#901: New and Different

“The most sustainable quest is the one for the non-existing”

As we withdrew ourselves from the endless struggle for the New and the Different, a deeper underlying problem was exposed. Namely, the question of how to recognize, or even establish, Relevance. It was clear though, that we weren't going to find it by turning to the opposites Old and the Same.

New	Old
Not New (used, second hand)	Not Old (recent, up-to-date)

Different	Same
Not Different (insisting, sceptical)	Not the Same (conflicting, inconsistent)

Some people are approaching a limited set of problems (N) in an indefinite amount (∞) of ways, continuously fabricating a new angle. Although their changing anwers might look unreliable, witnessing their obsession is gratifying. Gradually they get closer to the essence of their inquiry.

On the contrary, some people are dealing with ever changing circumstances in the same way over and over again (they have developed a mannerism; never change a winning team).

There are people who do something else, in a different way, all the time. They are hard to pinpoint, and their moves might occasionally seem random or at least inconsistent. Depending on their outward manifestation we would label them inconfident, easily distracted, etc. Most optimistically however, they could be eligible for being a homo universalis.

Finally, and rather unfortunately, there are people who are pulled towards one recurring problem, and respond equally predictably. This lack stands out the most in a crowd though.

N → ∞	∞ → N
∞ → ∞	N → N

Harm van den Dorpel / @disssociations