Elon Musk just released his blueprint for the Hyperloop, a new mode of transportation that would forever change the way people travel, commute, and live their lives. Period. It’s a vision that, if realized, changes everything. We could live in Los Angeles and work in New York, or we could visit distant friends and relatives in the time it takes to shop for groceries; there’s some real socioeconomic benefit here. But that is not what this blog post is about.
Elon Musk did a lot more than announce a very audacious idea. He inspired me and an entire generation in pursuit of starting the next Instagram or Pinterest--ideas that, while definitely novel, have little to no impact on our lives. And while these ideas turn ordinary people into overnight millionaires, their creations could vanish tomorrow without being a real loss to society. Ask yourself: would you really care if your Instagram or Facebook news feed went away?
Why, after all, do we participate in this thing called “life”? Why do we exist as entrepreneurs, students, teachers, brothers, sisters, mothers and fathers? What’s this all about? Money?
This quote has been stuck in my head since my roommate pointed it out to me this morning: “Be ashamed to die ‘till you won one victory for mankind.” Isn’t our responsibility in life--as individuals and as a society--to be the change that we’d want to see ourselves? Shouldn’t we be rallying behind impactful ideas? Shouldn’t we embrace and encourage those people brave enough to stand up for these ideas? Shouldn’t we feel like our future will be fundamentally more exciting and prosperous than our past? For me, the answer is a resounding “yes.”
I don’t think I’ve ever felt the way I’m feeling today. This might be the first time I’ve felt genuine inspiration, and it’s enough to make me forget about money, power and whatever else consumer society has taught me. This feeling makes me want to do something so big and so radical that it might just change everything as we know it.
People often compare Elon Musk to a real life Tony Stark or Bruce Wayne. But for me, he’s the modern day John F. Kennedy or Martin Luther King Jr; he helped me understand what it must have felt like hearing JFK announce the space program, or to be standing in the National Mall listening to Martin Luther’s dream--these events allow us to be apart of something greater than ourselves. Like those moments, this one has helped me think beyond everything I thought possible.
I’ve come to realize that the Hyperloop and other ideas of such magnitude really need our help--they’re too big for the Elon Musks of the world to tackle by themselves. Let’s all do something: share this post, inspire people, and write your own story.
Thanks,
Manuel
Founder of RPMWEST
PS: Wanna get in touch? Email me at manuel@rpmwest.com.
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