Take Your Thoughts Seriously.
Do not be lead by other deeply demented people.
Trust thyself: every heart vibrates to that iron string
- Ralph Waldo Emerson, Self-Reliance
When did you last take your thoughts seriously?
Have you ever wondered if your contemplations were not just meaningful but correct?
As children, we are done a great disservice with regards to decision making. We are brought into a world where decisions on where we live, how we dress and what language we speak are already made for us. We are not encouraged to question why things are the way they are. In fact, the adults around us are unable to answer those questions for themselves. They have been thoroughly indoctrinated and any questions from us serve as a reminder of their servitude. This tendency to default to authority is especially harmful in an era where anyone with a camera and good lighting can be seen as an expert on YouTube.
This sets in motion an inclination to disregard our unique thoughts and ideas. We begin to imagine under the false pretense that our thoughts are wrong, uninteresting or ridiculous. If you are fortunate to have a parent that fosters your curiosity, count yourself as one of the lucky few. However for the rest of us, we are tasked with the arduous responsibility of reparenting ourselves. We have to rediscover our curiosities and guide ourselves in exploring them. However, before we can fully grow the muscle of self-reliance and self-determination, we are confronted with some deeply philosophical questions such as “what should I study?”, “where should I live?, and “what should I do with my life? ”
These questions, although difficult, can be made easier if we consider the following things:
Firstly, conventional ideas lead to conventional outcomes. Especially in the time of online courses and YouTube adsense revenue, there is a monetary incentive to seem like an expert. These YouTube videos are rife with conventional advice. We not only have to deal with worried friends and family when we stray off the conventional path but are also inundated with internet advice to stay that way.
Unconventional wisdom has changed the course of history. Brian Chesky of Airbnb, wound up accruing $25,000 in credit card debt while trying to fund AirBnB. Conventional wisdom would have told him not to get into debt to fund an idea that allows strangers to temporarily move into your home. The same can also be said about companies like Uber and Lyft that allow people to enter the cars of strangers, completely disregarding decades of safety advice. Maybe conventional wisdom is stifling your creativity and you need a little mad thinking.
We are uniquely significant beings, and as such we have unique needs. As ill equipped as you are for the trials of your life, you are unfortunately the best custodians for your destiny. That should inspire us to take drastic action because every other person around us is vastly under-qualified to guide our lives.
The people who we look to for guidance and authority were once students in the library following their curiosity. Simultaneously, they are deeply flawed individuals. We are all riddled with anxieties, fears and trepidations. So why then would you let another deeply demented person guide you? We are all going through life for the first time and all struggling through it. Unfortunately, no one has been given a comprehensive guide book on living authentically.
The internet is large enough for you to find someone that thinks like you. Put your thoughts out there pseudonymously and find your tribe. You will find that you are not crazy and other people share the same perspective as you do.
Fear is a privilege reserved for those who will live for an eternity. We mere mortals do not have the privilege of wasting time on unfruitful emotions such as fear or anger.
Our minds are a fertile place for great ideas to spring forth. However, we are quick to disregard our thoughts as irrational, unachievable or bizarre. If we put our trepidations aside for one second, we could imagine our insights as valuable as those of great thinkers in the past.
All we would need is the courage to take our thoughts seriously.
Wholesome!