THE EUREKA DISCONNECT EFFECT
How Big Ideas Are Needlessly Squandered Every Day
If it had been anyone besides Archimedes to have noticed the rise of water while easing into a warm bath, would he still have discovered the buoyancy principle? As it turns out, the question is moot, but it does seem the anecdotes of humankind’s great discoveries often hinge on the tiniest of details, relying upon an unlikely culmination of improbable circumstances.
In other words, “What were the chances of that happening?” But therein lies the beauty of an epiphany: it only requires a fleeting moment of clarity to make a tremendous impact. Like the proverbial bolt of lightening, it brightens the inspired’s entire world, and then is gone just as quickly.
Yet how often over the grand sweep of Time has the “wrong” person climbed into the tub, or conversely has the “right” person been the one to take a soak, but who ends up with nothing more to show for it than wrinkly toes? We’ll of course never know, but once is one time too many in my opinion.
With every life that expires on any given day across the Earth, the non-renewable resource of that departed individual’s insights is lost to all. And that is a shame. Though that person may not have had the capability, interest, or wherewithal to take action and make the countless sacrifices required to bring their dream to life, it isn’t necessarily true that no one did.
It is worth noting that often times when a person has managed to accomplish something noteworthy, frequently against great odds, they rarely thank all those who doubted them, or, more often than not, who actively discouraged them, but rather these impactful individuals instead credit the handful of people in their lives who cultivated their efforts by providing encouragement and support. (A study might be in order here, but anecdotal evidence offers ample indication which way most folks lean when told an idea, and humankind is collectively far worse off because of it.)
But wouldn’t the World be a better place if we instead made a deliberate, concerted effort to serve as each other’s Muse? Couldn’t future generations benefit, perhaps greatly, if we acted collectively as inspiration for the life’s work of another?
It’s an oddly selfish impulse to keep our best concepts to ourselves, if for no other reason than the fact that a widely acknowledged “great idea” reflects positively on its creator. In the end, isn’t it better to live to see your concept brought to fruition than to die knowing it dies with you? I believe the answer to these questions to be a resounding “YES!”
Sadly, I am seemingly in the minority in this belief, and currently have scant resources to do anything about it. Can the same be said of you?