Ideas can outlast human lives, last for generations and spark revolutions.
Steve Jobs is no more but his ideas still live on in the tools many of us use daily. I interact with his ideas every day.
Thomas Edison’s ideas live on whenever we turn on the switch every evening to illuminate our living spaces.
Ideas of Ancient Greeks around democracy live on as people vote during midterm elections in the United States or state elections in India to put their desired political leaders in power.
Ideas for gender equality from its early advocates live on as organizations and societies modify policies of the past in response to activism.
Good ideas improve the quality of life in this universe. Bad ideas can do the opposite. Like good ideas, bad ideas can last a while. But history has shown us that bad ideas tend to be replaced by better ideas eventually, either incrementally or by an order of magnitude. Occasionally, at great cost to humanity, bad ideas can take the place of good ideas, albeit this is almost always temporary.
It’s not hard to have good ideas. Great ideas take a little more thinking. The courage to share those ideas with the world — that’s a lot harder. The willingness to work to convert an idea into an actionable plan and to actually take those actions — that requires a lot of effort.
But how you begin is by having ideas. Ideas come from observing and thinking. Ideas are refined by sharing.
Ideas are harder to come by when your mind is constantly consuming or working day in and day out without reflection or thinking. Ideas come more easily when your mind is not tired.
On the plane of māyā / physical manifestation of reality, ideas feel rather abstract. But on some higher plane, ideas seem like living creatures — breathing, growing, moving.
Ideas are special. Ideas are mysterious. Ideas are the invisible, visible secret sauce of this universe.