Sure, irrational exuberance is considered a bad thing when it comes to the stock market and investing but that doesn't mean irrationality itself isn't essential to good and great new things.
Because many really interesting things are the result of doing something dumb or even irrational.
Like that guy who decided to kill himself by going over Niagara Falls — without a barrel, instead just floating on his back admiring the view — and came to his senses unharmed, in the churning waters at the base.
He didn't find that his life had changed all that much a year later, when he wrote an article about it that I read in the Washington Post.
But that's not the point.
And he certainly wasn't enthusiastic when he decided to call it a day by taking what he thought would be his ultimate ride.
And he was quite rational, if you think about it: anyone thinking clearly would predict that you would not survive a trip over Niagara Falls wearing no protection but your street clothes.
So.
Most of my best posts over the decades — at least, those I like the best — are a result of a bit too much coffee or some sort of serotonin overload — but so what?
I'm all for out–of–control, irrational, nonsensical behavior.
In fact, it's a requirement for working here.
One of my favorite essays is entitled, "Enthusiasm as a Form of Love."
It's by E.M. Cioran.
My second–favorite Cioran essay is "Degradation Through Work."
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