Has it all really been thought before?

The old saying goes that "there is nothing new under the sun."

This well-known passage, which is most frequently attributed to Ecclesiastes 1:9 in the Bible, is one of the most frequently used idioms to emphasise the point that it is pointless to engage in plagiarism.

On the other hand, the expression itself had nothing to do with the concept of being original. Instead, it was more of a complaint about the sameness of everyday existence. In spite of the fact that it is unclear what caused this paragraph to become one of the most often used expressions regarding plagiarism and originality, it has unquestionably been one of the most enduring.

It's likely owing in part to the fact that, despite the fact that the specific remark in question did not address originality, the emotion behind it is straightforward and simple to grasp. If you live on a world with billions of people and thousands of years of documented history, you can get the impression that there is no thinking that hasn't been thought and no writing that hasn't been written.

This is an actual lament from an ancient time period. Julius Fontinus, a distinguished Roman engineer, stated in the first century A.D., "Inventions reached their limit long ago, and I see no hope for further development."

It is quite evident that Fontinus was incorrect due to the fact that this post is most certainly being read on the internet, which didn't even come into existence until 100 years ago, and utilising electricity, which wasn't harnessed until 250 years ago.

The same holds true in modern times. Because of the depth of human mind and the range of human language, there is still a lot of potential for new ideas and new works.

For instance, the aforementioned text "But even though that particular line didn't deal with originality, it's easy to understand the sentiment" did not appear anywhere in Google before this post was published. Despite the fact that it doesn't deal with originality, it's easy to grasp the meaning. In addition, rewriting the sentence such that it expresses the same idea in a manner that is similarly creative but in a different way is a piece of cake.

As long as there are people, there will be new ideas and new ways to express them. This will continue as long as there are people.

But even if you do end up with an idea that has been utilised before, it is still essential that you come up with it on your own and write it using your own voice.

Education entails a lot more than just memorising information and being able to repeat it; it also includes understanding how to locate that information and how to put it to use.

Essays and other written tasks are not only a way of assessing your knowledge; rather, they are a way of teaching you how to think critically and how to write clearly and coherently. Both of these are abilities that will serve you well over the remainder of your life.

Although acquiring knowledge is a critical component of education, information on its own is pointless because it does not teach one how to put that knowledge to use.

Therefore, it is essential that you come up with ideas regardless of whether you believe you are capable of coming up with new or unique concepts. The possibility that someone else had the concept before you does not imply that the time and effort you spent coming up with it was in vain.

You won't be able to develop important abilities like learning how to organise your thoughts, coming to your own findings, and writing down those conclusions if you merely copy the works of others and operate on the assumption that anything you have to say has already been stated better. These are all important skills.