Allow yourself to wander to the dark side of your moon
We all know Newton figured out gravity and was an absolute genius. What many don’t know is that he also spent a lot of time trying to convert stuff into gold. Yes, he was into alchemy[1].
It’s easy to think he was nuts when looking back. But, the question to ask is: Was Newton a genius despite believing he could figure out alchemy, or was he a genius because he allowed himself to entertain ideas outside the standard comfort zone?
Nobody realizes that some people expend tremendous energy merely to be normal — Albert Camus
I often think about the drive to fit. Innovation is being at the edge of what’s possible and believing we can push that limit. It also lets us relax and be comfortable in our skin and mind.
Most of us stay up late in the evening because late evening is the only time we truly own. This applies to both people with day jobs and entrepreneurs. If you tell someone you watched a movie at 2 pm on a workday, people will roll their eyes, but if you did it at 9 pm, they will ask you what you thought of the movie. It is because we are supposed to do good for society during work hours!
Society pushes us to be normal, and most people turn out “fine.” Remember the high school bully/moron/crapshooter you met last year? He’s a solid family man, plumber, and active in his community. And the wizkid, who everyone thought would become a preacher or politician? He’s an electrician, father of two, and a nice guy with a booming laughter. They both turned out fine.
Then there are the others — the ones you thought were criminals, who flunked out, or were into wild ideas about digital currencies. Some ended up in jail [3], homeless, or scary and still around — but some of them became professors, entrepreneurs, or scary (in another way) and still around.
If we plot everyone in the high school, they fall on a standard distribution from crazy bad — bad — “normal” — good — crazy good. What we rarely talk about is that the two ends meet.
As there are more people in the middle, it’s like a gravity field pulling them “into the light” and away from “the dark side of the moon” (where the crazy live).
Our fear of not belonging makes us afraid of being on that side. It’s the strongest human fear. In a time of individualism, we still want to be part of a herd. “I’m a unique person — just not that unique.”
What is the “alchemy of the 21st century?” I don’t mean reading subreddits about longevity, joining random Bitcoin groups on Discord, or going on a Pokemon hunt — I mean an obsession you have where you want to understand something deeply, master it, or uncover the truth. It is probably something others consider myths or magic. Something “absurd.”
“Absurdity is significant. If it makes sense, I don’t trust it.” — Jeffrey Kripal [5]
What stops you from pursuing your ideas and venturing out in the Overton window [4]? What hinders you from exploring the dark side of your moon and finding out what is there?
As inspiration, ask yourself: Was Newton a genius despite or because he could entertain the thought that magic existed?
