Its very common for us to think like this, to become custodians of our ideas as if they can be literally stolen. I guess the argument does make sense, specially in a world of copyrights and patents. Ideas are worth money and the prospect of someone making money with our idea, sounds like a nightmare, the ultimate injustice.

Artificial Scarcity

   A society that loves the idea of suing an intellectual thief is also programmed to believe, subconsciously of course, that an idea is also irreplaceable. As an artist when I was younger I struggled with the notion of having one of my songs stolen by a famous musician, and never seeing a penny for it. I guess its not necessarily unreasonable for me to think that way, but it was more than anything insecurities being displayed in their ugliest shades.

   Now that I'm older, the hypothetical idea of having a famous musician steal one of my song, actually brings a smile to my face. That would simply validate my skills as a songwriter, and without even trying too hard, I could easily demonstrate the song to be mine. In other words, I'm no longer afraid of someone stealing my idea.

There is always more

   And I guess that is the important lesson to understand. If you have a good idea, the potential to come up with one that is just as good, if not better did not get spent, when said idea was born. My point is that "inspiration" as scarce as it can be to find hypothetically, in practice is a situation that we can attempt to recreate. And ideas and/or inspirations are but solutions, and responses to necessities being tackled.

   It really is self defeating to tell yourself, you will never have a better idea, a better piece of art, a better song that one specific one you once created. There is not one single rule in any particular book depicting a law of such scarcity. The great idea, the great inspiration, came to existence because of you, because of who who you are, because of your circumstances, and one day without a doubt, if you are ready, a better one will be born.

It's quite liberating

   To let go the fear of missing out, to let go the debilitating thoughts that make us believe that the map to "el dorado" was just stolen from our hands. Imagine for a second, maybe as a mental exercise that money means nothing to you, that the purpose of you creation is simply to create, simply to communicate, simply to leave a footprint in the sand. How would it feel then to know that someone wants to echo your thoughts? How would it feel then to imagine someone singing your song, long after you are gone?

   Of course I love some of the things I've written, I've said plenty of times I believe my songs to be my babies. But maybe, in the same sense that a parent's healthy love does not hold back the true potential of a child, maybe, we can do the same for our ideas. Maybe we can learn to not hold back our imagination, because we are afraid the thoughts will leave our mental nest.

Its a process, and maybe not that easy to partake of it

   It could be a combination of years mixed up with bitter and sweet moments. But I no longer care, I no longer fear an idea being copied or "stolen" to add drama to some words. Just today I had someone approach me about the @helpie project. A turkish community wants to start a @helpie of their own. I think its great, I even delegated some SP to help them get it up and running. Because the moment I put the idea out there, the moment I decided this is what I wanted to do, it became not only mine, and the process of its growth was complete when it got its very own legs.

Enough rambling with a cup of wine for me tonight...

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