Why Some Inventions Never Spread—Continents' Axes and Natural Barriers Trumped Ambition

Picture the world as a vast patchwork of climates, with some regions lining up like a racetrack and others stacked like a staircase. When grain first sprouted in the Middle East, it rushed easily across thousands of miles of similar climate—reaching Greece, India, and beyond. Innovations, animals, and ideas all spread when they didn't face new, unfamiliar challenges at every turn. But when the same crops, or even revolutionary inventions like writing or the wheel, tried to head north-south (think Americas or Africa), progress was blocked by jungles, deserts, and drastic seasonal changes.

As a result, the same ambition, creativity, and energy in different societies yielded vastly different results, not because of lack of trying, but because of how the land aligned underfoot. The Americas' north-south axis, for example, made it nearly impossible for llamas to reach Mexico, despite their tremendous value. In contrast, the vast, horizontal breadth of Eurasia smoothed the ride for wheat, horses, and metalworking alike. This isn't just an old story: it's a principle of how opportunity and innovation flow across every barrier, natural or artificial.

Behavioral science recognizes the power of 'path dependence'—the idea that the route you can take depends deeply on past decisions and obstacles. Geography, with its invisible but insistent barriers, shaped not just where but how fast good ideas could move, teaching us that progress is always intertwined with the terrain we must cross.

Take a bird’s-eye look at how the physical layout of your area—its terrain, climate bands, or even organization structure at work—creates shortcuts or walls for good ideas. When something is slow to catch on, don’t just ask which messenger failed; trace the route and check for mountains, deserts, or mismatched seasons in the way. With this approach, you’ll start to fix the real barriers, opening up a smoother road for progress where it counts.