In my early post-college days, I had a sign taped to my refrigerator in my apartment: “Question Authority.” Two words that when I first read them resonated to the core of me. I don’t remember where I read those words first and I don’t know who I can credit, but they were words that verbalized a part in me that was never verbalized so clearly.

I don’t want to give you the idea that I am a rebel with or without a cause. I’m not an “in-your-face” with my beliefs kind-of guy. I am more the, “live by what you believe” type. If I have a strong belief in something, I am a bulldog of stubbornness. But more to the point, I have always just wondered – why.

Now, in my early thirties (… hey, the theme here is question authority, not… stop lying) I would like to think I have a bit more style, so I don’t post things on my fridge anymore, but if I did, the more hypothetical than physical sign would read – “Question Tradition.”

A defining moment always comes to me when I get the response – “well, that’s how we have always done it.” I think that’s what happened to IBM. Who, you ask? Yeah, exactly my point. I think we get caught up in that corporate mentality of mass thinking – or lack thereof. I mean why make the effort if either some nameless, faceless shmuck is either going to take the blame or worse yet, take the credit. But in that defining moment, I know exactly the situation that I am in. To make progress, I think you always have to question – why.

Don’t get me wrong; I am a fan of tradition… or at least most. And traditions come in many forms. Of course there are the traditional holidays, the traditional drink, with the traditional feast and the traditional football game and the traditional broken bone, and the traditional bloody nose, and I didn’t really mean to slide tackle Teddy’s girlfriend, but she WAS going to score – I don’t know WHY everyone got so mad at me. She’ll heal.

So, traditions got me thinking about where they come from. Which got me to – Origin. The origin of things has always fascinated and baffled me. Like the origin of words. Who decided on the word TREE. I mean, why isn’t a Tree called a Leaf Holder? Don’t you think Leaf Holder is more descriptive than just plain ole – Tree? Was there a word committee that met somewhere and decided on certain names? And, how did one get on the committee? Why is it that some small group, after a day at the coliseum, got together and decided to call a Leaf Holder a Tree?

Probably the same group of guys that came up with the phrase – Happy Birthday. I mean, who’s kidding whom here? Happy about a ten-pound mass passing through a two-inch pipe? It can’t be a “happy” time for the mom. And I don’t remember much about my birth day, but I know myself now, and I can tell you — there’s no way I’d agree to that today. You put me in a warm quiet place, carry me around, feed me anytime I ask – there’s no way in hell I’m leaving voluntarily. Happy Birthday. No – how about, Happy-you-made-it-down-the-birth-canal Day. Or, you- owe-your-mother-”big time”-remembrance Day.

I am not sure how one goes about having words added to the language, but here are a few I’d like to see in the next printing of the dictionary. Stubnerity – the act of being obnoxiously stubborn. Lacksadaysilee – What happens when you think it’s Monday, but it’s really Tuesday. Moronosity – the act of a guy doing something enormously and incredibly stupid, example, The moronosity of calling her by the wrong name hadn’t sunk in until he heard the door slam. Hiltonized – when a girl uses so much bleach in her hair that it soaks through her scalp and neutralized or slows the neurological brain impulses. I could go on for days here. If anyone knows who I need to talk to in order to get an audience with the Naming of All Things Committee, please let me know. At this point, I might just start my own committee, hell, I make up so many words, I might just start my own language. And I’ll tell you right now, in my language – there will be no synonyms. But, again, that’s a completely new topic.

Origin brought me to Originality. And originality is what all artists strive for. To be original – to create. To originate new thought, new work, new ideas. The cool thing here is that artists don’t have an exclusive on the ‘create’ thing. A mathematical equation is a creation. Building a house is a creation. Anytime intellect is used to solve a problem, be it a painting, an engineering feat or not burning dinner (In my case, a feat all its own) you create. When I begin to feel a little cheated that I wasn’t asked to join the Naming of All Things Committee, I find comfort in knowing that there are an infinite number of thoughts and ideas. That creativity is not controlled or restricted in your mind, unless you allow it to be. I think what drives creativity in most people, is in their quest to be original.

The big picture idea here is really about searching for origin. I think a lot of people are looking for origin on many different levels, for many different reasons. But origin is the quest. And when you find the origin, you find understanding. And with understanding you find knowledge. And with that knowledge you can create. Sign me,

President of Naming-of-All-Things Committee 2

Tom Burns