I was watching a tutorial on YouTube recently. It was a pretty long-form guide to the GIMP. Some time into it, the author mentioned an ever-moving outline of the selected area that he referred to as "marching ants." Those "ants" were simply white pixels that were constantly moving in one direction around the outline of the selected area. It made me wonder. Why do people tend to do something the same way as "always"? No matter if it would be going to work, eating or voting. How come we had lost sight of something beyond our own horizon? Or as the saying goes, beyond the tip of our own nose? The world went wild on that matter. Your favorite snack from your childhood? No, it doesn't taste the same anymore. Your favorite movie? Well, that aged poorly. The book you have read so many times - how many times will you be eager to read it in the future? We like to go with something we already know. Is it the right way to do it? Sometimes. But I will ask you: is this habit of yours good for you, your family, your neighborhood, your nation? It's not a question about trying everything once before death. Some things are best kept away from you. Ask this yourself. First time in the context of something nice, like eating your favorite meal every time you go out. Then ask yourself about those things you hide from the sight of everyone else. Do you treat them the same way as you always do? And, most importantly, does this "miracle diet" work? Or, perhaps, the outcome is... as always? I will not quote Einstein here. You know that already, do you? Einstein is well known for his fabled quirks. But he will no longer contribute to that field, for the obvious reason. The above-mentioned quirks have outlived him to the degree that sometimes we know the legends, but do not know the person associated with them. So maybe next time you read or hear something, use some tools you have (something like a web browser or your local library will do, as I don't suppose you have an encyclopedia on your shelf anymore) and find out by yourself what it means. New word? New idea? Or maybe something you have stumbled upon already. Think about it. Think for yourself. Ask questions. And seek for answers. But beware of all those half-truths out there. There are only two states: truth and lies. Which one do you believe you've got so far? Have you got an idea?
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Aenu