"What is now proved was once only imagined." - William Blake
Everything that's accepted as truth today was once unknown to anyone. Every explanation and every principle has its beginning in the imagination of a single person's mind. Things considered common knowledge today were once considered odd, radical, or even dangerous. A new notion can be unsettling. It may seem strange. It may be unproven. It may challenge what we already know. It may ask us to see things in a new way. It may threaten to replace our understanding, which took years to acquire. The natural tendency is to reject a new notion, regardless of its merits.
I believe that giving a new idea a fair hearing is a no-lose proposition. If it proves to be invalid, you can just throw it away. In the end, the best ideas prove themselves and become commonplace. But you might be dead by the time that happens. If knowledge is power, imagination and open-mindedness give a significant advantage.
Posts
2 comments:
It pays to have an open mind and consider new ideas. But then again, it also pays to exercise prudence and not waste your time considering hundreds of ideas that nothing more than soul-sucking braindead slag. Otherwise you could never escape the Internet...
One of the reasons it's hard to give encouragement is because we'd never received any. I learned this by watching my Mom. I always wondered why she's never as encouraging as other parents are. And I find myself always searching for it. I realized she didn't what it was, she didn't receive it from her Mom either, which is why she couldn't give any.
As for opening your mind to new ideas, this is hard for us to accept because we are comfortable where we are right now. A new idea could be unsettling, could rock your world. It includes Sean's concern that we could be wasting time on developing new ideas. Which I don't agree. Even failed experiments have their uses. It allows us to grow so we finally get it right.
So, I'm throwing 'this in there. It may be time for a new business venture. Good Luck!
Post a Comment