Anatomy of an Idea: The Art of Asking Questions and the Future of Innovation

70,000 years ago, in a clearing surrounded by tall, silent trees, lived a primate named Gur.

He was clever, curious, and had an enigmatic look as if he always knew what he was doing.

Nearby, a young sapiens named Kori would wander through the forest, always attentive to the smallest details, searching for discoveries.

Kori was playing by the edge of a large lake, throwing stones across the water’s surface, hoping to reach greater distances.

Suddenly, he saw Gur, the primate, looking for something near the trees.

Gur was carrying a smooth stone that seemed perfect for Kori’s game. “What will he do?” thought the young sapiens.

Gur then began to strike a hard nut, which Kori, despite his strength, couldn’t open.

That little trick from the primate made Kori feel somewhat silly, yet fascinated.

Gur was using what was around him with a cleverness Kori hadn’t considered.

With little effort, the nut opened, and Gur, eating the flesh, looked at Kori as if to say, “See?” Kori understood the lesson.

This is just a fictional story, but it shows us that ideas only have value when shared.

“The most powerful muse of all is our inner child.”?—?Stephen Nachmanovitch

For violinist Stephen Nachmanovitch, educator and author of the book Free Play: Improvisation in Life and Art, creativity is deeply connected to our ability to play and access our inner child, the most powerful source of inspiration for generating any kind of innovation.

However, it seems that most of our ideas, especially the best ones, have been “hijacked.”

Disgust, Fear, and Anger

In the movie Inside Out, the personalities of Sadness and Joy are contrasting from the start.

Joy is optimistic, and energetic, and believes her main role is to keep Riley happy all the time, avoiding any negative influence.

Sadness, on the other hand, is more introspective and melancholic, always feeling that her presence might cause problems.

The conflict between them arises because Joy sees Sadness as an obstacle, constantly trying to prevent her from interfering, believing that only she knows what’s best for Riley.

This conflict intensifies when Sadness, in a moment of curiosity and vulnerability, starts touching Riley’s happy memories, turning them into “sad” ones.

This causes panic in Joy, who tries to control the situation even more, resulting in the accident that takes them out of the control room, leaving the command to Disgust, Fear, and Anger.

Without Joy’s optimistic leadership and Sadness’s emotional balance, Disgust, Fear, and Anger take over, leading to emotional chaos in Riley’s life.

These emotions, each representing extreme and specific reactions, cannot handle the complexities of the changes Riley is facing, such as moving to a new city and adjusting to a new school.

Without Joy and Sadness, Riley becomes emotionally imbalanced, resulting in impulsive reactions and a growing sense of isolation and deep sadness.

The turning point occurs when Joy, on her journey back to the control room, realizes that Sadness plays an essential role in Riley’s emotional life.

Joy learns that for Riley to grow emotionally and connect with those around her, she needs to feel and process sadness.

Sadness is not an obstacle but a necessary emotion that helps Riley deal with loss, failure, and change.

This realization transforms the dynamic between all the emotions.

Joy learns to share control with the other emotions, allowing each to play its role.

The greatest lesson is that happiness cannot exist in isolation?—?it needs sadness to give depth and meaning to experiences.

Sadness, in turn, understands its value and finds a more harmonious place in the control room.

This final balance, where all emotions have a voice and role, results in a more emotionally mature and resilient Riley.

Although Sadness is often seen as a burden by the other characters and by Joy, she plays a crucial role in understanding emotions and Riley’s emotional growth.

She is introspective and constantly questions Riley’s situations and feelings, demonstrating her curiosity and desire to understand the nuances of emotions.

Her tendency to question and reflect is a way of seeking a deeper understanding of Riley’s experiences, helping her process and handle the changes and challenges she faces.

She doesn’t just witness events but also analyzes them, making her a fundamental figure in exploring and validating the complexity of emotions.

Additionally, Sadness is dedicated to her role, even if it puts her in conflict with Joy.

She is deeply involved in emotional issues, which can be seen as a trait of emotional intelligence.

Her presence is essential for helping Riley cope with sadness and accept that sometimes it’s necessary to feel and express pain to grow and connect with others more genuinely.

Thus, Sadness contributes to an emotional balance that is crucial for Riley’s mental health and well-being.

The Death of “Childhood”

The “death” of Bing Bong is a crucial moment that catalyzes Joy’s transformation in Inside Out.

Bing Bong, Riley’s imaginary friend, represents childhood and the joy associated with a simpler, more innocent time.

When he disappears, it symbolizes the need for Joy to accept that childhood is fading and Riley is moving into a phase of maturation.

Witnessing Bing Bong’s sacrifice to save Riley forces Joy to confront the reality that Riley’s life can no longer be governed solely by superficial happiness.

By witnessing Bing Bong’s sacrifice to save Riley, Joy realizes the importance of accepting and integrating sadness as a fundamental part of emotional growth.

This recognition leads Joy to abandon her idealized and childish view of happiness, accept the complexity of emotions, and share leadership with Sadness.

This change is the first step toward Riley’s emotional maturity, as Joy learns that a healthy balance among all emotions is necessary to face life fully and authentically.

By reconciling with Sadness and allowing all emotions to play a role in Riley’s life, Joy contributes to a richer and more mature understanding of emotional experiences, facilitating Riley’s transition to a new phase of growth and development.

The film portrays Sadness as an emotion associated with wisdom, as long as it is balanced and integrated into our emotional experience.

When Sadness is well-managed, it promotes introspection and questioning, essential traits for emotional intelligence.

It encourages us to reflect on our emotions and situations, asking deep questions about our feelings and circumstances.

This questioning process not only facilitates a deeper understanding of ourselves but also allows us to express ourselves more authentically and empathetically in relationships, enriching the quality of communication and connection with others.

Moreover, Sadness can be a source of originality and innovation when used constructively.

The ability to process and reflect on difficult experiences often leads to new perspectives and creative insights.

This space for introspection and vulnerability can generate innovative ideas and unique solutions, as it challenges conventional thinking and encourages the search for alternative approaches.

Therefore, Sadness, when balanced, not only improves the quality of our relationships but also stimulates creativity and innovation by promoting a deeper understanding and a more authentic approach to our personal and professional lives.

Learn to ask questions, as Sadness does in the movie.

Whether you are a leader or not, the important thing is to open the seeds within people’s hearts.

All our ideas are full of questions, like seeds, but not everyone dares to open them or even knows how to do so.

Living choked in corners, always afraid to express ourselves, ends up killing my and your creativity.

The dictatorship of Joy (happiness at all costs) can isolate people and leave the “control room” in the hands of Disgust, Fear, and Anger.

And we all know what that can cause, even without the help of a movie to imagine.

The art of opening seeds is learning to place them in contact with water, in the right conditions, and with the appropriate elements.

Ideas are the same way.

They are sealed envelopes, full of questions, doubts, and often with contained sadness, waiting for a chemical reaction, which only water, or rather, open dialogue with others, can break the seal and make new possibilities emerge, the fruit of unlikely partnerships and unexpected affections.

You don’t need to believe in miracles to live one; just ask the right questions: How do you feel? Can we do this together?