You’re not here to put a dent in the universe, the universe is already dented enough.
“We’re here to put a dent in the universe.” — Steve Jobs
Today we all feel compelled to make a difference in the world, to make our unique “dent in the universe.” But is that realistic? Is it even a good idea for us to try?
Raised on the stories of successful people who changed the world, we consume a steady diet of empowering tales to motivate us to get out there and make a difference. “Place our stamp upon the universe” is the thinking of today. We believe that we should become rock stars, start-up billionaires, or international activists one day. But we won’t. Does that mean we failed?
A Little Perspective
For most of human history, the idea that one person could change the world would have seemed like lunacy. Sure, kings could start wars, but kings came and went, and so did their petty squabbles. For the most part, not much ever changed.
Back then, the average person’s life was simple. They planted crops, the rains came, and they harvested the crop. That is how it had been for generations before them. That was the way it would be for their children and grandchildren. No one felt the need to change the world because no one saw the world as changeable. Life went on in a series of cycles, and the “good man” fit himself into those cycles and worked within them rather than trying to disrupt them.
Today we have the opposite idea. We hear about “great men” who changed the world and think that we should be doing more with our lives. We are fed legends about how Steve Jobs changed computing, Nelson Mandela brought down apartheid, and Albert Einstein invented relativity. But are those tales to be taken at face value?
Do “Great Men” Make History
Let’s look at Einstein and relativity. The fact of the matter is, if Einstein hadn’t come up with his famous theory, someone else would have. Physicists knew the problems with the Newtonian gravity model in Einstein’s time. The data was there. If Albert Einstein hadn’t used it, some other physicist would have. The theory developing was inevitable. If Einstein had been born a few decades earlier, the information he needed to solve the problem would not have been available. And if he had come along a decade later, the problem would have already been solved by someone else. Einstein, like many “great men,” benefited from being the guy who just happened to be standing in the right place at the right time. This isn’t to say that Einstein didn’t do a great deal of work, he did, but if it hadn’t been him, it would have been someone else.
This trend holds for many of the “great men” we idolize. Steve Jobs didn’t invent the Apple computer; he was just lucky to be one of the first people to see Steve Wozniak’s invention. Martin Luther did not single-handedly cause the protestant reformation — the excesses of the Catholic church saw to that. If Martin Luther had not nailed his ninety-five theses to the church door, someone else’s action would have become the same flashpoint.
The question is, do great men make history, or do significant events make great men. I think the real answer is the latter. At least great men take advantage of great moments. But without the right timing, they would be people like you and me just trying to get through another Tuesday.
Great Timing May be the Most Important
I’m not trying to denigrate the great work these men did. There is no question they put in the effort and paid penalties. I am saying that if it hadn’t been them, it would have been someone else. These men did not create their times; they are the product of them.
What they did do was rise to the challenge the universe handed them. Nelson Mandela didn’t bring about the end of apartheid in South Africa. Apartheid’s days were already numbered. That corrupt political system was crumbling under its own weight and outside pressure. Mandela had to wait decades, but he eventually found himself in the right place at the right time by being patient. What Mandela did do was expertly guide the nation to a new system of order. He didn’t so much make history as keep it from going off the rails and degenerating into social chaos and riots.
The role of “great men” may be more like Mandela, not screwing up the opportunity handed to you. If more skillful politicians had handled the end of World War I and the problems in Germany that followed the Great War, there may have been no opportunity for the rise of Adolf Hitler, genocide, and the need for a second World War.
The Role of the “Not-so-great Man” in History
History may be more a result of the actions of “not-so-great men” rather than the product of great men. How many tragedies could have been avoided if “not-so-great men” hadn’t muddled up the situation? There is no way for us ever to know.
I’m not telling you this to denigrate those who came before you. I want to impart the idea that it may be ok not to aim to be a “great man,” or woman. It may be ok just to be a good person, do what you do well, and not make a lot of waves. After all, the universe is already pretty dented; does it really need another one?
Let’s use a traffic jam as a too-common example to illustrate the point. We all know that if traffic flowed in an orderly fashion, we would be home in time for dinner. But that’s not what happens. Instead, some individuals take it upon themselves to speed up their route through deliberate effort. They switch lanes, tailgate, honk, and expend a great deal of effort for a slight improvement in their status. All their actions force other people to slam on their brakes and make traffic move slower by failing to allow it to flow. The end result, by trying to make things better, these drivers make everything worse for everyone. The rest of us would be better off if those drives didn’t try.
History is filled with its share of bad drivers. History is rife with examples of people who made a dent in the universe and left us with nothing more than a more broken world. People who tried to improve things and instead made them worse in the process; the collapse of the housing market in 2008, wars that cost far more than any benefit they generated, and political protests that aimed to pull down one regime while not providing anything to put in its place (witness the Arab Spring and the Other 99% movements).
You’re not here to put a dent in the universe. The universe is dented enough already.
Is It Ok Not to Try to Change the World?
With this in mind, perhaps it’s ok not to try and change the world. Maybe it is ok to just focus on driving your car and moving smoothly along with traffic flow. If everyone did that, we would all get home a little sooner and less stressed.
You don’t need to make a dent in the universe. The universe is dented enough. If you want to make the world a better place, don’t struggle to be a “great man,” instead aim to be a good one. When the world needs great people, it will make them. And if the world calls you, I’m sure you will rise to the occasion.
It’s ok not to be the CEO of your own company, not solve a bigger world problem than yourself, or to drive a Chevy rather than a Lambo. The world doesn’t need you to disrupt it; the world needs you to do your part to keep it flowing smoothly.
Don’t let the stories of how “great men” succeeded make you feel bad about yourself and your contribution. Instead, remember those stories are mostly stories. Many of the significant events and successes in history and business would have happened eventually anyway. If not to the person telling the story, then to some other individual that would be telling a very similar story. Why? Because it wasn’t their rowing the boat that got them to where they are, but the fact the vessel was swept up in the current.
Conclusion
The fact remains that it’s much easier to break something than it is to fix it. Our goal should not be to put a dent in the universe but to avoid doing so. The universe is dinged up enough already. It doesn’t need another divot. What the world does need is for you to do what you do to the best of your ability. Go with the flow, don’t struggle against it. Try not to be someone who makes waves and disrupts the system. Stay home and weed your own garden. You may set an example for your neighbors and if they follow suit, think of how beautiful your block could be. Now think of how beautiful the whole world could be if everyone did the same.
