Well, one of the oddest realizations I had, which may or may not
   be true, is that of being simultaneously unique and not unique
   at the same time. I'm a special snowflake and yet... sometimes
   I'm a drop of water in the ocean that's barely distinguishable
   from the ocean I'm within.

   Also, I believe ideas whose times have come, will pop up within
   the population, including within ourselves, in a similar way
   that two guitars can pick up harmonic frequencies of each other
   within the same room.. but instead among human concepts and
   within a population of billions.

   Imagine LIFE as a giant slime mold covering the planet that been
   in existence for billions of years. And.. we're cells within it.
   Unique yes, and yet also not entirely unique.

   We may be distinct from the surrounding cells enough to notice
   our own uniqueness and yet, unseen by us as flatlanders on this
   planet, are others whose internal processes are indeed quite
   similar.

   The most striking experience was when I had an idea for a car
   backup camera sensor system. I hardly even drive much. But this
   was in 1999. I drew up the plans, I knew it didn't exist. I
   researched was getting ready to patent it.

   Then I thought, 'ok Ken, just search through the USPTO AND make
   SURE nobody else did this.

   Well, only SIX MONTHS before I thought of it... a guy in Japan
   did. It wasn't patented yet - I could've faught it and been
   faster... but i was so disturbed by my original idea - pictures,
   descriptions EVERYTHING ENTIRELY MATCHING MINE... up there.. all
   nice and neat and perfect and... identical.

   Took months to get over myself on that one. Finally I had to
   realize, "Ok Yes, I am an original. It was my idea. But ALSO
   Yes, the other guy is an original. It was his idea. We're both
   originals. He was just faster".

   Like resonant bubbles.

   I saved a link to his patent. lots of patents issued based on
   his.. and he's probably a multi-millionaire. Occasionally I get
   a selfish YOU COULD'VE BEEN MINE! - and then I released that I
   _don't_ want to become one of those people who spends all his
   days going, "HE STOLE MY IDEA!".

   So.. I just do it occasionally, like now and try to accept the
   seeming paradox of "yes I'm unique/no I'm not unique". It's not
   a paradox of course. It's just how it is. Humans aren't
   mathematical beings, subject to paradoxes and things.