Today, I was watching an interview of Elon Musk (as I often do when I am in need of some inspiration), and I got to know that the very people Elon looked up to as heroes were highly skeptic of the path he was on, in regards to his space exploration endeavors.
When asked by the interviewer, an emotional Elon said that, that was quite painful for him but still he would never give up. That really struck a chord in me because I too have never quite understood this particular line of thinking where people are just skeptical about things and ideas without even considering the possibilities.
I have always had a progressive mindset, as I believe that the human race is capable of doing things that are considered impossible. This actually excites me more than anything else and that’s the reason why I love the world of technology so much.
So, it can be really painful and frustrating to see many people, in even today’s world, being skeptical about things or future prospects of a technology, when history is laden with examples of us achieving ever greater heights.
Why Be Skeptical In A World of Possibilities?
One of the things that I like telling people is that, if something is not breaking the laws of physics or won’t in the future, why would you be skeptical about it? Yes, it might take longer to achieve said thing, but unless it’s within the laws of nature, why say something is just impossible.
The past century is proof of the fact that there are so many possibilities (almost infinite if you are really feeling it) in the world that you could choose your own path and contribute to advancing the world instead of trying to bring the other person down who is merrily walking his own path.
Let me use Elon’s example to reiterate. He is single handedly trying to push the human race forward in so many different avenues that will change the world many times over and yet, instead of supporting his ideas or even letting him be, several people (even highly credible) have been ridiculing his vision.
What I’m trying to say is, if you don’t believe in something, why go out of your way, to make a person seem like a fool? Visionaries are always misunderstood and they are the ones who end up achieving what everyone else said couldn’t be done and they have the last laugh anyways.
The Art of Asking “What If”
You know what today’s world was built on? Ideas! Yes, ideas that were just thoughts in someone’s head, who worked tirelessly to bring them to existence. They are the ones who asked “what if”.
They are the ones who asked things like…. What if this works out? What if we are able to do this or that? What if this will change the world? The journey of changing the world begins with this question.
Instead of trying to come up with reasons why something won’t work, why not spend your energy to look for ways that it will! Isn’t innovation and progress things that we all want? Why no support these visionaries then or better yet be one yourself?
The world we live in is full of possibilities and as humans we have the gift of intelligence to achieve those possibilities for the betterment of our entire race. Why be a skeptic in such a world?