Or, perhaps it only exists in defense and medicine because the stakes are h