Table of Contents
Words of Wisdom
No matter what people tell you, words and ideas can change the world.
Robin Williams
The Philosophy of an Idea
What words or ideas of wisdom call upon you? There, you may just find the seedling of a dream looking for illumination.
The foundation of any endeavor begins with an idea. What are these figments of the imagination that take over us like a diamond in the sky, or should I say like a Daemon from within?
A lightbulb comes to mind when discussing the passion that arises within. Not only was it one of the greatest inventions of the 20th century, from which all modern technology owes its lineage, but when viewed symbolically, it also represents the seen and unseen figments of one’s empirical reality and the imagination it can foster. Harnessing the power of electricity in the sphere of an earth-kilned glass bulb must have caused a radical state of artistic excitement in the young Edison, who sought to change the world through the power of an idea.
Yet, the philosophy of the idea is not a new construct. It goes as far back as we have disciplined thinkers who sought the origins of the spiritual possessions that take over the quiet mind to kindle the fire of passion within.
Some 2500 years after his death, the lineage of Socrates’ ideas remains present. He listened to his voice of reason to discern possibility and take correct action when faced with personal choice. We know this voice as consciousness; its toolbox is the conscience, or that inner guide that helps us discern good and bad actions.
For Socrates, he listened to the voice of what not to engage versus what to take on. While he made many enemies in his endeavor to find one wiser than he, in the end, his lineage of thought and the positive change it created stand as a clear building block from which we can learn about ideas and actions and how they can create collective change through the doorway that opens in the individual psyche.
The Power of Ideas
The Role of Ideas in Shaping the World
The power of an idea lies in its capacity to elicit change. While I am conservative in approach, believing every change must have a strong foundation from which it can stand, I attest that the progress possible in these little seeds of germination is infinite. Yet, falling back onto the ideals stated in the Sower and the Seed parable, I know that an idea’s role in shaping the world only occurs when it lands in the right field and is nurtured through hard work to find fruition.
13 That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. 2 Such great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd stood on the beach. 3 And he told them many things in parables, saying: “Listen! A sower went out to sow. 4 And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up. 5 Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. 6 But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they withered away. 7 Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. 8 Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. 9 Let anyone with ears listen!” (Matthew 13: 1-9)
The power of ideas is present in this passage. A seed is germinated and ready to grow. Yet, where on the Earth shall the seed be sown? Some will be eaten. Have you ever told others of an idea to have it stolen and carried out by someone more ready to work its intent?
The soil will choke out some seeds. In this case, the internal ground does not have enough energy to sustain the nurturing nature needed to allow the seedling to flourish. Some seeds fall among thorns. Have you ever felt the sting of criticism, especially that which is not constructive? If you have, you know what it feels like when that gem of an intention falls upon deaf or adversarial ears.
Ideas need time, place, and space to grow. However, as an ill-advised barrage of doodads and new inventions seems to be buying our precious time, how can we create a little bit of that needed commodity to cultivate, create, and nurture that idea into reality?
Nurturing and Cultivating Vision through Action
To nurture your personal passion, that nature of which remains in a symbiotic relationship with the lightbulb created within, we must develop techniques to generate those images into reality. While everyone can engage the world of an idea, many may have yet to exercise the neural net in a way that allows for creative functions to flourish more freely.
To engage in out-of-the-box thinking, one must create time for creativity. Psychoanalysts have long known the power of free association to lead one into the depths of one’s psyche. While Sigmund Freud understood the healing effect of nurturing the storyline within, his predecessor, Carl Jung, expanded upon his theory to show that those storylines form the basis of active imagination, a key construct for healing and directing one’s future.
To create, we must nurture creativity. Only through action, not thought, can we prime the internal environment to welcome those seedlings of inspiration and foster the ground from which the vision can aspire. This leads to the question: How can we nurture and cultivate the mind to be more accepting of the ideas that may prompt its development?
- Meditation: Contemplation and Mindfulness exercises, even if for 1 to 5 minutes, practiced over time, allow the mind to be still in a quiet place where it can be listened to. In the quiet, space is gained, a sacred place needed for life to grow.
- Free Associate: Free association is a psychological technique that allows you to find kernels of passion by just writing down your thoughts. Journaling is an excellent example of this. What storyline is present while you engage your dreams, memories, or aspirations to come? What you find may be the seed of some hidden passion and idea begging to come to fruition.
- Actively Imagine: Remember when you were a child, and your teacher told you that daydreaming was bad. Forget that lesson. It was wrong then, and it is wrong now. Daydream, but learn to do it according to the task at hand. Daydreaming during a lecture may keep you from gaining the knowledge needed to realize a dream’s intent. However, when you create time, let’s say 1 to 5 minutes of quiet space, allow your dreams to flow, and your imagination will grow.
Where to Begin?
As I read Robin Williams’s quote, I could not help but think how important it is to understand that our words and actions matter. Yet, in the same facet, I cannot help but notice that the focus of change is always on the macro and not the micro. This occurs because it is exponentially easier to focus on others’ mess rather than simply bending down and cleaning the dirt beneath our feet.
A beautiful biblical parable encompasses this, which we will explore later. Yet, I cannot help but remember what Saint Mother Teresa once said,
“And so, my prayer for you is that truth will bring prayer in our homes, and from the foot of prayer will be that we believe that in the poor it is Christ. And we will really believe, we will begin to love. And we will love naturally, we will try to do something. First in our own home, next door neighbor in the country we live, in the whole world.”
Saint Mother Teresa (Nobel Peace Prize transcript)
While it is not the widely held quote that is actually not attributable to her of going home to love your family, it shows that the natural chain of events can support proper growth and change.
A family is as strong as its weakest member, and a community is as strong as its weakest family. This chain moves from home to neighbor, to country, and the world at large. What idea needs to germinate to help others in areas of weakness? Furthermore, when that weakness is overcome, what area of strength would develop to help foster other elements of internal strength?
The power of an idea starts within. Yet, it can change the world when we learn to harness its effectiveness.
My friends, may your journey to work the beauty of the world of ideas be filled with fruitful lessons in which you can grow wisely and advance confidently in the direction your dreams take you.
More from Dr. Thomas Maples
Shop Unique Aromatherapy Candles
It is our choice to believe in the beauty of dreams unfolding. When we direct our mind’s eye to belief, faith guides us in the direction necessary to realize our Self as it unfolds into its most optimal being.
Are you being your best possible Self? Dr. Thomas Maples explores our personal and collective journey to realize our ultimate potential through the lens of psychology, personal development, and the myths that drive our journey forward.
