I’m not sure what it is, but it seems to me that high quality stuff is unfriendly. It’s almost as if you have to be isolated to create it because you’re really creating it for one person. In order to do that, you have to block out other influences and distractions.
I went running this evening at a park near by and when I got there I saw a big group of people — at least 20 — playing a Frisbee game on the grass.
It was immediately obvious to me that everyone was enjoying themselves. People were running around, smiling, and just seemed to be having a really fun time.
There were also people waiting on the side. I presume they were waiting for the next game. But as I continued to run, I could see these people just talking amongst themselves. Some were in small groups of three, others just in pairs. I wasn’t close enough to hear any of the conversations, but I could see some of their facial expressions and behavior, and it indicated to me that they were enjoying themselves. They were all just being social.
Having been around a few Frisbee games in my life, I know that the game puts community and sportsmanship above all else. It doesn’t discriminate against anything or anyone, as long as you exude the same values. In short, it only discriminates against discriminators.
But high quality things almost seem to take on the exact opposite values. Some things that are deemed “genius” are often times the byproduct of a single creator. As someone recently said: “True creativity is the product of a [single] creator’s vision and not of consensus.”
I agree with that statement.
In business, this may be a founder or CEO. In music, it may be a solo artist. Good literature is often written by a single person.
Now, sure, a lot of good music is also created by a (small) group of people, but I think this is the exception, rather than the rule.
While I don’t wish poverty or homelessness upon anyone, poor people tend to congregate. And there’s value in that. Value that people who surround themselves with high-quality things rarely experience. Because they’re focused on pleasing one person — themselves.
Some may say that there’s an elite community. And on the surface, you’re right. But the elite are elite. In the end, they’re tied up in their own, personal world.
My tastes (especially aesthetic) are incredibly refined and exact. I may be considered “elite” when it comes to certain things.
But perhaps this is something that’s detrimental.
High-quality encourages personal ownership and admiration. While most other levels of quality encourage communal ownership (or just use) and admiration.
I learned long ago that there’s always a tradeoff. And I believe that, in the long-run, quality always wins. The question is: Does “High Quality”, or “The Highest Quality” always win.
I’m not quite sure.