For years, I lived by a personal motto borrowed from Gauss: “Few, but ripe” (Pauca sed Matura). While I never aspired to replicate the genius of Carl Friedrich Gauss in any possible way, I did harbor dreams of achieving immortality through an eloquent, astounding work—a magnum opus. The dream lives on. The motto doesn’t.
Gauss was a prodigy, a brilliant mind. A sub-par work, according to his standards, was still beyond the best of other mathematicians. According to Eric Temple Bell, if Gauss had published his work regularly, he would have advanced mathematics by fifty years. The unripe for Gauss was the most juicy for others. No wonder a motto adopted by the prince of mathematics didn’t work so well for mere mortals like me. I realised that this self-censorship strategy led to the premature death of thoughts and ideas in the many pages of half-filled notebooks. I held myself back due to fear of criticism or intellectual judgment: “This is not good enough for accolades,” “Publishing this article will not showcase my intellectual prowess.” The criteria for perfection shifted from self-satisfaction to external judgment, breeding self-doubt.
Self-doubt arises from the fear of undesired outcomes. When it lingers, creativity begins to rust and corrode, fading into oblivion. I knew this had to change. A few years ago, I decided to cast off the shackles and began publishing and presenting ideas on blogs and at conferences. These were thoughts not baked to perfection but enticing enough to make you come back for more. This blog is another attempt to share my perspectives on various topics more freely, without the fear of intellectual judgment. As Maya Angelou wisely said, “There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.”
The fruits will ripen, but first, you must grow the tree.