The sun of creativity has sunk below the horizon of our minds. The world, which once flourished in the ideas of the inspired, now sits idle in a preoccupied, bland desert. If this diminishing of creative mindfulness continues, this advance-determined world will regress into nothingness and monotonous living. The world will become a place of parched lips, begging for life…for creativity…for the magical, welcoming arms of appreciation. Children are forced to repress their ideals, yet they must also be individualistic: Their lives are paradoxes of creative concepts. Ideas of creative mindfulness have worn away as this race advances: The appreciation humans once held for the individual’s true value has been masked by the ferocious idea that individuals must be perfect, mindless machines, excelling in only the ideas deemed necessary by society.
Therefore, appreciation is the most important value a human can learn to indulge themselves in. In a society where so much is presented before us, why not have something of our own to create? Why not be able to look to the past and say: “That was amazing…but I know I can create something of my own that is even better—that others can appreciate.” Similarly, the great Enlightenment minds looked to the past; however, they found a place for cultivation and advancement in its corridors and did not simply leave the past stagnant. Through classical antiquity, those ingenious thinkers thought that one should not only examine their environment but also their inner thoughts and desires. They critiqued the ideas that make them unique. Only a few years before, the Renaissance filtered these ideas into a revolution of art. They learned to not only see but also toappreciate the arts that one sculpted. Individualism spurred from the Humanist movement, and the reality of one’s life on earth approved of the notion that each person has a responsibility to make his or her life count. For example, Leonardo Da Vinci—known as the perfect, well-rounded Renaissance man—had a curiosity and work ethic that led him to become the greatest mind of his time and the modern era. It should not be said that these characteristics led him to become a great mind. It was, on the other hand, his appreciation of his capabilities leading him to enlightenment. In a world with overwhelming culture, on the contrary, it is impossible for a modern Renaissance Man to manifest. It is impossible for children to appreciate the value of their education and creativity because it is forced upon them and crammed into the limited time they have. There is the chance to unlock at least a small portion of the mountainous knowledge of life, and there is most definitely the chance to appreciate the life and knowledge humans have access to today. If the expanse of the human mind can learn to appreciate its abilities then, and only then, may this race begin to see the advancement of a once celebrated conscience.
With the gentle extolment of the perfect human machine, it has manifested that children are becoming less and less individualistic, creative beings, and, therefore, floating away from the beauties of life. According to P.M. Forni (as a loose definition) creativity can mean the ability to make better something that already exists. In the past, it was the youth who changed the fabric of American dreams, and accordingly, the powerful ideas of the Hippie Era inspired a counter-culture of change. They knew what they desired of knowledge; they knew what they required of freedom; they knew what they pursued in creativity. Every revolution they held had a purpose, whether beneficial or wrong in its pursuit. Jim Morrison once stated, “There can’t be any large-scale revolution until there’s a personal revolution, on an individual level. It’s got to happen inside first” (Strutzin). His insightful response to an age of reflection was perhaps one of the most critical of his time: change must happen inside the hearts and desires of a group long before anything truly worth appreciating can occur. Abbie Hoffman, the hippie founder of the Youth International Party, declared, “The first duty of a revolutionary is to get away with it,” and, in truth, convincing the human race that creativity and change is important is one of the most important duties of a revolutionary (Strutzin). In order to change distasteful social aspects, Americans have access to free speech, as stated in the first amendment: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, or abridging the freedom of speech (Constitution of the United States of America). Because of this right, everyone can learn to change not only the perception of the world, but also personal views of why creativity and appreciation is dire to a life well-lived.
Moreover, the desire to be common and accepted is becoming the status of the human individual in place of the unique creativity possessed. Everyone pretends to vie for the idea that each person is “special”. In a world where there is no time to appreciate the “specialness” of each person, there is no possibility that each person may become “special”. Previous to this thought, S.A. Maslow crafted a pyramid of how the human conscience crafts its ability to learn. Resting at the top—after every basic need has been met—humans are able to unleash their store of creativity. First, the human mind must surpass living necessities, safety requirements, love desires, self-esteem checks, and then—and only then—can the human conscience construct the ability to create and appreciate (McLead). The freedom entitled to American citizens is one that allows them to unleash their creativity because one’s basic needs are usually met; however, becoming dramatically focused on self-esteem and acceptance in the American society, Americans have become uncultured in the top, most important rung of the ladder. We no longer deem it necessary that life be cultured and refined in the creative arts. This past week, for example, a school’s education board forced their AP students to take the regulated test: In the past, this had been the choice of our students, but now, it was only in the decision of the adults’ hands. The students unwillingly took the test, sacrificing their free creative time in order to become “perfect” machines of society. Like this test, there are too many distractions in the world today to become the flawless mechanisms of society. Our teachers admire creativity—they desire it more than the students can give, perhaps. Creativity requires time, which is something most children cannot sacrifice because they are too focused on being common, beautiful, educated minions of a persistent system. This oppression of the fashionable way has become so critical that even the patterns of our speech are attracted to the first light of creativity. Like bees to flowers, humans attach to the slightest taste and steal it…pretend it is our own…but sadly, we do not make this word or phrase our own. In the end, equilibrium in speech materializes, and the earth in its entirety is suppressed to a basic level of consistent language. Therefore, the commonalities humans express in everyday life suppress the capabilities of creativity and appreciation.
