Disclaimer: The topic of this blog was going to be "Chaos Breeds Innovation," but I thought, why not cover the suffering side of things too?
Let’s see. Imagine you live in a disciplined city where every law and rule is followed, crime isn’t tolerated, and anyone who breaks even the smallest rule is punished. Everything is regulated by the government. Would you like to live in such a city? Well, you might think so, but soon you would get bored. This kind of city, which doesn’t allow chaos, usually suffers from a lack of innovation. What innovation has come out of Singapore or Saudi Arabia? None. Both of these countries are strict.
This is also why I think schools are creativity killers. You have to follow a strict schedule: get up early in the morning, brush your teeth, eat breakfast, catch the bus, go to school, get your nails and uniform checked, attend the boring morning assembly, go to class, endure the same old boring lectures, have lunch, and then go back home. Where is the outlet for chaos here? Where is the fun? Sure, you can have fun between lectures and during PE periods, but the point is that when things are so strictly scheduled, our creativity dies off. You cannot force creativity; you have to let things happen.
The same is true for chaos. Have you seen how chaotic Indian cities are? Yet, we still have no innovation here. Why? Because we have turned everything into a jugaad. Jugaad is what happens when you have creativity but no capital to back it up.
Chaos is the default setting of an Indian city because there is no law and order, and even if there are laws, no one follows them. Why? Because the risk vs. reward is highly skewed towards reward. You break a traffic light; what will happen? Nothing. What do you gain? You arrive at your destination 400 milliseconds earlier. Wow! Such a great achievement.
On the other hand, look at America. They also have a chaotic society, but much of it stems from the liberty of their citizens. People enjoy a different kind of freedom there and exercise it. There are young people building rockets in their garages and then flying them in the desert.
I don’t intend to compare India and America because, well, America is rich in natural resources and has a vast landmass, while India is smaller, denser, and, frankly, corrupt to its core. But you get the point, right? Controlled chaos vs. chaos.
Innovation needs an environment where people are allowed to make mistakes and move forward. Indian society doesn’t allow failures. Oh, your rocket exploded? Shut down your company and get a job at some consultancy. (I think this would legit happen)
Coming back to the correlation between suffering and personality: suffering makes a boy into a man. How? There is no biological barrier that one needs to cross to become a man; there is, however, a mental one. Once a person has suffered enough, you can see it in their personality. They are either eternally depressed or show signs of maturity. What is maturity? I think it is the culmination of various experiences that helps one navigate social situations with ease.
When a person is introduced to uncontrolled chaos, they suffer and go through various situations that make them experienced, and that builds character. Yes, one has to suffer and walk the path of uncertainty to reach a position where he or she is comfortable with the amount of effort put in to achieve that place. It is an endless cycle; you cannot escape suffering. Well, you can if your family has generational wealth, but then your suffering becomes something else entirely. I cannot comment on that because I belong to a middle-class family. I can only talk about my experiences.
Suffering builds character; chaos breeds innovation. You see where I am going? No? Even I don’t. Don’t worry; if I isolate both of them, you will understand, right? Cool.
Have I suffered enough? Maybe. Has that helped my character? Maybe. I have some stories to tell now. Has being pushed into chaos helped me? I am more tolerant of chaos now; I don’t feel uncomfortable with it. Yes, my stress levels do increase, but we have to deal with it. You can’t be a wuss forever.
fin.
