What's more important — fixing things or preventing them from breaking?
Being able to fix things is more valuable, says Boston Dynamics' CEO.
As a graduate student at MIT, Robert Playter was initially afraid of accidentally breaking expensive equipment in the lab. However, he soon realized that his skills allowed him to create the necessary parts. "That was enabling feeling. Then you are not afraid. It may take time. It may take more work than you thought it was required to get things done. But you can just go make it. And that is freeing in a way that nothing else does."
Many spend their whole lives tiptoeing around fearing the catastrophe. They only act if the outcome is guaranteed. The problem is that you can only gather gold dust that way. You can't find sand, let alone a gold nugget or vein, by avoiding risks altogether.
The cycle of development always involves phases of destruction and creation. Something must inevitably crack during the encounter with novelty, whether it is a piece of equipment, your hypothesis, or your pride.
And if you attach too much importance to that something, you will inevitably try to shield it from contact with the chaos and tremble every time the collision occurs.
The solution is simple - the importance of an indispensable object disappears if you choose the role of an active creator instead of a passive owner. Falling on asphalt ceases to be a tragedy if you know how to do a roll to absorb the impact. Mistakes become an exciting experiment whose cost is manageable, but whose potential is limitless.
Yours sincerely,
-Alexander
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