What we need is more people who specialize in the impossible.

"What we need is more people who specialize in the impossible." These words of Theodore Roethke ring through the ages like a challenge thrown to the winds. It is not a simple call for more people to do what is easy, nor is it a plea for the comfortable and predictable. It is a summons to those who dare to step beyond the ordinary, to walk paths unseen, to specialize in the impossible. For in the realm of the impossible lies the heart of true achievement, the realm where human will and spirit can carve out new horizons.

What is this impossible that Roethke speaks of? It is not the mere defiance of reason, nor a rebellion against the natural order. Rather, it is the bending of the impossible to the will of those who believe in the power of the human spirit to overcome, to transcend, to rise. History is filled with examples of those who faced the impossible with unyielding resolve — men and women who looked at the walls of the world and did not ask for doors, but tore those walls down with the strength of their vision. To specialize in the impossible is to see beyond the limitations of what is known and to move into the unknown with courage and conviction.

Recall the legend of Alexander the Great, who, in his youth, dreamed of conquering the known world. His ambitions were deemed impossible — no army had ever marched so far, no ruler had ever faced such odds. Yet he did not shrink from the task. He specialized in the impossible, moving from one victory to the next, bringing civilizations together, and laying the foundations for the Hellenistic age. What Alexander did was not to follow the path laid before him, but to create a new path where none existed. His was the spirit that refused to be bound by the conventions of his time, and it is that spirit that Roethke calls upon.

Consider the story of Marie Curie, the great scientist who discovered the elements of radium and polonium, and whose work led to revolutionary advancements in medicine and physics. Her very entrance into the world of science was considered impossible for a woman of her time. She entered laboratories where few women had set foot and faced the fierce skepticism of her peers. Yet she specialized in the impossible, and through her unwavering dedication and brilliance, she changed the course of history, earning two Nobel Prizes and laying the groundwork for modern nuclear science. She understood, as Roethke would have, that it is through daring to pursue the impossible that one achieves the extraordinary.

We, too, are capable of such feats, though our own impossible may differ. It may not be to discover new elements or to conquer the known world, but to rise above the challenges in our own lives — to overcome fear, to forge new ideas, to reshape the world around us in ways we once thought unimaginable. Each of us carries within us the potential for greatness, the seed of a life that refuses to be bound by the constraints of what is considered possible. It is within the impossible that our greatest strengths are found, and it is through specializing in this impossible that we can achieve what was once thought beyond our reach.

Thus, the lesson is clear: do not shy away from the impossible. Embrace it. Recognize that the world is not bound by the limitations of the present moment but is shaped by those who dare to envision what lies beyond. Specialize in the impossible, and through this dedication, you will find the extraordinary within yourself and the world around you. The greatest achievements of humankind have always come from those who were unafraid to walk where others feared to tread, who saw the mountains and did not shrink from the climb, but instead scaled them with the strength of their resolve.

In every act of defiance against the ordinary, in every stride toward the impossible, we are called to become something greater. Roethke’s words are a reminder that it is not the easy path that shapes us, but the difficult road, the road less traveled, the one that requires us to specialize in the impossible. Let this be your guide: do not seek what is easy, for that which is easy is often that which is already done. Seek instead the unseen, the untried, and there, in the challenge of the impossible, you will find your purpose and your legacy.