The movie is a direct critics of Indian education system (which is very similar to Chinese one), where you have to compete with the whole nation to enter the best university, and where grades means more than creativity. The scene where the college professor ask "what is a machine" and take for an answer only the definition from the book, is exactly the problem of this kind of system.

The hero, Rancho, is so typically an entrepreneur-kind of guy. Very smart, very cheeky and always challenging the system, always asking questions. He only 100% drives by passion and have very strong life values.

The movie is also about friendship. The 2 side characters -who are average engineer kind of students- are the average people. People who follow the system because this is what they are??taught??to, because that what the others do and leave in fear and denial of their true passion. We believe wrongly that success is about marrying an handsome person, having a big salary, a house, a car, being able to impress your friends, when what really matter is just having enough money to cover your basic needs (food, health and a place to leave) and happiness. When you are happy it is easy to make people around you happy. And you can be happy by following your passion.

I randomly read on the web a few days ago that happiness happen by little bits, not all at once. We expect to be hugely happy after a big promotion, a mariage, the end of a project while happiness is also in tiny things like a smile from a stranger, a sunrise, your favorite song playing on radio.

I remember some dark days I spent procrastinating, not knowing where I am going and during these I will listen 1 song again and again and again…And it is cryptic how it can make me happy. No possible explanation, it is just alchemy, some song, some movie, any sort of art, can have this effect.

I remember discussing with a friend, 2 years older than me, that decided to live off his passion: music. He plays in a group, rehearses every day, gets some gigs from time to time. and teaches at other time. He told me he has enough money to try out to live from his music for 2 years. I though it was so courageous to bet everything on your passion and try to make it a living. It is something scary because it is very risky, you have almost no control really on how "successful" you can be. It is also scary because your passion become your curse, what is it doesn't work out, are you still gonna love it? And even more, it is courageous to make this kind of bet in China where a 30-year-old guy with no money to buy a car and a house is not a good bet for dating. And still he will be so happy and passionate about his music, as if nothing else was that important. I remember at that time I had a paid job with a good salary but where I was very unhappy. And I admired him so much.

That's what artists do. They follow their passion, give everything, show??their selves??true to the world, vulnerable to critics but what they produce is pure happiness to the audience. That's the reward. They are happy to do what they do and they are happy to pass this happiness to others.

I believe – like Steve Blank and Paul Graham– that entrepreneurs are artists too. They??pursue??a passion, create things that didn't exist before and make other's people life better. Direct distribution of happiness.

What do other people do? They work, maybe they like their job, maybe they hate it. Get a salary and buy stuff that make them happy.

Now what's the sense in that?

Blog post inspired by:

3 idiots (the movie)

3 idiots: Your guide to Success – Copywriter in India

?????? (the band)

Little bits of happiness – Lesson from a 8-years-old