Joshua Kennon on the bridge between idea and action.

Joshua Kennon talks a lot about the bridge between idea and action. Here’s a compilation of the things I’ve seen him write on this topic.

Ideas converted into the real world

Ideas are worthless unless converted into action. Understanding microwave rays won’t do anything for you but building a microwave oven turns that knowledge into popped popcorn. Knowing how to build a violin won’t fill the world with a single note unless you actually do it. No one will hand you the life you want. No one will make your dreams come true. You are the only one endowed the power to bring those things into existence.

Everything you see in life, from the freight trains you pass to the food you eat, the car you drive to the clothes you wear, exists because somewhere, a man or woman made a choice to convert an idea into action and transform matter into a form he or she desired. Whether a skyscraper or a cinnamon roll, someone had to think, take action, and bring the manifestation of their thought into the world.

The idea of “someday” is important. Rand talks about the notion that the greater the mind, the longer the time perspective. The fool thinks only of the moment, the wise man of centuries. You should always have the “someday” goals in your mind; the things you will do when you are able and ready. But you must make sure that “someday” doesn’t become a crutch or prison from which you never escape. When you use it, you should always follow up with a mental question to yourself: “Why not today?“

If you say to yourself, “I’ve always wanted to play the piano.” Why not today? “I’ve always wanted to eat at that restaurant.” Why not today? “I’ve always wanted to go back to college.” Why not today?

That one question has enormous power. All life comes from applied action; kinetic force that moves and shapes matter. Every railroad, every highway, every computer, every lamp, every book, every pair of shoes, every work of art, every song ever composed, every automobile, every store, every button, every pen, every candy bar, every air conditioner … all of them came first from an idea that someone converted into matter.

This is all, of course, another way to say, “Faith without action is dead.” Great truths never change. They are as universal and foundational as chemistry. Everything is causality. — We Who Thought and Acted

Applied action, or action based on ideas, from the reliable disciplines such as chemistry, engineering, physics, create the modern world.

Coffee Percolator

I’ve stood nearby as the process roared, a tempest brewing inside the steel container. It amazes me that prior generations used knowledge of physics, chemistry, and engineering, applied that knowledge in a rational way to make human life better, and then manufactured a tangible representation of that knowledge that was now sitting here, before me. The awe that filled me was the same kind that many people feel when they walk into the Sistine Chapel or see the Bill of Rights for the first time.

What makes mankind great and truly extraordinarily exceptional, is embodied in an old-fashioned percolator. Sure, the advances may seem more impressive with time — tiny microprocessors, space travel, biomedical advances; but the spirit, the core of what we are doing, is the same.

A person who builds a coffee percolator is doing more for civilization, and contributing more to the future of mankind, than a floor full of derivatives traders. In his work, he is virtuous.

This is the reason I appreciate the beauty of a well made piece of furniture or a tightly designed software program; a great symphony or a beautiful work of art. Knowledge is only useful and valuable when it is applied and turned into benefits for humanity. The mission is to make life better for more people. Do that and your time on Earth is an overwhelming success, regardless of your net worth or education credentials, family name or past mistakes. — The Gospel of the Coffee Percolator (or What Have You Done with Your Life?)

Knowledge applied creates the art and technologies that bring us enjoyment, today. Think Netflix and it’s A/B testing.

Idleness is sweet, and its consequences are cruel

“La molesse est douce, et sa suite est cruelle.”
Translation: Idleness is sweet, and its consequences are cruel.

Attributed to John Quincy Adams, in his diary. Unverified.

I read that quote and something occurred to me: I am successful not as the result of luck or chance, but because when others talk about writing books, I’m am in my office putting pen to paper, crafting a manuscript. While others talk about starting businesses, I’m getting licenses, permits, and regulatory filings prepared, approving vendors, and reviewing budgets. And while others say, “Someday, my ship will come in,” I have already long jumped off the cliffs and am swimming full speed toward the boat, gun-on-back so I can take it over when I climb aboard (battered and bruised, perhaps, but still alive). — “La molesse est douce, et sa suite est cruelle.”