Limitless

There was a book before the film (of course there was!) called the Dark Fields, by Alan Glynn. I want to read this now. For those of you who don't know, it concerns a wonder drug which allows your brain to tap into all that potential that don't normally have access to. On it, you can see more, do more, and understand and pull together all the random bits of information that we assimilate on a daily basis. With the drug you can actually use this experience. Unfortunately, it comes with side effects, and the film follows a guy who is introduced and seduced by an opportunity which quickly leads to addiction.

It makes you wonder if we would all be better version of ourselves, improved people, if we were constantly on this drug? Apart from the negative consequences of regularly using the drug, and the issue of supply not being able to keep up with desperate demand, I think it might be too good to be true.

If we were as good as we could be, constantly, there would be nothing to reach for and nothing left to achieve. The problem with reaching your potential is that once you've done that, you are left with the big 'what next?'

Living with limits is our reality. The boundaries to what we can do are not only there as a safety mechanism to protect us, they are there because the wonder of humanity is that we will never be all that we can be. The point is we have to choose, we have to allocate our time and our energy into certain pursuits and leave others. If we could do everything we ever wanted to do, would we want to do anything at all?

I have a feeling that we would get bored and apathetic pretty quickly once the novelty had worn off. At the moment, we are very rarely satisfied, and that is an essential part of human nature- that we continue striving, and struggling, pushing ourselves onwards- we progress.

Having it all at once would immeadiately render this void, leaving us without meaning. You can get too much of a good thing.

Will post again with my thoughts when I get my hands on the book!