Dear Friends,
It seems to me, anyone can come up with an unlimited number of reasons why a thing cannot be done, but only a select few can come up with reason how to do something. History shows that it isn’t the former group, who move humanity towards prosperity, health and technology, but the latter group who improve the lot of Man. While it is easy to get discouraged, to stubbornly remain encouraged, takes will and vision. Moreover, nothing ever invented or created by humans didn’t it’s detractors who said it can’t be done, those sad people who lack vision are a huge drag on humanity’s ability to solve our problems. It’s like telling someone drowning in knee deep water, they cannot get out, when all they need do is stand up. Once a thing is invented, those same people will try their best to take credit and control of it. This is important for everyone to understand, nothing is impossible, someone just hasn’t figured out a way to do it yet.
Perhaps the most widely known example of an idea being stolen is Eli Whitney’s cotton gin. Before he invented a mechanical way to remove the seeds from cotton it had to be done by hand. A very expensive and labor intensive process. Slaves were the most economical way to remove the seeds and the demand for cotton was a strong incentive to have slaves. Even though the work was done by slaves cotton was very expensive and so only the wealthy could afford it. Most people couldn’t imagine a way to remove the seeds mechanically so the old way survived for centuries. When Eli Whitney invented a mechanical means to remove the seeds, the implications were huge, the price drop and greater availability of cotton clothes allowed anyone to own a cotton shirt. His invention, one that was considered impossible, evolved the cotton industry and improved the lives of every human born since.
Yet that invention was stolen by those who had neither the intelligence, vision or gumption to have invented it themselves. They might not have been smart enough to invent it, but they were greedy enough to steal it, claiming it for their own. Ben Franklin’s patent process, originally designed to protect the inventions of visionaries, was turned against a visionary. It took decades of litigation before Eli Whitney got the patent back, but even so a judge refused to force companies that were using Whitney’s invention, to pay him royalties for it. That process has played out many times in the past, lowering our standard of living immeasurably. Today our government is attacking the patent process with all it’s might.
Mention an idea to most people and the response you will get will be almost universally negative. They will hammer you with explanations why it won’t work. You will face opposition from the very people who would benefit the most. This is because most people lack vision, they believe, it has always been this way and so it will always be this way. Many think if it was a good idea, someone else would have thought of it before, others will simply scoff. It seems to be an attribute of humanity that most close their minds as soon as a new idea is mentioned then set themselves against it with the fervor of a zealot. Which seems to have become the role of government, to stifle innovation of individuals, and push innovation that empowers government.
Mention an old idea that has failed over and over and since it is something they are familiar with, they will jump on board. As crazy as it is, people eschew the new and take comfort in the old, even when the old has been proven a failure and the new appears to be a winner. No place is this more true than with those who call themselves progressive. It is almost like they label themselves the opposite of what they are, to hide the fact. Mention that there is an unlimited amount of resources and they will scoff, tell them that there is no upper limit on the number of people, and they will call you a lunatic, it is as if they want the lot of humanity to be suffering and want. Which only benefits those who are above the average lot of humanity.
Lionizing visionaries has been what has made America exceptional. In the past, school children have been regaled with stories of Ben Franklin’s inventing the Franklin stove, Thomas Edison’s inventing the light bulb, Savory’s invention of the steam engine, Jefferson’s ideas about liberty, Morse’s invention of the telegraph and Gutenberg’s invention of the movable type printing press. These men were taught as heroes to American school children. A sense of awe was instilled in American children for those who have vision, and as a result, those children went on to invent and see possibilities instead of impossibilities. Today, our government monopoly schools don’t teach how visionaries are great men… but slave owners, greedy businessmen and megalomaniacs. Children are taught to be naysayers instead of visionaries, and so are no different than children around the world, who are also taught to stifle innovation instead of embracing it.
There are still a few among us however who see things differently. Those few see possibilities instead of impossibilities. They have the ability to envision ways to bypass old road blocks and forge new paths. These are the people who move humanity towards a better future. Like Eli Whitney and his cotton gin, an invention that lowered the cost of a cotton shirt so anyone could afford one, these visionaries cut a trail to the future. Sadly, most and especially government, hold the visionaries back, tugging at their shirt with negativity, inculcating our children that entrepreneurs are bad, tripping them up with regulation and dragging on them with taxation. We all suffer when the naysayers win, we all benefit when the visionaries win, yet most of us side with the naysayers. Isn’t it time to teach all children the world over to see possibilities instead of impossibilities?
Sincerely,
John Pepin
