I would like not to cut any new channels of consciousness but simply dig deeper into old ones that have become silted in with the debris of thoughts grown stale and platitudes too often repeated. 'What's new?' is an interesting and broadening eternal question, but one which, if pursued exclusively, results only in an endless parade of trivia and fashion, the silt of tomorrow. I would like, instead, to be concerned with the question 'What is best?,' a question which cuts deeply rather than broadly, a question whose answers tend to move the silt downstream. There are eras of human history in which the channels of thought have been too deeply cut and no change was possible, and nothing new ever happened, and 'best' was a matter of dogma, but that is not the situation now. Now the stream of our common consciousness seems to be obliterating its own banks, losing its central direction and purpose, flooding the lowlands, disconnecting and isolating the highlands and to no particular purpose other than the wasteful fulfillment of its own internal momentum. Some channel deepening seems called for.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Rather than constantly seeking novelty, we should dig deeper into existing ideas to find what is truly best, moving beyond trivial trends.
- In plain terms
- Focus on deepening old ideas instead of chasing new ones.
- What can you take from it?
- Prioritize depth over breadth in thinking.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- When is novelty essential?
- How can we balance depth and innovation?
Another view
Ignoring novelty can cause stagnation in fast‑changing fields.
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