Ozymandias
I met a traveler from an antique land,
Who said -- "two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert ... near them, on the sand,
Half sunk a shattered visage lies, whose frown,
And wrinkled lips, and sneer of cold command,
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed;
And on the pedestal these words appear:
My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings,
Look on my Works ye Mighty, and despair!
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal Wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away." -- Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822) This is absolutely amazing poetry. I feel like a fraud for even posting it. Have I already mentioned how depressing it is that all the great thoughts have already been thought? And how all the great words have already been spoken? On the other hand, if everyone thought that, I suppose nothing would ever be done. One of the most depressing things for me is when you come to what you feel is some brilliant conclusion and discover someone years ago already discovered it. It's not the discovery of the older work that's depressing; it's the deflation after you realize your thought has no unique value whatsoever. It always makes me feel like I should become a historian before I try any original thought. As a note, I have never experienced the other side of this scenario, where I have thought something I thought was old and discovered no one else had ever thought of it; it's possible the opposite scenario is just as depressing. If I was really smart, I would take the fact that someone had already looked at the problem and all the mental power they spent coming up with a conclusion as directional advice. E.g. If there's a big X on the ground and hundreds of shovel marks in the middle, you are encouraged not to spend any time digging right where the X is, but can instead try to use some other solution. But if everyone thought that way, then there would be no shovel marks on the red X! Ah paradoxes. They go round and round until you stop and say "Ah paradoxes. They go round and round until..." Oh, by the way, The Strokes are amazing. Stop whatever you're doing and go buy their albums. D
Who said -- "two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert ... near them, on the sand,
Half sunk a shattered visage lies, whose frown,
And wrinkled lips, and sneer of cold command,
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed;
And on the pedestal these words appear:
My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings,
Look on my Works ye Mighty, and despair!
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal Wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away." -- Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822) This is absolutely amazing poetry. I feel like a fraud for even posting it. Have I already mentioned how depressing it is that all the great thoughts have already been thought? And how all the great words have already been spoken? On the other hand, if everyone thought that, I suppose nothing would ever be done. One of the most depressing things for me is when you come to what you feel is some brilliant conclusion and discover someone years ago already discovered it. It's not the discovery of the older work that's depressing; it's the deflation after you realize your thought has no unique value whatsoever. It always makes me feel like I should become a historian before I try any original thought. As a note, I have never experienced the other side of this scenario, where I have thought something I thought was old and discovered no one else had ever thought of it; it's possible the opposite scenario is just as depressing. If I was really smart, I would take the fact that someone had already looked at the problem and all the mental power they spent coming up with a conclusion as directional advice. E.g. If there's a big X on the ground and hundreds of shovel marks in the middle, you are encouraged not to spend any time digging right where the X is, but can instead try to use some other solution. But if everyone thought that way, then there would be no shovel marks on the red X! Ah paradoxes. They go round and round until you stop and say "Ah paradoxes. They go round and round until..." Oh, by the way, The Strokes are amazing. Stop whatever you're doing and go buy their albums. D