Inventions

Invention is one of those words that always invokes a mental picture of a crude drawing on a piece of paper, with arrows and words added at key points to bring it to life for whomever we might share it with. It is a wonderful image of the “birth of an idea.”

All of us have the potential to start this magical process inside our fertile imaginations, allowing our thoughts to come together to form something so original in its concept that it literally begs us to set it free, and share it with the world. And so it begins, as we set pencil to paper, and our “baby” comes to life.

Keeping in mind that all inventions are physical manifestations of original ideas, we look to the purpose of each invention to discover the “original” idea. This is where we uncover some very disturbing facts. We discover that many inventions are being used for purposes far removed from its original intent, much to the chagrin of the inventor.

To discover when an invention has taken such a path, we must look for the foundations that are always the root causes of original thought. With all inventions we find all sorts of interesting roots, but by and large, most of them involve saving us time, improving the quality of life, and increasing our productivity. Inventions that don’t fit these parameters are usually born of “single parents” and soon become “orphans.”

We have all benefited from the advances in civilization that have come from the fertile imaginations of those who have successfully transferred their thoughts from mental images to pencil drawings on paper. Unfortunately, we have also now begun to suffer from what happens when those original ideas escape from their original intent, and take on a life of their own.

What we are talking about here is not, the “birth of an idea,” nor our “baby” coming to life to improve the quality of life. It certainly can’t be said to be responsible for an increase in our productivity. These “inventions” are not the original “brainchild” of their creators, but “monsters” that have taken on a life of their own.

Before we continue in our search for wisdom, look around you at the inventions you have surrounded yourself with. How many of them waste your time instead of saving it? How many threaten the quality of your life, your health, and your relationships instead of improving them? And, how many of them are responsible for a decrease in your productivity?