originality isn't new

How often have you sat down to write an essay only to stall right in your tracks because you felt like you were sitting down to write the same old essay that a thousand people had already written?
I know I have many times. It can be a real motivation killer. Which is why I decided to look into the situation a little further. And it turned out to be quite simple. I simply had, and have, no desire to tell people something that they already know. What would be the point in that?
Retelling old stories to people who have already heard them sounded like an easy route to a nice boring reputation. Rewriting old thoughts in fresh ink felt like a sure way to lodge deeper into whatever philosophical rut I’d been trapped in recently. Using the present to recycle the past seemed like a rather sad waste of an opportunity.
Striving for originality can be a very positive drive. If we were all content with reinventing the wheel and rediscovering fire we might never have invented styling mousse or electric toothbrushes. But sometimes originality can get in the way of itself. And all kinds of other innocent bystanders.
Often what is needed is not a new solution, but just a logical application of an old one. And if you have no knowledge of applying old solutions to easy problems, what chance have you got of finding new solutions to new problems?
Originality is a faraway objective that would be nice to achieve, but realistically speaking, isn’t usually. But that sounds rather negative.
What people mean when they say ‘original’ is hazy. Sometimes they mean in relation to the history of humanity. Sometimes they mean in relation to a current trend of thinking. But usually the scope is pretty wide.
I think we can achieve originality if we narrow the scope a little. If I want I can do something original, in relation to me and my history, every day of the week. And from there I can widen out my originality if I want. At least I have a foot in the door of Originality’s home, where before I was fixated by the ‘Beware Of The Dog’ and ‘We’re Not Buying It’ stickers.
So the moral of the story is, sit down, write your essays, explore your thoughts, and tread those ruts ever deeper, because one day you’ll find that either they go exactly where you wanted to go, or, more exciting still, you’ll find that they run out and you have to forge a new path for yourself!
And of course, even old ruts have rough edges which you can smooth or roughen as your mood takes you.
Whatever you do, don’t be intimidated by the towering monster that is ultimate originality. You’ll never come close to it if you don’t start on its minions first!