Muscle
Power
“Great
ideas originate in the muscles.”
Thomas
Alva Edison
Any artist or inventor
knows that every truly useful thing, every finished product, is the
culmination of many attempts to create, and failing to do so. Thomas
Edison surely put years, decades, into creating the light bulb, the
phonograph, the motion picture camera and his many other inventions.
Hard work, persistence, patience in the face of failure, baby steps
along the way, and setbacks are the hallmarks of the innovative
person. A great deal of muscle and frustration go into even the
simplest of inventions.
We typical humans can learn from
that determination. Even in the making of a pot of soup, we are
creating something that didn't exist before. If we want that soup to
be extraordinary in quality and taste, we learn what flavors enhance
one another, which herbs and spices go best with which meats and
vegetables, whether this particular soup is better chunky or blended.
Trial and error are part of every creative process. If we throw up our hands,
and order out, we will never learn how to make truly good soup.
We have these big brains
for a reason. That reason is to further humanity's evolution—to
bring us, one step at a time, into the fullness of what it means to
be human. One generation builds upon the one before it, and passes
along to the next generation the skills needed to move forward. It
takes all of us using those big brains, and requires that we persist
in the face of failure. Each of us must find our groove, our gift,
our identity, and then pursue it in earnest. No other person, and no
government entity, can do this for us. If we are not moving forward,
we are moving backward. Let's press on, allowing our muscle-mind to
lead the way.
In the Spirit,
Jane
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