Monday, 12 March 2012

You get SUNRISE or SUNSET people

The Greek philosopher Pythagoras once said, "Choose always the way that seems the best, however rough it may be; custom will soon render it easy and agreeable." And it is with this quote that John Hunt, author of 'The art of the idea: and how it can change your life.' opens his book. This book celebrates the power of ideas and how they have the ability to change the world.

This book is written in twenty short chapters, observations actually. I want to draw attention to observation no. 1; it is still ringing in my head, whispering in my ears and waiting for me everytime I begin to interact with other people. 'You get sunrise or sunset people.' According to Hunt people can be divided into two categories; each person falls into one or the other. A sunriser gives out positive energy, and moves through life believing it to be true that the best is still coming. A sunrise person needs to be provided with ALL the answers before he even begins to believe the idea is invalid. A sunsetter, on the other hand, believes the best is past him, and so even the present day becomes a negative state of being. Sunsetters will tirelessly work away at the smallest chink in an idea's armour, until that chink is wide enough so that others also begin to disbelieve.

"Sunset people don't kill ideas, they just take away all the oxygen surrounding them." Hunt

Be the idea you want to see followed through, be a sunrise person.

I highly recommend this book; it's full of anecdotes and is very relevant for people of all ages, especially South Africans. We need to drive up a new generation of thinkers, a new generation of sunrise people.

(image exported from http://www.cssmania.com/)

No comments:

Post a Comment