“I know that I know nothing,” is probably one of the most profound quotes from Socrates.

The world loves fast thinkers! Since the early days of school, kids are rewarded for being quick in thinking, reaching the answers as fast as possible. On the other hand, the slow ones are punished, either with harsh words or lower marks. But is it really so bad?

While absolute lack of competence can always be a reason for slow thinking, but the kind of “slow” we are talking about is diffused thinking. As it turns out, some people are naturally more inclined to bounce off ideas against more far-off concepts compared to “fast thinkers.” But this type of thinking requires more time, and even leaves the thinker confused at times.

But society prefers order takers and procedure followers (a fair expectation to avoid chaos), something linear thinkers are naturally good at. On the other hand, creative thinkers ask more questions and can often make things messy, let alone following orders well (to clarify, when we say linear or creative thinkers, we mean predominance of a thinking pattern, not the absence of the opposite trait).

Over time, many of these diffused thinkers feel ostracized by society as they are tagged as “always distracted,” and even put on medication for conditions like ADHD. Rejected by the fast lane, they end up getting less promising degrees and low-paying jobs. And even though the reality is not so gloomy for everyone, but sadly this is the truth for many. And we need to change that.

It appears to be a war on creativity.

Towards a Fertile Land

The biggest advantage beginners have in a field is that they know very little. As a result, their thoughts don’t come with the biases of those who are at the field’s pinnacle, often having spent decades polishing their craft. Now if you look at these two extremes, the smartest person with years of experience will be a fast thinker but more unaware of their blind spots and hence more susceptible to errors. On the other extreme, a beginner will be very slow at thinking but less prone to making mistakes as they would reconsider every fact.

What we need is to find a balance. Grow the knowledge but still keep a beginner’s mindset, and as always it is easier said than done. You need to go slowww…

What makes a piece of land fertile? Availability of a variety of nutrients and surrounding conditions that promote the growth of life. But often, commercial farming, which focuses on growing the same plants repeatedly and extensive use of chemicals in the chase of a high yield, ends up leaving even the most fertile lands useless, stripping them off their nutrient balance. It takes intense effort and time to maintain fertility. It is a slow process.

Similarly, we want you to chase the fertility of the mind, not the yield. Yield will come naturally, but never sacrifice fertility to increase the yield. Go slow. Take mindless breaks, use mind-maps, grow both the logical and creative domains of your mind, and above all, absorb more varied perspectives in life, through traveling, mental models, books, and more.

Become fertile. Become whole 🌿