4 ms·
It seems to me many people are so amazed by the fact they for once had an original thought that at this moment they stop caring whether it is actually a good on
by atoav 2y ago
It seems to me many people are so amazed by the fact they for once had an original thought that at this moment they stop caring whether it is actually a good one.
It is crucial to maintain mental flexibility and one does that by thinking things through, killing your darlings, admitting when ideas are wrong or simply just mediocre. Only because it was me who had an idea doesn't mean I have to defend it at all cost. The idea isn't me.
- teaearlgraycold 2y agoI am sure this is not an original thought.
- circlefavshape 2y agoOne of the big downsides of the internet is the cold water it constantly pours on my idea of my own originality. Every time I think of a great idea I find someone else has already thought of it (well, almost every time)
- chii 2y ago> Every time I think of a great idea I find someone else has already thought of it that's because an idea's greatness does not come from the creator, but from the other people affected by the idea. And most ideas dont affect anyone.
- Jerrrry 2y agoOriginality does not exist, humans are not capable of purely original thought. Closest you can get are unique sentences.
- circlefavshape 2y agoIf this was true then we would all be thought-free, unless every thought a human has thunk originally came from our non-human ancestors
- Jerrrry 2y agoCollective (un)concious, yes. There is no parallel chains of unconnected thought. We are barely, rarely more than the sum of our parts on average. We have very convincing illusions of free will though - like the apparent exhibition of agency.
- zelphirkalt 2y agoThat does not make it a etter or worse idea though. Realistically, most people will only ever have ideas that someone else somewhere else will already have had. Does that mean, that the idea is commonly known? Not necessarily. It is also still an original idea in terms of you having thought, that was not easily derived from what you know (but probably somehow derived, like all thought likely is).
- ForOldHack 2y agoI have been staring at this comment for over 2 hours. It is brilliant on so many levels... During that first hour, two people DMed me, and said a couple of my practices are genius. I think that this is one of the very most important ideas I have ever read on YC: "It is crucial to maintain mental flexibility and one does that by thinking things through."
- atoav 2y agoQuite a compliment, thanks. I learned this approach in industrial design school, where you're surrounded by a whole class of other people who also have their own ideas. You sketch your ideas and there is a real danger of falling in love with something too quickly and cramping to push it through. And then you realize, it only looked good on paper, or only looked good to you, or to were mistaken about its functionality, proportions, readability or whatnot. Those who want to create great things cannot afford to fall into love with them. You can fall into love with a particular problem or question, but not with a specific solution, especially not if you came up with it.