vanderwal.net

Popular is a measure of today based on things past, not a moment in time looking to where we need to be going in our path to the future.

Popular is often a watered down version of something great, so that what is good can be more accessible to more people, so to understand the value and its its possible importance to what is, and more importantly what was.

But, being popular doesn't necessarily mean something is great or is a slice of something great, it just fits a pattern of other things that are or were great (watered down or not).

If we are going to build a better version of today for tomorrow we need popular support, but having things be popular (in their watered down ways) can be a hinderance to getting to that better place.

One has to understand the full version of what is good, where its gaps are, so to make it better.

Things get popular by watering the great so it is more approachable, but we can eventually get better by understanding the unwatered down versions and improving upon them, just more slowly.

We can't get to were we need to go and have the great things we need (whatever they may be) without having them be approachable in the future, which requires familiarity and understanding all along the way.

We need the great things to be understood beyond those who can understand them with out being watered down.

The more support something that is great has, through the means of watering down the understanding to it can become popular, the better off the future can become.

Popular has its value and its place and understanding what is popular with how and why it is popular is essential.

But, not getting buried in the popular and understanding there is more greater things on the path ahead that need to be created is essential.

One foot firmly in the popular (what is and what it is) and one free of popular constraints seems a happy balance.

Being able to understand the value in popular and craft great things that echo some of that leads to a better whole.