Productive Frustration is Going Extinct
As a kid, I climbed trees because I could.
I also asked questions.
Why are there so many different kinds of clouds?
Is there meaning of the stars? What are the smallest and largest things in the universe?
What would it have been like to live with dinosaurs?
Could I be a superhero?
These are the questions I specifically remember turning over in my 10-year-old brain. I'm certain I'm not the only kid who ever wondered random things like this.
These are also the kinds of questions that make us human. My dog will never about clouds or stars or history or magic. No animal does, with the exception of humans.
The times they are a changing.
Now when we have questions, we pull out smart phones and find a search engine. It's fast. It's frictionless. We don't have to wonder about any of these things anymore.
This is a precarious place to live.
Human creativity is nourished by boredom. Moments alone with only our own thoughts has been normal behavior throughout our human history. Until now.
We're rarely alone without input. Music, books, podcasts, feeds, photos, news, blogs, vlogs, chat, videos, tweets, and more are available at every moment of every day. The potential to consume is more than any one person's capacity to consume it. Our questions have answers within three clicks. Anxiety levels continue exploding.
Google is a giant spoiler. The internet cuts off productive frustration. Director JJ Abrams gives a wonderful TED talk about his magic, mystery box.
In the end, there is a difference between a mystery and a puzzle. Puzzles can be solved. Mysteries must be pondered.
We are far too satisfied to quickly solve life's puzzles with the giant spoiler box in our pockets.
Take some time this week to ponder a mystery. Take a walk. Stop consuming. Ask a question and don't Google the answer.