“Why is it so important what – others have done? Why does it become sacred by the mere fact of not being your own? Why is anyone and everyone right – so long it’s not yourself? Why does the number of those others take the place of truth? Why is truth made a mere matter of arithmetic – and only addition at that! Why is everything twisted out of all sense to fit everything else? There must be some reason. I don’t know. I’ve never known it. I’d like to understand.”
Ayn Rand, The Fountainhead
I tend to limit myself, and more dangerously so, to convince myself that I do so for my own safety. When in truth I just like my comfort zones, I can pass an entire weekend on my bed behind my laptop with no complaint. But it’s not healthy. It is absolutely necessary to leave your room or desk to have an adventure! And working is no excuse, Nietzsche said; “All truly great thoughts are conceived by walking.” Go find inspiration.
I’ve missed out on a lot because I was busy, scared, intimidated, lazy, or disinterested. And I’ve learnt this lesson before, but it’s easy to slip back into old habits, so I keep reminding myself. It’s not the outside that’s icky it’s my perception that’s skewed.
The above quote from Confucius can apply to so many things: thinking, art, design, science, fashion, decorating…
It reminds me of the Einstein quote: “Any fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius-and a lot of courage-to move in the opposite direction.”
It also reaffirms my opinion of unnecessarily dense philosophical texts.
my purplehoneyjar 