Reading the Wind's Direction and Riding the Wave Aren't the Same

In sixth grade of elementary school, I drew a smart watch.
But the homeroom teacher didn't submit my notebook.

At thirty-three, I drew intelligent spaces and a network between objects.
I passed it along to a famous expert, a professor — my ideas got zero reactions.

At thirty-six, I drew a voice-based messenger.
On the day the v1 launched on the App Store, my team was disbanded.

At forty, I drew a minimal house-room for vehicles, a docking system, a multimedia space.
Now that I know how the world works, I can't even bring myself to start — I'm shriveled up.


There are people who have resources but no ideas.
There are people who have ideas but no resources.
If the latter also lacks connections, credentials, and means, they're basically left in the position of a face-reader.
A good idea only ends up giving ideas to someone else, or — if they're lucky enough to get involved — it ends up tossed aside at the "right moment."
If the latter one day realizes this and, even if it's slow, starts flailing on their own with everything they've got, they'll end up living the life of that old inventor who shows up on "Only in the World" — nothing more.
It's not so different from the fortune-teller's situation: they can see the future, but they don't have the power or conditions to change it, so they just watch or accept it.

I'm reminded of actor Song Kang-ho's last line in the film The Face Reader:
"I only read his face, I didn't read the age. I only saw the wave, I didn't see the wind. And yet it's the wind that makes the wave.."

Adding my own situation and thoughts to this,
even if I can read the wind and read the wave ahead of time, if I'm not the captain and not in a position to meet one,
there's the approach of climbing up and delivering your opinion even while getting smacked around, for the sake of conviction. Of course the opinion will likely be undervalued and thrown out, or even if it's adopted, the source of that accepted opinion may end up unclear.

What to do, then.. how can a face-reader keep himself, his spouse, and his children safe..
I, who've become the forty I only heard about, decide to stay right where I am. Just — I'll prepare a small boat, one just big enough to be a stranger to the waves. Leaving grand honor and recognition behind, I'll build a small boat that can carry only this one body and ride the wind.