The more the world feels the impact of “The Crisis”, the more desperate we become for creativity. Corporations try to cultivate it to stay competitive, while stay-at-home moms try to make time for it in order to stay sane. At the same time, arts programs are cut from schools on the premise that creativity is a luxury, expendable, and superfluous to real life. I couldn’t disagree more.
Creativity most often begins with a problem of some kind, and I believe it is linked to human evolution and the survival of our species. We need new ways of seeing old problems and new solutions to new problems in order to grow. And we need to think in news ways if we are to continue evolving.
Each of us stands in the gap between the past and the future. Each time we create a successful solution to any problem – whether it’s a conflict with a neighbor or our child’s difficulty with math – we fill that gap with progress.
Need + Creativity = Evolution
Today is the 131st birthday of the American Red Cross, which was created to provide humanitarian aid to victims of wars and natural disasters in the USA. It was the initiative of Clara Barton, a nurse and educator who devoted her life to the sick and wounded.
In the American Civil War, Barton was known as the “Angel of the Battlefield” for her dedication to the wounded and her help identifying more than 21,000 missing soldiers. As a result of her work there, the newly formed International Red Cross recruited her to help in the Franco-Prussian War (1870-71), where she was honored by both sides. Her experience in Europe inspired her to bring the Red Cross to the US; and on May 21, 1881, she realized her dream.
Clara Barton saw a need. She had a vision. She took action. And she left a mark on the world.
What kind of progress do you stand for?
Every human being has a unique place on this planet. Sometimes we are the solution; sometimes we’re the need. But no one else stands where we do, with our particular configuration of thoughts, feelings, experiences and needs. No one sees the world and its problems the way we do. That’s why it’s so important that we all express ourselves… that you express yourself.
Creativity is not a luxury; it’s the most organic of human responsibilities. It is not expendable; it is irreplaceable. It is not superfluous to real life; it is essential to the survival of our species… and our planet.
What if it were not a luxury to be creative? What if it were your human responsibility? How would your life be different? How would ours?
Share your thoughts with us here. Pose your questions on our Facebook page. I’m listening.