Where do ideas come from?
I am mystified by this question - Where does idea come from? Are you more than your name, race, religion and nationality? Who exactly are you?
A Zen Story: There was once an old monk who could carry a mirror wherever he went. A junior monk noticed this one day and thought to himself. "This monk must be so preoccupied with the way he looks that he has to carry that mirror all the time. He should not worry about the way he looks on the outside, it's what inside that counts."
So the junior monk went up to the old monk and asked " why do you always carry that mirror?"
The old monk pulled the mirror from his bag and pointed it at the junior monk. Then he said " I use it in times of trouble. I look into it and it shows me the source of my problems as well as the solutions to my problems."
Often, we forgotten to reflect on ourselves. The story shows how a mirror can help us understand ourselves better, by using it in times of trouble and also when we are happy - To reflect on ourselves.
What we learn about ourselves, will lead to the development of more than just an idea, but an opinion or knowledge that can be used to create new ideas, which will determine how we live our lives.
However, most of us may never truly know what is important in their life. Remember life is a journey, not a destination. It's our everyday actions that make up who we are and what we do. Continue to learn and don't give up on things that matter easily!