Twice this week I have read my own thoughts in other people’s books. On two separate occasions, one fiction and one non-fiction, I have read things that I have written before. Don’t get me wrong, I am not for one minute suggesting that either of the authors had taken my ideas as their own. There are seven billion people out there and it is very unlikely that any of my thoughts are unique.
However, both books were written well after I had written my version. I know that, as they appear in my blog and my books. Their words are much better written than anything I could have come up with though.
How did I feel then? I was delighted, I still am. In the first place I was amused to see others coming to the same conclusion as I had and, in the second was fascinated by how similar thoughts can be created independently. Thinking and changes in society can emerge in multiple places and on multiple occasions. It is a bit like evolution, in that some thoughts will emerge and wither on the vine, only to come back and flourish at a later date.
It is said that the best way to have good ideas is to have more ideas. Thes best way to generate more thinking is to put your ideas out so people can see them and consider them. You don’t necessarily need to be right.
Reading these books has told me that my views on how the world works, or rather should work, are on the ascendency. People of influence are painting a vision of the future that I buy into and it supports my natural optimism that the future can be a better place. Not that I need my optimism to be supported or encouraged.
If you are interested, the books are ‘Tangled Fortunes’ by Kate Baucherel and ‘21 Letters on Life and Its Challenges’ by Charles Handy. They are both well worth the read.
Thoughts from a Guerrilla Worker 