Only One First

Sep 18

Nobody wants to be a copy. But there has to be copies.

Logically, there can only be a single person who is first. Buzz Aldrin wasn’t it. Neither was John Adams. While that doesn’t mean that they were any less impressive, it does mean that they didn’t get to be the first in their respective areas.

But many people are not satisfied to simply be doing something that has already been done. They want to be first. So they make claims that mean nothing. They state that they’ve invented the wheel without realizing that history says differently. They’re either blissfully ignorant or possibly a little more nefarious than that.

This strikes deeper than simply attaining to some unknown peak. While for some people it might just be reaching for great things, it seems like those that make claims of “revolutionizing” something are just stuck in a world without the wild west to explore. They’re inventing frontiers where there is already a well-worn road. And they’re doing it because they can’t stand the thought of not doing something worthwhile in their lifetime.

Everyone wants to be a standout somehow. And you can. You don’t need to falsify your achievements to do it. In fact, perhaps it’ll come even quicker if you stop looking so hard for it.