Thanks so much Christian!
I am pleased you found so much to relate to in my essay. I am also very glad you caught the 'Science bug' at an early age, and had teachers and elders who encouraged you to pursue that direction. I was lucky too, both at school and at home, to get the encouragement I needed to keep on exploring and experimenting, but sadly too few of today's youngsters get the nurturing they need to keep that spark alive. So I'm happy that we are kindred spirits, in our desire to make science more accessible and more popular.
In reply to comment number 8, I think that while scientists generally understand that it is important to question the conventional wisdom; there is tremendous pressure by society for experts to maintain an air of certainty commensurate with their knowledge or station. For some people to admit that there is a lot we don't know, they must be subjected to a lot of uncomfortable questions, and risk appearing weak and stupid to people who view science simplistically.
Somehow; the valuable attributes of open-mindedness that makes scientists qualified in the first place seem to be a liability in the eyes of those who are funding research, or who decide which projects should receive funding. Thus ideas that offer small incremental progress are often chosen over projects that might yield important breakthroughs - but offer no benefit until the experiment is done and the discoveries do or do not come.
Unfortunately; unless we can explore outside the parameter space of what is known, and have the freedom to play with different possibilities, the breakthroughs and discoveries we hope for may never come. Scientists need to be bold, but the economy and politics of the modern world compel them to be timid instead. So honestly; it is the leaders and finance folks who need to recognize the value of play to Science.
All the Best,
Jonathan