Hi, I'm new to Steemit, so I'd like to briefly introduce myself.

My name is Shawn Dove. I'm a marine biologist from Canada, currently living in Germany with my lovely wife and daughter.

I’m a scientist, a writer, a skeptic and an optimist. I like to study the wonderful world we live in, tell good stories about that world, and promote a message of open-mindedness, understanding and optimism. Although I study and work as a scientist, I remain a critic of dogma and partisanship in any field of thought, including science.

I wrote a novel, called Entering Darkness, which I intend to publish soon. I also write a regular blog on my website. I mostly write articles about science, philosophy, and human connection. I try to present complex or controversial topics in a simple and accessible way, and to promote empathy and respect.

It is my goal to write articles that help to increase people’s understanding, not only of the world around them, but of other people, other ideas and other belief systems. I hope and believe that we can make the world a better place if we all learn to be more empathetic, open-minded and curious. I believe we can celebrate our differences without letting them become a source of suspicion or hatred.

In the current world climate, this is more important than ever. While world leaders threaten and bicker and preach division, we need to work toward unity at an individual level. If we all learn to understand each other and the world around us, there won't be much need for hatred, violence or destruction of the planet.

My Story

At the age of 19 I became convinced that it was my destiny to write bestselling novels.

It wasn’t.

I soon realized that getting published is not a simple matter of writing books and sending them off to agents or publishers. It is, for most people, a multi-year journey filled with hard work, disappointment and perseverance. I had talent, but my dreams exceeded my fortitude. I floundered. I wasted years without direction, working menial and boring jobs that I hated.

I'd always enjoyed both reading and writing fictional stories and living vicariously through the characters and their adventures. But at some point I decided it might be more interesting to just go and have adventures myself.

So, in my late 20's I started to take control of my life. I went to university, traveled the world on my own, met the love of my life on a boat in Indonesia, moved halfway across the world (from Canada to Germany) to be with her, became a marine biologist, and started a family.

At the age of 28 I was happy, but I had no direction. I had no money, no woman, no career and no future prospects, and had never traveled outside of the U.S. and Canada. Now, at the age of 36, I'm still happy and still have no money, but I've been to 16 countries and counting. I have a job, a career, a wife, a child (and another on the way!), and a good life.

And now I’m trying to be a writer again, only with a few more life experience points.

This time I will succeed.