A thought on ideas
Weird how ideas come and go. At first I was sure I had millions of them floating through my head, now that I'm about to post nothing comes to mind. So after some pondering here it comes, one of those millions floating.
Where do ideas go after we pass away?
Isn't it weird? We spend so much time in our life communicating ideas, using various systems: speech, writing, etc. We spend so much effort, time, money and more just to be able to communicate what we think is of the highest importance. Then comes one day when it all vanishes. Whatever idea that was not expressed in a tangible form is gone forever with the person that thought it.
But, is there any importance to some stupid thought that passed through my mind? Yes, the thought doesn't have a meaning to anybody else, nobody might ever even uderstand it. But, isn't it precious to you, the one who thought it? As stupid as it may be, doesn't it have some value to you just given the fact that it's yours and no-one elses?
Now comes the worst of them all. Your thought was precious to you because you figured it all out by yourself, right? What if someone else though it up as well? Do you still feel it's special? I know, I do. I will never forget the great feeling I had when I thought up a genial connection between Sukkot and Pesach. What do you think happened once I found out that this idea was a chidush written by the Ba'al Hatanya? I couldn't possibly be happier.
Which brings me to some other tought. The importance different societies apply to different values. As Judaism considers every generation less than the one before, the highest honour that can be bestowed upon a Jew is the comparison to the older generation. Tell a Jew his idea has been brought up in the tosafot and you put him in seventh heaven.
For some reason this is not true in Western society. A worker won't get paid for reinventing the wheel unless there's some added value.
What's the difference?
My personal opinion: the difference in the aproach towards final goals. Western society has a utilitarian goal. Computers weren't invented to just be there, they have a purpose: to make life easier. (If they actually do that is another question) But not only do you need a purpose, the purpose must be tangible (I consider emotional needs to be tangible as well). Jews have a goal which is not "tangible" in the sense that it doesn't even change your feelings. (Technically of course. A person who works according to a certain system will obviously have feelings accordingly). This causes the work to be a goal in itself. I invent the wheel and I actually know I'm gonna get paid for it, although it had been done for generations.
Which brings me back to the start of my post. What happens to those ideas after we pass away? Well it depends who you ask. Same goes for those million and one stupid ideas.
It's all a question of values
That's it for now,
NB Please, don't forget as this is a "pensieve", I just store ideas. They might be right or wrong, and they might make no sense at all. So please don't kill me for writing nonsense.
(edit 2019): Sometime during 2006, I wrote a few blog posts on a blog which I opened on Blogger. I'm saving these here, just so as to keep things together.