On Think Pieces and The Will Behind The Idea

 “I come from the internet and I can type!”

A think piece is by definition, an article presenting personal opinions, analyses or discussions instead of merely laying bare facts. Social media platforms have made it easier for individuals to share ideas and opinions on any given topic. While this advancement should allow free thinking to flourish, it can be argued that the exact opposite has occurred. The eternal principle that is action and reaction not so subtly dictates the inevitability of a polarized culture with even the slightest differences in opinion causing greater differences at the tail ends of any given distribution. Echo chambers and radicalism are a manifestation of this. In such instances, every ‘writer’ is only interested in exploiting their personal brand of verbal glitter, always signaling (Insert drawn out speech about egregores here).

Unto every individual, an idea. While the vast majority will readily agree with the ‘truth’ in that statement, an even greater percentage might agree with the maxim, “…some ideas are more important than others.” Claims to the former rely entirely on the belief in the existence of a will within every individual i.e. the will to create, while claims to the latter rely entirely on mastery of grammar, rhetoric and the strength of logic/ critical thinking i.e. the ability to effectively communicate will(the form). Subscribing to the former without the latter produces the ‘uneducated’ creative, whose idea is readily rubbished by your average intellectual whose mastery of the latter and suppression of the former has created a form of tunnel vision and snobbery (for purposes of clarity the two categories shall henceforth be described as such).

For the ‘uneducated’ creative, a constant worry might be, “others will judge me if my ideas/opinions suck”. While this might be true, a useful approach is to understand that having a less than perfect/holistic idea is normal and leaves room for other intellectually honest individuals to develop it. I use intellectually honest because, not every criticism is useful and one must always approach each and every one with this at the back of one’s mind. To disregard all criticisms is not useful. Remember, Hegel said, thesis, antithesis, and synthesis. 

Your average intellectual on the other hand, brimming with confidence (sometimes read arrogance) faces another fear altogether in my opinion… “People might steal my idea”. While such a fear is obviously valid in a society filled with competition, it suggests a much deeper problem i.e. a lack of creativity. I consider it unhelpful because there is no opportunity for growth and while it might present itself as an honest and rational fear, it is the exact opposite. Irrational because, all fears are and dishonest because; (a) the idea may not be good enough (b) everyone is already invested in their own ideas and (c) the idea may not be feasible and as such cannot be executed.

This piece might just be an appeal to honesty which if I painted a word picture, would work its way along the lines of individualized creativity, giving it a sense of beauty unseen anywhere else and presented to the observer with the vivid hues of grammar, rhetoric and logic, giving it a clarity that promises to lodge itself in the mind, persisting long after it has been presented and perceived. Every individual contributing a useful piece to the collective. Answers to what, why, how,... being revealed one honest contribution at a time. A thought verbalized ceases to exist on that plane, taking on a new form altogether. It doesn’t belong to the individual anymore. It cannot. Which might suggest the fact that the individual is merely an instrument of will.

In the spirit of honesty however, sometimes the goal is simply to impress (LK) or infuriate (…) and so a think piece might just be a useful-knight in Mucu bae’s game, giving and taking Ls for fun. “I come from the internet and I can type!”