Searching for the Philosopher’s Stone in the Modern Age
Isaac Newton was one of the most impressive scientists to walk on earth. (The dude invented calculus!)
But Isaac Newton also believed in some of the most ridiculous, mythical ideas, too. (He was equally obsessed with alchemy, searching for the philosopher’s stone.)
Isaac Newton’s fellow scientists of his day, ones in the Royal Society, shared the same disconnects: While they discovered modern breakthroughs that would change the way we understood mathematics and science, they would also adhere to their old beliefs in mermaids, or mad theories like the sweat from a hanged man’s hand having healing powers…
Discovering a new breakthrough doesn’t mean one abandons a false myth…
We are not immune to this in our modern age.
It’s not that we still believe in mermaids or alchemy; but a new philosopher’s stone: We believe that the simple act of posting a video on Youtube or Facebook or Twitter will instantly reach stardom. (Going viral can happen to anyone!)
Or that the key to getting a new job is signing up for LinkedIn and spamming every acquaintance’s email account.
We believe that music still needs to be made in expensive studios on $100,000 recording budgets. We equally might believe we can “do it all ourselves” and achieve greatness on a budget of zero because of the Internet…
Truth or reality often get lost somewhere in the middle. The philosopher’s stone we seek is usually not real. A Youtube video doesn’t simply go viral without other factors. Sure, $100,000 budgets for recording aren’t necessary, but I doubt many people can achieve greatness on $100 and only using Garageband and a cheap microphone.
Yes, our songs or art have the potential to reach an audience, but that doesn’t mean it’s any easier today than 20 years ago, even if posting to the Internet is as easy as a click away. It still needs to reach people…
There is one philosopher’s stone that is real: That is the wonderful feeling you get when you have created something, whether it’s heard by thousands of people or only your own ears.
My musical friend (and engineer) Mark Sobczak said the two best feelings he’s had are falling in love with his wife, and finishing a song.
Artistic expression is as close as we will ever get to turning ordinary substances into silver and gold.
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