Re: Aspie inventiveness?

March 3, 2005

For most of my career I was in Silicon Valley where I was surrounded

by venture capitalists, many of whom I knew to one or degree or

another. Many of the people I worked with went on to start companies

and get rich. I've had ideas and seen others think of them later on

and do something about it.

You're right about the existential problem if that's the right term.

To do this you have to have some " fire in the belly, " a strong desire

either to make a lot of money or to make a name for yourself. I have

no strong desire in either category.

If someone gives me an assignment, I can go off and do it happily and

feel motivated. But when it comes to originating something, I don't

feel highly motivated. Maybe it's connected with the ego issue we were

talking about earlier. I don't know.

Another problem is that I'm very good at finding problems with ideas,

and I often convince myself something wouldn't work out for one

reasons or another. Maybe that's because I really know the kind of

effort and exposure involved, and I know it would probably be too

stressful for me.

In any event, I feel from your post that I'm in the same boat as you

are. I'd really like to get a much clearer understanding of why I am

not more ambitious.

Ken

>

> Both when I've talked to Tom and now at the latest Aspie meeting, it

> has transpired that many of us are actually sitting on really great

> ideas. Ideas that are very innovative and could be a real commercial

> hit. But most of us don't bother to do anything about them. Usually

> for the the following reasons:

>

> 1. Not knowing how to go about it.

> 2. Lack of funding and help to create a prototype, get it patented

> etc.

> 3. Well-founded fear of getting ripped off.

> 4. Lack of ambition; a feeling that it might be too much of a hassle

> to be worth the trouble.

> 5. Not wanting to help create or sell more products in this world if

> it is something unnecessary.

> 6. Realizing that the change of it getting anywhere is microscopic if

> it is something truly beneficial to mankind and/or the planet.

>

> I've had several rather cool ideas myself, that I never bothered

> doing anything about. And some years later someone else got the same

> idea and actually created something similar (though not quite as

> good, beautiful and logical as mine would have been of course). ;-)

>

> Has that happened to anyone else here? (If you have a great idea that

> you haven't patented yet, you may want to still keep it a bit private

> though.)

March 4, 2005

Ken wrote:

> For most of my career I was in Silicon Valley where I was surrounded

> by venture capitalists, many of whom I knew to one or degree or

> another. Many of the people I worked with went on to start companies

> and get rich. I've had ideas and seen others think of them later on

> and do something about it.

Bit annoying that, isn't it?

> You're right about the existential problem if that's the right term.

> To do this you have to have some " fire in the belly, " a strong

desire either to make a lot of money or to make a name for yourself.

I have no strong desire in either category.

Same here. I cherish my privacy and even though I wouldn't mind just

a little bit more money, a lot more would only cause trouble and

worries and pull me back into a sort of accountant sphere of thinking

that I'm so relieved to have left behind. I can't stand anything to

do with money, figures, taxes and boring paperwork!

> If someone gives me an assignment, I can go off and do it happily

and feel motivated. But when it comes to originating something, I

don't feel highly motivated. Maybe it's connected with the ego issue

we were talking about earlier. I don't know.

I suspect that it is. I'm sort of the same; I too most easily get

motivated by being asked. Or if I perceive a real need for something,

then I may do it.

> Another problem is that I'm very good at finding problems with

ideas, and I often convince myself something wouldn't work out for one

reasons or another. Maybe that's because I really know the kind of

effort and exposure involved, and I know it would probably be too

stressful for me.

Right. That's another thing other Aspies have said too; they see all

the possible problems right away and that's often enough to deter one

who does not have a passionate desire for the fame and fortune you

mentioned.

> In any event, I feel from your post that I'm in the same boat as you

are. I'd really like to get a much clearer understanding of why I am

not more ambitious.

I think it has to do with our purpose for being here. Are we here to

use our receptiveness to ideas to help raise consciousness on this

planet or are we here to help improve the material Aspect of it? I

can only speak for myself, of course, and ideally I'd like to do

both. But the former actually seems to be what is on my path while

the latter continually turns into dead ends if I try to go down that

road. Very annoying since I know I could add so much improvement to

the material world if only given a chance. BUt I'm definitely not

willing or able to do what it takes to get into that race.

It makes me wonder though... if the majority of the population were

Aspies, we would probably have a lot less wars, pollution etc. But

would we actually get anything done at all?

Inger

March 4, 2005

Oooh, you're so right. Thanks for reminding me about our greater

purpose. I know that, but I keep forgetting and getting caught up in

the day to day.

I've been taking a writing class where we write whatever we want and

read it to each other and critique it. I've felt for some time that my

mission is to write a book that attempts to reconcile science and

spirituality (the objective and the subjective; the rational and the

transrational). I've been especially inspired by the work of Ken

Wilber. I write little bits here and there, and I'm also doing a lot

of reading and filling in gaps in my knowledge.

I had an astrology reading the other day with a man who's been pretty

accurate for me in the past. Without my even telling him about this

project, he told me that it would be good for me if I wrote the kind

of book I described. He said I need to kick back here until summer,

then find someone professional to talk to in a kind of

Castaneda-style recapitulation to recapture some power lost in my

youth, and then move back up to the Silicon Valley where the energy

level is higher for this kind of project.

It sounds right to me and we'll see how it develops.

Ken

>

> I think it has to do with our purpose for being here. Are we here to

use our receptiveness to ideas to help raise consciousness on this

planet or are we here to help improve the material Aspect of it? I

can only speak for myself, of course, and ideally I'd like to do

both. But the former actually seems to be what is on my path while

the latter continually turns into dead ends if I try to go down that

road. Very annoying since I know I could add so much improvement to

the material world if only given a chance. BUt I'm definitely not

willing or able to do what it takes to get into that race.

It makes me wonder though... if the majority of the population were

Aspies, we would probably have a lot less wars, pollution etc. But

would we actually get anything done at all?

Inger

March 4, 2005

That's cool, Ken. Sounds exactly like what some of us are here to do.

Ken Wilber has done an enormous job of trying to make a synthesis of

it all. (Just a bit too academic language for my personal taste. But

then it's not written for people like me but for those who use that

kind of lingo.)

I hope you will take that suggestion seriously and really write that

book. I very strongly belive that we ARE here to try and make a

differnece, and with enough of us doing our best to do so, it HAS to

have an effect. And the time is very advantageous for that sort of

project as there is a greater openimindedness now than perhaps ever

before. So, go for it!

Inger

> >

> > I think it has to do with our purpose for being here. Are we here

to

> use our receptiveness to ideas to help raise consciousness on this

> planet or are we here to help improve the material Aspect of it? I

> can only speak for myself, of course, and ideally I'd like to do

> both. But the former actually seems to be what is on my path while

> the latter continually turns into dead ends if I try to go down that

> road. Very annoying since I know I could add so much improvement to

> the material world if only given a chance. BUt I'm definitely not

> willing or able to do what it takes to get into that race.

>

> It makes me wonder though... if the majority of the population were

> Aspies, we would probably have a lot less wars, pollution etc. But

> would we actually get anything done at all?

>

> Inger

March 4, 2005