Random Quote Analysis article series continues with episode 7. As always, I went on InspiroBot and the artificial intelligence generated a random quote for me to analyze. Here's today's quote:
Maybe it can be fun to try to be original?
There are a few interesting aspects to this quote - mainly, the words maybe, fun, and try, and the fact that the quote is in question form. We shall now look at the phrase from every possible angle and see what it means. Let's do this.
Maybe - it's not certain that trying to be original would result in fun. It's a hypothetical idea only. Trying to be original may turn out to be fun, but it is also possible that being unoriginal - doing what others are doing or what convention dictates - could also be fun.
Fun - meaning, you enjoy yourself, you're having a good time. But is fun the objective in everything in your life? Why should life be fun? Couldn't there be more important things in life than fun?
Try - so being original is not as easy as it sounds. This is, of course, obvious - you're so brainwashed by the norms of society and the lifestyles of your friends that it's very hard to come up with things to say or do, behaviors, and ways of living, that would be purely original. But try, at least. It's so difficult that you may not succeed, but if you don't even try, you'll never know how original you could become.
But why is the quote in question form? Is it not given that being - or trying to be - original could be fun? Perhaps the quote is suggesting that trying to be original is definitely something, but it may not necessarily be fun. It could be useful or progressive or alienating or pathfinding, but there's no guarantee it'll be fun. So if fun is your agenda, trying to be original is not a fool proof way to achieve it.
Also, why original? Surely there are plenty of other things that would be fun than trying to be original - other ways that don't include a question mark. Having beer with friends is fun. Watching Monty Python is definitely fun. But trying to be original? Sure, it could be fun, but why try? Why is the quote suggesting trying to be original specifically?
So, basically, the quote doesn't not offer any more advice for life than that you can try to be original, but it's very hard; that there's no guarantee that being original would result in fun; and that originality is just one way to perhaps achieve fun.
Give trying to be original a go, and see what happens.
RK
Quote generated and picture captured from InspiroBot.
