No Inspiration For The Industrialists

Note: Today's post is channeled from above, i.e., it's inspired.

But there's no inspiration for the industrialists. What they do is uninspired.

The biggest proof for this, and my main point, is that everything for them, and everything from them, is second hand. And being second hand, it's second best.

The way I see it, from a point of view which is inspired, is that their ideas are stolen, in the sense that all they are doing is working with adaptations of existing products, naturally occurring shapes and things that match the same. For example, they are constantly exploiting the natural shape of, say, our hand, by making mass-produced cups that are easily accessible to the hand as it is.

One sign that this is so, again with the example of the hand and the cup, is that odd shaped or cups made in exaggerated sizes are sold in specialty shops, as novelties, being part of a niche market. So much for the cup!

What they've done with the wheel, to take another big example, keeping it the natural round shape, is criminal, in my opinion, as they have taken much benefit and profit from claiming it. Make room for the rest of us!

In short, what I'm trying to get at, is that inspiration, being the faculty of seeing past what is, then being truly creative "from who knows where" is distinctly not their gift.

Now, I've been sticking up for cobblers, tinkerers, and craftsmen. In this case I will draw a contrast between them and the industrial powers, but not a strict contrast. There are similarities. However there are also differences.

The similarities are probably obvious, that with them generally as well, form followed function. The differences were in the surprising variations that came from the lack of mass production, making each item a variation on a common pattern but nonetheless different. The industrialists standardized things, taking some of the fun of life away in the process.

But I like to see it as more subtle than just that, the thing about mass production. I'm an old romantic at heart, as well as a realist, so I think it's realistic to believe the cobblers, tinkerers, and craftsmen also found their shapes -- their circles, squares, triangles, etc., and the accouterments -- within, patterning them on inner dynamics (realities), and less on callous imitation.

One big reason for this would be the fact that, though they produced items for profit, being able to produce less in a span of time, they had less of a crass profit incentive than do the industrialists. That, in my opinion makes them better.

The old timers were truly inspired. The industrial powers of today are not inspired. For them, it's all derivative.