ORIGINALITY IS NOT REINVENTING THE WHEEL

Lessons to save you from expensive mistakes

People go through penance to be creative. They bang their heads on the desk, sleep in the ice water or even try psychedelics.

But there is a simpler way to be creative, the stoic way.

Creativity occasionally can mean creating something that has never been created before.

But most of the time it is about discovery.

When they launched the rocket into space they didn’t invent the screw.

It’s expensive, unreasonable and stupid.

They bought the screw from the market.

Then does invention mean doing everything from scratch? Or it means to make use of available resources to rearrange things to make something that is useful.

We as a society are putting a lot of effort into educating our offspring.

But does education really instil knowledge?

Does it encourage critical thinking?

Sadly no!

We are constantly falling into the trap of Amathia.

Amathia — ‘dis-knowledge’ instilled into the soul by bad upbringing and bad education, consisting of false values notions and beliefs.

A condition which either induces evil deeds or makes a crowd susceptible to follow orders. Slaves.

Schools used to look like factories when there was a need for labour during industrialisation, today they look like corporate offices.

Socratic fought this social condition all his life, while also advocating for people to wake up from sleepwalking, to see the sun of truth, Sophia. Sophia = Wisdom

His allegory of the cave stands to this testimony.

“Wisdom alone is the good for man, ignorance the only evil” (Euthydemus 281d) — Socrates

Then what is the way to go about it? Especially in the world of business and marketing.

These few simple tricks are the true key to creatively doing a task.

Questioning — Oikeiosis

Uncover the deeper thoughts with questions.

Although asking the right question is also important, starting with simple questions would be beneficial to evoke thoughts and build new connections of understanding.

Here are some examples:

Why do we study?

Why do I go to work every day?

What does happiness really mean?

You can add to the list according to your needs.

Furthermore, write down every possible answer you can think of for these questions.

I keep a notebook for this.

Whenever I am stuck with a critical decision I write down the question and jot down the pros and cons along with the answers.

It offers clarity in situations where the outcome is uncertain.

It helps to navigate the reality aligned with our own true nature.

It also decreases the dependability for finding answers to personal quests.

Moreover, it brings courage to question the conventional wisdom. You will stumble upon an angle of concept that has never been discovered and stated before.

More profoundly it will help you reach the “oikeiosis”

Oikeiosis — inborn capacity, rooted in our self-perception and self-interest in preserving our constitution and promoting its growth, that was the anchor of all ethical development.

Self Awareness — Prosoché

Practice “prosoche” to maintain vigilance over your thoughts and judgments.

The practice of self-awareness is the most important aspect that can be integrated into human life.

Not only Stoicism but many other streams of self-inquiry like Taoism, Zen and Advait (non-duality) point towards awareness.

It is simple if you are not attached to the outcome.

Be aware of every action you are doing in day-to-day life.

Only do it mindfully, forget about what will happen and focus on what is happening. What is about to happen will happen, you don’t have to worry about it.

Be aware of the person who is working while you are sitting at the desk.

Inquire about who you are. Who is the one who is thinking about the thoughts?

Prosoché — the attitude and the practice of attention, as well as mindfulness. Observing our sensations, emotions and thoughts, focusing one’s awareness on the present moment.

Rationality — logos

There is a method to everything.

A seed sprouts to become a plant and a tree to bear fruits.

Fruits are not multiplied without a method.

Respect this formality of occurrence.

Rationality is all about turning information into knowledge and knowledge into wisdom.

This process is accomplished by using the information to acquire knowledge and applying it to turn it into wisdom.

Strive for intellectual humility while pursuing originality in your thoughts and ideas.

Originality

I want to close this stream of thoughts with a comment on the originality.

Originality what we think it is, is a myth.

Everything that you are thinking about is already done and said.

Then what does it mean to be original?

It is saying things that are already said, looking at things that are already there, and reminding people about them by pointing out the unexplored perspective about those things.

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