Infantile Novelty
18.05.25
The great disease plaguing young minds is novelty. An attraction to the unusual and the new often comes at the cost of foundational principles. There is an established canon to any art or science, and anyone who learns novelty first will be blind to it. There is an entire history of good and established works waiting for the young learner, but it seems like everyone wants to indulge in the popular ideas of today.
I want to read what is important and well-regarded throughout history, what has endured the test of time. These great works are the treasures of mankind, and I want to be in touch with them. I grew up with television and video games, and I never knew anything about culture and history. I feel as though I need to right a wrong and learn from the best. I do not want to consume for the sake of it. There must be an output to their input.
If I want to create, I have to learn from the greats. I feel like I missed out on a proper education, and I only learned to survive and never to excel. I need to read more books and read better philosophy, even the boring and old works. My mistake was to drown in novelty and pretend to be in the know. Baudrillard, Deleuze, Zizek: all of this so-called theory. I want nothing to do with it anymore. It all belongs in an edutainment video essay for fools to enjoy.
However, that is where it all began for me. I looked for greatness, and I saw what was popular in the niche circles. In my investigation, I discovered a deep history of the men before them. I put away childish things, and I sought the timeless masters. The more I read, the less I know. I now realize how blind I once was. I wanted to be a cool specialist who knew all of the niche philosophy guys, but I know how silly that is now. I want to learn what is right and established. Only then can I discover the meaning of any deviations.
Shakespeare, the Bible, the Greeks. Why do I neglect it all? Do I seriously think that I'm better than it all? It's time for me to get back into reading the greats. Funnily enough, I used to be better when I was a child. I would read Plato and Locke even though I couldn't understand them. I must absorb what is canon and apply what I have learned. For the good of my future, history is waiting for me.