Hmmnn...

I got asked recently where I get motivation for doing research from. Of course, I was being jested with (or being poked fun at, i'm not sure which) but that got me thinking.

Does one really need motivation for doing research?

Of course, I think the person asking me didn't realise what research is about. Perhaps the idea they had was influenced by their profession. I talked to Shraddha, and perhaps, just perhaps people might have the misconception that what I do is what newspaper reporters do before they write a story....
Of course, that is also research.. like when people say I'm researching a news story, or I'm researching a vacation destination. But comparing that to what I do is like comparing making a sandwich with a cheese slice in between to making a seven-course meal for 10 people by oneself.

I might sound snobbish, but research in science is certainly an extremely taxing endeavor. There is no glory for most scientists, no real money to be made, and one has to watch idiots like fashion designers being role models for people.

Then what does motivate people to become scientists?

Here's a shot at the answer: Part of it stems from ego. Believing that you are smart enough to try and understand nature and the working of the world around you, believing that you have the ability to get through the nitty-gritty, the rigour, to get to a final answer at the end.
Part of it is undoubtedly, the need to find answers. Anyone who has seen more than a few episodes of The X-files, will understand this. Why does a proton weigh more than an electron? How did the eye evolve? Where does this all end?

One can always say "who cares" and move on... the world will not stop being.

But by nature, man is curious. If you settle a village in valley surrounded by mountains, eventually someone will come along and wonder what lies behind these mountains. That is the biggest motivation.

Personally, its like Albert Einstein threw down a challenge. He said, "I want to know how God created this world. ... I want to know His thoughts; the rest are details."

Well I want to know His thoughts too.