The myth of the lone genius is a dangerous one. If you want to grow fast and make something new, find a scene. Or make one!
For most of human existence, we needed a tribe to survive.
If we were cast out from that group, it meant almost certain death. Which is why we still feel an almost primal sense of panic and unease, if we feel disliked or left out by the herd.
We’re no longer prey to wild beasts, of course. And most of us buy our food instead of hunting it in teams or growing it as a community. So we can get by alone. But it’s lonely, and it’s hard.
We can survive. But to truly thrive, we need connection, social interaction. We need each other.
History tends to get written in terms of ‘great men’.
It simplifies the story if we focus on individuals who make great leaps in human understanding, often portraying them as toiling alone and misunderstood.
There is a persuasive myth of the lone genius writing in an attic, coding late into the night, running experiments in isolation, leaping out of the bath-tub and yelling “Eureka!”