Are you linked “in series”?
Ever notice that you associate one name with a field of knowledge. Pythagoras. Freud. Newton. Others you can think of. All of them lights so bright most of their followers cast shadows. Out of every school of thought there were many who adopted the system, practiced its skills, and perpetuated its knowledge. Pythagoras gave us the Pythagoreans, but you are probably hard pressed to name others in his school. Philolaus ring a bell?
Occasionally, someone in the field of endeavor also appeared to shine as brightly as the first in the series, but usually, that person did so because of something new, some startling new take on the old system. Euclid gave us geometry, but then Riemann gave us another kind of geometry, one that influenced Einstein. Freud gave us psychoanalysis, but then Jung gave us another form of psychological analysis. And those who stepped out of line a bit, like Riemann and Jung, started a new series of imitators or perpetrators that, also, cast shadows of anonymity under the bright light of their founder.
Take two light bulbs of different wattage. Your guess? The higher wattage bulb will outshine the lower one. Now think unequal wattage in two bulbs placed in series. Then what happens? I can put a 40-watt bulb at the beginning of the series and put a 60-watt bulb second. Normally, if separately powered, a 60-watt bulb would outshine a 40-watt bulb, but when it is placed first in a series, the bulb with the lower wattage outshines the higher wattage bulb. Simply put, to shine more brightly, the 60-watt bulb can’t come second in the series. Lined up first in a series along a single wire, the 40-watt bulb (which has greater resistance) gets more voltage than the 60-watt bulb.*
Jung worked closely with his mentor Freud for a while, but eventually, they disagreed on the nature of the psyche and its motivation. The breakup took Jung out of the series to become the new first bulb. Similarly, though Galileo had led the way for Newton in the understanding of gravity, the latter became a new first bulb, and in turn, Einstein started another series.
In some ways we all begin somewhere downline in a series, and regardless of our potential brilliance, we cast shadows under the light of those who have set the standard for brightness. It’s only when we step out of the series that we can draw the power necessary to outshine those who have come before us. Place matters.
Want to outshine others who might even be a little smarter or a little more talented? Be the first bulb.
Ever notice that you associate one name with a field of knowledge. Pythagoras. Freud. Newton. Others you can think of. All of them lights so bright most of their followers cast shadows. Out of every school of thought there were many who adopted the system, practiced its skills, and perpetuated its knowledge. Pythagoras gave us the Pythagoreans, but you are probably hard pressed to name others in his school. Philolaus ring a bell?
Occasionally, someone in the field of endeavor also appeared to shine as brightly as the first in the series, but usually, that person did so because of something new, some startling new take on the old system. Euclid gave us geometry, but then Riemann gave us another kind of geometry, one that influenced Einstein. Freud gave us psychoanalysis, but then Jung gave us another form of psychological analysis. And those who stepped out of line a bit, like Riemann and Jung, started a new series of imitators or perpetrators that, also, cast shadows of anonymity under the bright light of their founder.
Take two light bulbs of different wattage. Your guess? The higher wattage bulb will outshine the lower one. Now think unequal wattage in two bulbs placed in series. Then what happens? I can put a 40-watt bulb at the beginning of the series and put a 60-watt bulb second. Normally, if separately powered, a 60-watt bulb would outshine a 40-watt bulb, but when it is placed first in a series, the bulb with the lower wattage outshines the higher wattage bulb. Simply put, to shine more brightly, the 60-watt bulb can’t come second in the series. Lined up first in a series along a single wire, the 40-watt bulb (which has greater resistance) gets more voltage than the 60-watt bulb.*
Jung worked closely with his mentor Freud for a while, but eventually, they disagreed on the nature of the psyche and its motivation. The breakup took Jung out of the series to become the new first bulb. Similarly, though Galileo had led the way for Newton in the understanding of gravity, the latter became a new first bulb, and in turn, Einstein started another series.
In some ways we all begin somewhere downline in a series, and regardless of our potential brilliance, we cast shadows under the light of those who have set the standard for brightness. It’s only when we step out of the series that we can draw the power necessary to outshine those who have come before us. Place matters.
Want to outshine others who might even be a little smarter or a little more talented? Be the first bulb.
* V=iR
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