For decades I kept my head down and got on with it. Not because it was noble. Not because I was doing the real work quietly.
I just didn't care about anything except whether things worked.
There was, thankfully, no one to follow. No model. No guru physio whispering this is the way my nimble-fingered friend.
So I guessed. Got it wrong. Said the wrong things to lots of people (sorry). Built things that didn't work. Failed. Then failed faster. Then fixed them.
That's how I learned.
It's like crashing without a seatbelt. You only need to learn once.
What feels odd now is watching people confidently prescribe the right way - armed with nothing but consensus and a tidy set of received ideas.
Consensus isn't evidence.
Agreement isn't proof.
And received wisdom isn't wisdom - it's just repetition.
Some people are brilliant and quiet. Some are loud and brilliant. Some are just repeating what sounds safe.
I've met all three. Only one group ever changes anything that matters.
I care whether it works.
And if your method can't survive scrutiny - it probably doesn't work at all.