Creativity is bringing into the world something that was not there before. It is the production of newness. Intellectual brilliance is not necessarily an indication of creativity. You can demonstrate your intellect through having knowledge of what exists, but you may not have brought anything new into the world. Many great teachers demonstrate intellectual brilliance, but they are not always creative. Intellectual brilliance may earn you degrees, titles and positions, but may not necessarily produce creativity. For example, it is instructive that much of the creativity that drives Caribbean music and artistic expression has not emerged from our colleges and universities. We are all creative and with the potential to become creative geniuses, but only a few are aware. Our creativity is tied to our human potential, our life's purpose and our self-awareness. Do you see yourself as creative? To what extent are you expressing your creative potential? Our human potential is best expressed through the fulfilment of our life's purpose. It is the ultimate expression of our free will. Sadly, this potential remains unfulfilled in most humans. Fulfilment continues to be one of the greatest of life's challenges. Although alike, each one of us is uniquely different from the other. We each have a special purpose in life which, when discovered, puts us on a path to fulfilling our unique human potential. The challenge for all of us is to discover what makes us unique for that is the source of our creativity and our greatness.
On a global scale, it is believed that less than ten per cent of our human potential is being expressed. It means that as humans, we have the potential to solve most, if not all, of our problems through the greater release of our human creativity. Hence, we have the potential to make the world a much better place for our human existence. Our challenge as individuals is to discover our individual creative potential and to act on it. Our responsibility to others, such as our children, employees and friends, is to help them to discover their individual potential and to act on it. The creativity of humans is a logical outcome of our sense of freedom to think independently and to express and act out our creative ideas. Key to living out our creative potential is our self-awareness, a consequence of which is the ability to think and to act independently. Self-awareness means the greater expression of our spiritual selves and living in greater connectedness to the rest of humanity. We are all born creative, curious and imaginative but the expression of these qualities often fades with time. As a child were you curious and inquisitive? Were you always asking questions? Were you imaginative and full of dreams? Were you playful and energetic? Your answer to these questions is most likely, yes. If so, what happened over time? What happened to that child-like spirit that you so confidently displayed in your more youthful days?
Most children are bursting with creative energy and demonstrate an unlimited creative imagination. They tend to be busybodies in search of something to do and to explore. They are curious and always seeking answers. They tend to express themselves freely and are oblivious to our adult prejudices. They tend to be attention seekers, eager to demonstrate their presence and anxious to show you that they are smart and knowledgeable. Also, they tend to be full of confidence and with a strong can-do attitude. That child-like spirit represents your creative spirit. It is your creative genius. Is that child still in you? Does it have the freedom to play? And if not, why not? Unfortunately, for most humans the creative spirit dies over time from the environmental hammering that they encounter as they are conditioned and acculturated into society. Perhaps your experience is no different. However, most likely, that child-like spirit is still in you and screaming to escape as it seeks the freedom to dream, play, create and come alive in the pursuit of life's fulfilment. When frustrated it becomes the source of much of your inner turbulence and frustrations. We live in a world in which much of our creativity is suppressed as those who wield power over us seek to condition us to be disciplined and manageable. Creativity is often killed in the home as some parents dissuade their children from asking questions or showing their curiosity often with statements such as: "Shut up, you are asking too many questions!" You are too inquisitive!" "I do not want you to think, just do as I tell you!" "You are too playful, time to get serious!" Sometimes, when children enter the school environment, they encounter a similar situation in which some teachers are intolerant of the questions and curiosity of children.
Next week: I will continue to explore how our social conditioning can kill our creativity