Avoiding Impact

There’s a social expectation of being driven by impact:

• “I want to have a positive impact”

• “My career goal is to have an impact in this field”.

I am wary of being driven by impact, because, “having a positive impact” can start to look like “following the crowd”.

It is less acceptable, and certainly less common to say:

“I’m doing X because it is interesting”

Or

“I’m doing Y because it is fun”

“Impact” can be superficially selfless, but internally hollow.

Curiosity can be superficially frivolous, but the source of discovery.

I suggest that curiosity is a better form of motivation to seek out in others.

Yes, there is copying involved in what we say is interesting, but to state what we find interesting tends to spur more differentiated thought. At least for now.