The Importance of Ideology

A sophomore at Harvard, in the Fall of 2003, had a falling out with his girlfriend. Drunk and in a tired haze, he developed an idea. The idea was to compare pictures of female undergrads to each other and have students rate them based on their physical attractiveness. This was clearly his way of coping with his recent breakup however, the site went viral in a matter of 4 hours and generated enough activity to actually crash the Harvard system. From there he would go on, with the help of investors and friends, to develop the greatest social networking site of all time, facebook.com. Now this should not be perceived as new information to those who have seen "The Social Network", but Mark Zuckerberg, at the age of 28, is now valued at 19.1 Billion dollars and was a billionaire before the age of 25. All of this stemmed from an idea, and this idea changed the world.

The earliest memories that most of have from our childhood involve make believe. Playing "Cowboys and Indians" in the backyard or "Barbies" with elaborate "soap-opera"inspired dilemmas. All of us were dreamers. Are dreamers. Fueled primarily by the depth of our creativity and the attention spans which we possessed, we all created our own little worlds. Growing up, however, takes it's toll on the creativity and functionality of a young persons mind. A moment comes in every persons life where it is no longer "cool" to fantasize and dream, and from there layers of creativity begin to peel away. Eventually we get older and where do we end up? In a cubicle lit by florescent lights and chat about the winner on "American Idol", then proceed to leave our mediocre employment in our overly priced SUV's (which we can hardly make the minimum payments on) to end up at a dinner table with undercooked chicken and insomnia when our head hits the pillow. Not a shred of creativity remaining. Think about it. Is that the life you dreamed up when you were a kid? Where did our imaginations go...?

Now I'll settle with you. There is absolutely nothing wrong with a desk job. It keeps dinner on the table and keeps a roof over our heads. Over half of available jobs out there are working in an office building and with unemployment in April 2012 at 8.1%, I'd be satisfied with simply having employment. With this said though, there is a problem with running through each day in a cyclical fashion. Not stopping once to think outside the box or revel in the ideas of what could be. That is the point I'm trying to make. Dream my Wanderers. That next big idea is out there, so take it. What's wrong with dreaming? No one can take it away from you. The power to create and to invent has become a lost art and should not be overlooked and certainly not be taken for granted. Everyone is special, and everyone has the ability, just like Mark Zuckerberg, to change the world. The power is in your hands, don't let it go to waste. 

We are the now. The products, websites, and new inventions that people will be talking about in the years to come will be made by us. We hold the key to our future and clench the power to make a difference. I'm not talking about money, fame, or notoriety either. I'm simply getting down to the fundamentals of exercising our own minds and branching out into the vast world of creativity. Let your imaginations run wild my Wanderers and let's see how much we can change in the next 20 years. Wander through the wide open and unchartered to discover what no one else can. Open your mind up to new possibilities and learn about the things you don't understand. You only get one shot at this life. Let's see if we can't put it to good use and one up Mark Zuckerberg to our ideas that we've yet to discover.