“The trouble with the world is that the stupid are cocksure and the intelligent are full of doubt.”
Bertrand Russell
Lately, I’ve been walking a lot with Todd, our fox-like mystery of a rescue dog. We have a few regular routes near our house; footpaths, fields, bridleways, and most days we pick one and go. But this week, for no reason other than curiosity, I walked one of our usual paths in reverse.
It was oddly disorienting. Familiar things looked unfamiliar. Corners came too soon, or not soon enough. I knew the path, but I didn’t know it like this.
And it made me wonder: how often do we mistake routine for reality?
A Culture That Worships Momentum
In the Western world, we’re told that success looks like acceleration: move fast, build fast, reply fast, grow fast. Faster is better. Hustle is holy.
Even in the creative industries, perhaps especially in the creative industries, there’s this constant pressure to be seen, to be doing, to be producing. And when you’re not? You feel like you’ve fallen behind.
But what if forward isn’t the only direction? What if perspective is more valuable than momentum?
I’ve spent a lot of my life moving, countries, careers, projects, auditions, and it’s only now, walking slowly behind a Shiba Inu who barks at television screens, that I’m starting to question the rhythm of the world we’ve built.
Certainty Is Overrated
Bertrand Russell, with his usual sharp tongue, once said, “The trouble with the world is that the stupid are cocksure and the intelligent are full of doubt.” It rings true now more than ever.
Our current culture doesn’t have much time for doubt. It wants clarity. Strong opinions. Quick takes. Instant uploads. Everything curated and captioned before it’s even lived.
But doubt is honest. Hesitation is human. And as much as I hate to admit it, most of the meaningful things in my life, the best walks, the best conversations, even the best performances, came from not knowing.
From being lost.
From walking backwards.
From re-seeing something I thought I already knew.
The Illusion of Connection
We live in a world where it’s never been easier to “connect” and never harder to feel connected. We scroll past each other. We post rather than talk. We perform rather than reveal.
The danger in all this is that we start to believe the version of ourselves that gets the most engagement. And we forget the quieter version. The one who hesitates. Who doubts. Who changes their mind.
That version doesn’t play well on TikTok. But it might just be the one worth listening to.
What Todd’s Teaching Me
Todd doesn’t care about content. He cares about which stick tastes best and whether I’ve remembered to pack his favourite treat. He’s scared of sharp movements, unsure about new people, and suspicious of moving shadows.
He’s also teaching me to slow down. To notice. To watch my own reactions.
Some days I feel trapped by it all, by the not-knowing, the mess, the stalling of a career that I still deeply care about. Other days, I see it more clearly. This is just the view from the reverse angle.
And like that walk the other morning, it’s showing me something I couldn’t see when I was rushing through in the usual direction.
Final Thought
The culture we’ve created tells us to go faster. That visibility is success. That movement equals meaning.
But maybe it’s not about new paths. Maybe it’s about walking the same old ones, just in the opposite direction.
Slow down. Go backward. Get lost on purpose. Doubt with pride.
Todd and I will meet you there.
