Back in 2020, when I had just begun reading and continued speed-reading for six months, after finishing, I soon realized that the content of basic non-fiction books was almost the same. They all tried to motivate the reader to read more books. Every author seemed to write the same thing but in a different way, and that didn’t feel right from the perspective of having new ideas. Because at the end of the day, if you are thinking at the same intensity as all other readers, what difference does it make to the world?
To have original thoughts means to be curious. In today's world, this idea is more relevant than ever, especially in the age of the internet, where your brain is overloaded with information, text, and different forms of content—something I believe is enough to rot your brain.
Isn't it sound weird ? Because most of our lives now revolve around the internet. We can't go back to the Stone Age either. The internet is a graveyard of information that presents the same knowledge to us in different forms, styles, or with slight modifications. This leads to the main idea of this blog—"Are we tricked into not having original ideas?" Sounds interesting, doesn't it?
Let me ask three follow-up questions related to this:
1. Are we forced to think the same ?
2. Have we lost human rationality ?
3. How can we think originally ?
I'll try to answer each of them separately.
1. Are we forced to think the same?
Just as I gave the example of non-fiction books being written on the same topics but in different ways, that was just the tip of the iceberg. Let me ask you something—Do you relate to Ryan Gosling memes ? Even if you are happy with everything in your life and have no problems, you still somehow try to relate to them. Or have you normalized racism, religious, and cultural jokes in the name of dark comedy ? Because the entire Instagram comment section is filled with these things. Or do you hate BTS, anime, and hardcore Virat Kohli fans—just because a certain group of people has different choices?
This is Gen Z in a nutshell. So, did you notice a pattern ? All these notions, perspectives, belief systems, and thoughts are shaped by others through the internet. I challenge you to ask yourself—are your thoughts and beliefs about certain things truly original ? Now this leads to our second question.
2. Have we lost human rationality ?
Rationality itself means the ability to distinguish between what is right and what is wrong. But it seems like we are losing this ability day by day. Today's generation follows the beliefs they are fed by social media and blindly accepts them. My words may seem harsh to the irrational but awakening to the rational.
What we think about all day is mostly decided by the internet. And most of the things we come across—news, information, video clips, and images—are either wrong or half-truths.
Recent trends such as:
Biblical things called Dyson Sphere spotted (only in the USA) – Later found to be a camera focus problem.
Deep-sea creatures returning to the surface – footage shared for popularity.
Leviathan, a mythological creature seen on Google Maps – It turned out to be a nearby island in Taiwan.
Not only social media but almost all information available on the internet is unreliable, except for a few verified sources. As I'm currently pursuing my bachelor's degree, I sometimes need to clarify concepts, but I was shocked to find that even online teachers explain concepts incorrectly.
And if you think AI is the best for academics and explains everything perfectly, let me remind you—you’re using the unpaid version, and it clearly states that it is prone to mistakes. I’ve personally experience this many times, and most of the time, it gives out-of-context replies when asked specific questions. It is fine if you're using AI for rewriting, expanding, summarizing, idea exploration, or structuring, but it’s clearly not for learning.
I'm writing a sentence for this decade—"AI can paint like Picasso but can’t paint like itself."
Now, what is the point of all this ?
Dependency—Today, people are overly dependent on second-hand sources like AI, social media, and YouTube, being fed biased information. Therefore, I suggest going through original source materials such as books, experienced professionals in the field, research papers, and annual reports. Then, make notes and write your own perspectives on those topics. That is called learning.
Do you know who taught Alexander the Great ? The man considered to have conquered the world was taught by none other than Aristotle himself. And do you really think you can achieve something extraordinary by learning from AI and social media ?
3. How to think originally ?
Now, you might be wondering—how can we escape these problems ? Let me introduce a few ways to achieve extraordinary thinking.
Do the right thing at the wrong time.
Stop reading news from social media. Avoid joining debates or discussions online. Read topics that are not being taught in class or that truly interest you.
There’s a physics test tomorrow ? Great. Read financial ratios instead. Don’t worry, you’ve already studied physics for your math test. Stay up at night, sleep at noon—turn the cycle upside down.
Listen to music that’s not on the charts. Watch movies or series that your friends haven’t suggested. In short, stop keeping up with the Kardashians.
Seek rare stimuli.
One of the major factors to consider while choosing a book to read is:
"How likely is it that any of my friends are reading this right now ?"
If there’s significant uncertainty about that, the book should be considered less important—throw it away. Instead, prioritize books that are less likely to be widely read by your peer group.
Dig deeper into the original sources of any reading material, news, information, or idea to gain firsthand knowledge of the subject. Be an original thinker.
Do unusual things, visit unusual places, take a remote-control car, remove it's motor, and make a fan out of it. Who would do that ? Okay, maybe your 10-year-old cousin would.
Build things with your hands.
Before the internet and social media, people were engaged mostly in physical work. All problems were solved by hand, leading to a deep understanding of the world's complexities.
Paint with your hands, write, sculpt, bake—get your hands dirty with physical tasks. Practical knowledge is far superior to theoretical knowledge.
Conclusion
The core idea of this blog is to reflect on the fact that nobody seems concerned about "original ideas" anymore. Relying too much on unreliable or unverified information can cost you—both monetarily and non-monetarily (creativity, experience, wisdom, rationality). The key takeaway is to avoid dependence on second-hand inform
ation sources, and eventually, you will find your own solutions to problems.