Why is changing the world easier than convincing others that you did it?

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

This photo captures one of the key moments in human history, the moment that changed the world. But the most remarkable thing is that no one paid attention to him. Let's try together to figure out why contemporaries do not notice many great inventions.

One day in December 1903, two brothers-inventors Orville and Wilbur Wright, for the first time in history, raised a structure vaguely reminiscent of a modern hang-glider into the sky. The device stayed in the air for 12 seconds and flew 36 meters at an average altitude of 3 meters. It was then that humanity conquered the sky.

However, neither on this day, nor the next, nor in the next few years, no one, except the neighbors of the Wright brothers, paid attention to the eccentric experiments. If we delve into the newspapers of that period, then the first mention of some brothers-inventors we will meet in the New York Times only in 1906.

In one of the issues of the newspaper for 1904, you can find a remarkable interview with the owner of the balloon, which fully reflects the comic nature of the situation. The journalist asked the balloonist if people could ever fly like birds. To which he replied: “I think that one day they can. However, this will happen in the very distant future. Probably, some flying machines will appear, but only very, very soon. As we understand it, this issue of the New York Times came out a year after the first flight of the Wright brothers.

In the middle of the 20th century, historian Frederick Lewis Allen wrote a book in which he revealed the details of how the world learned about the Wright brothers.

Frederick Lewis Allen historian

Several years have passed since their first flight, and people have just begun to understand the significance of the Wright brothers' experiments. In 1905, ordinary people were still firmly convinced that a person born to crawl could not fly. And the first professional journalists were sent to the inventors' workshop only in the middle of 1908. From there, they returned ecstatic and insisted that their stories be published. Only after this moment, the world finally opened its eyes and realized that humanity had conquered the sky.

The situation with the Wright brothers' invention is in many ways universal. Unfortunately, our history knows many similar examples that highlight one simple truth: there is nothing really difficult about changing the world. It is much more difficult to convince others that you did it.

Jeff Bezos American entrepreneur, head and founder of Amazon

You just go and do what you believe in, what you really believe in. But enough time should pass for the people around you to stop criticizing your activities. And if you are really sure of what you are doing, you will not be afraid to be rejected or misunderstood. This is probably the essence of being a pioneer.

This is actually a very important message. Indeed, often things that instantly won universal love are only improved versions of long-familiar products. They only become popular because they are similar to what we were already familiar with. The reality is that the most revolutionary inventions at the beginning of their journey are rarely in demand, even among very smart people.

Exactly the same situation happened with Alexander Bell when he first tried to offer his invention to Western Union. “Your phone is of no value to our company, it has too many shortcomings. Unfortunately, it is impossible to consider it as a new means of communication,”the scientist replied.

The appearance of the first car was also met with negative feedback. In connection with this event, the US Congress even issued a special memorandum.

Horseless carts, which are propelled by liquid fuel, are capable of accelerating to 20 miles per hour. This is a real threat that, poisoning the air, awaits us on our streets and roads. Further development of this machine could lead to the abandonment of horses, which will negatively affect US agriculture.

It took Henry Ford 20 years to convince the public.

Situations like these, which are full of history, tell us that any promising ideas inevitably go through these seven stages:

1. Nobody knows about your invention or product.
2. They find out about the invention, but find it insignificant.
3. People begin to understand your idea, but still do not see how it can be applied in life.
4. Your product is perceived as a toy.
5. Your product is perceived as an amazing toy.
6. They start using the invention.
7. People cannot imagine their life without your product.

Wandering from one stage to the next can take decades, occasionally less. Looking back at the experience of past years, one can draw three main conclusions for oneself:

1. Truly innovative ideas take a long time to change the world. For revolutionary projects to come true, you need to learn to wait.
2. If inventions are evaluated on a multi-generational scale, success should not be measured quarterly. Our history is replete with examples of how long and sometimes unexpected changes can be.
3. Invention is just the first step. It takes about 30 years on average for a new idea to find its place in our culture.