Mindfulness, on the other hand, is truly a healing stream to our parched, uniquely creative desert. According to P.M. Forni, humans “flatten mercilessly what in reality is a lengthy and complex process,” which shows humanoid need to be effortless, quick animals. On the contrary, keeping an open mind with all its complexity will add dimension: The ability to see depth, light, contrast, interpretation. “Our brain is roughly…two times the size of pre-human hominids” and in evolution, the trend has been that the brain size is proportional to body mass to an extent (McAuliffe). It has also been made known that, within the last 20,000 years, the male brain’s volume has lost a section nearly a tennis ball’s size. It has also been noted that when cultures and towns arise, the human brain size becomes smaller, and this decrease is logical because humans can rely on each other to survive. The critical thinking skills of an independent species dissolve as dependent populations arise: “It’s perfectly plausible our modern brain is smarter in some ways, dumber in others, and more docile overall”(McAuliffe). And with these decreases, the question pops up that perhaps our children will not be able to care for themselves. If ever technology were to suddenly stop, would humans have the creativity and problem solving skills to save themselves without devastating massacres? There is such a great expanse of logic, and there is even more possibility with the acceptance of each individual’s creative perspective. Gary A. Davis stated, “Because most ideas evolve through a series of modifications, approximations, and improvements, creators must cope with uncertainty”(Forni). He is right: There is always more logic and always possibility. If creativity and mindfulness are not perceived analytically, the answer is most certainly a lightning bolt of negativity. Keeping an open and practiced mind will therefore prevent both a lack of creativity and a digressiveness of human life .
Most definitely, the imperative development of life is artful indulgence, and that the creativity of each individual should not be oppressed: Life is worth living and experiencing each and every second of one’s unfathomable existence. Within schools—the brain of the educational body—there is the disregard of creativity expressions. A school often chooses sports and education long before the consideration of the arts is considered. Theatre’s are torn down in place of gyms. Art classes are crammed in tiny corners. Creative outlets are crushed into infinitesimal whispers. From 2009 to 2010, elementary schools dropped from 87 percent with visual arts classes to 83 percent…and in drama, there was a 16 percent drop—from 20 to 4 percent (Armario). As a child, the modern teenage generation was taught to be innovative--creative. They were taught to indulge in art through Legos and video games and reading. Within society’s childhood activities today, the plans are constructed in advance. Legos are pre-made, asking one to make only the picture on the box. Most video games are corrupted with painful violence and strict plans, no room for deterrence. Reading has as many options as ever, but with all of the possible technological distractions, why waste time being caught up in a favorite story--for there are much more important, required things in life. Writing, in itself, has even become a monotonous devouring of the public’s ideas. Everything, it seems, has been done before; however, there are more stories to catch in our words. The world should not be limited to love stories about star-crossed struggles. There is magic in the ability for each of us to create. Magic is the dream of every child…or at least, it once was in the creative world. It is the ability to create the abstract and to heal. It is the ability to open up our hearts to artful indulgence.
Works Cited
Strutzin, Jim. HubPages.Hub Pages, Inc, 2014. Web. 15 May
U.S. Constitution. Amend. I.
McLeod, S. A. Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. (2007). Web. 15 May 2014
McAuliffe, Kathleen. If Modern Humans Are So Smart, Why Are Our Brains Shrinking?
DiscoverMagazine. Sept. 2010. Web. 14 May 2014.
Forni, P.M. The Thinking Life. New York: St. Martin’s Griffin, 2011. Hardcover Book.
Carroll, S. B. Genetics and the making of Homo sapiens. Nature 422, 849–-857(2003).
Armario, Christine. Elementary School Arts Classes Reduced, Report Says.
HuffingtonPostEducation. 2 April 2012. Web. 22 May 2014.
