Entry 0002 :: The Idea, the Action, and the Journey
Thoughts are tickling my brain: What is more valuable? The action? The idea? The journey? How much does perspective determine value? My therapist said to me once,
You are valuable because you exist.
That quote has been popping up a lot in my brain ever since they expressed it in our sessions. Here I will attempt to bring attention to those thoughts so I can make room for more.
The idea. This is what drives me. Ideas are the calm before the storm. Sometimes the idea is the storm and taking action is what calms the seas. The value of an idea lays in its ability to motivate you to embark. I have heard some tell me that ideas are worthless. This confuses me. I find value in the idea. Ideas bring excitement to the drudgery of what life provides. I often wish I could track and organize all my ideas. Has an idea ever consumed you, leaving you paralyzed? That’s power. The idea of consistently posting to this platform, among other thoughts, are what is driving this composition. I woke up today compelled to write because I also want to improve my digital presence.
The Journey. I have aged into enjoying the Journey. When I think about my Journey, sometimes I am propelled into action. When ever I forget my Journey I become entitled, even more than what is usual. (I am a married middle class American white man so I got privilege but sometimes six year old David doesn’t want a PB&J with crust.) The Journey is how you learn something new. It is your perspective on reality. It is intelligence. I want to remove the rust off the top of my gas fireplace chimney. Have I done that before? Not exactly, but I did a little climbing when I was working for Connexion Technologies. Oh but my ladder is too short. What am I going to do now? Wait, I remember that my neighbor has a taller ladder than mine because I worked with him last holiday season, hanging lights for his clients. Let me tell him what I got to see if his ladder will solve my problem.
The Action. Ironically ideas and Journeys are a subset of Action. It’s tempting to simply conclude and strictly focus on taking action. Action appears to rule. Action is how another will remember you. The feeling you get when you get praise for taking action, when you check off an item off your to-do list. Action is the effect. It is also the affect. The Alpha. The Omega. It is impossible to exist in this reality without it. This is where reconciling which topic becomes “NP-Hard”. The value of Action can not be computed without its parents: Idea and Journey.
What is the point of an action? Why is there is a word to describe it? The answer to those questions exists clearly in the Idea. The idea is the why. The idea provides the attention to the Action. Action without attention creates hesitation. It is impulsivity. It is chaos. Action with the Idea creates memory. The relationship creates a meaning. Ideas give Actions value.
Remember when I saw you take action? I want to take action like you. How do you do it? The Journey is how we commune and collaborate. This is not just with other humans but all animals, spaces, and so on. But we don’t just share experiences. We also internalize. We reflect. Action without experience becomes insanity to others. It is Zeus’ punishment to Sisyphus. It is compulsivity. It is havoc. Action with Journey is the Story. It is how one finds connection. It is innovation.
I do believe Action holds the most value, at least in our shared reality. This is not to say that ideas and journeys have value. In fact ideas and journeys are required for every action. They hold the value for Action. But to be balanced, Actions and it value holders: Ideas and Journeys must all be considered.
What are your thoughts on this exploration? What sparks your ideas and motivates your actions? Let’s share and learn from each other in the comments below! I made a personal website. You can see it here.
