DEFINITION
Creativity
The ability to create
When we talk of people being “creative,” we automatically think of painters, poets, writers, musicians, actors, or singers, but we never really think of ourselves as being creative without those labels. We all like art (the creation of beautiful or significant things, the products of human creativity); we go to the movies, attend concerts, read books, and we wander round art exhibitions trying to look intelligent; pretending we understand what the artist “really was trying to say” when he painted a bunch of flowers or left a pile of bricks labelled “society” on the floor. Artist do try to represent what the nation is feeling at the time, and they are sometimes making a comment on society and its ills using metaphors. But creativity is so much more than that.
What we like to call “art,” is more like entertainment to me (sorry to all you “serious” artists out there trying to make a difference to society), where people put on a show for the masses to keep them amused, or diverted from reality. After all, the governments have always sent in entertainers to keep the troops happy and make them forget why they’re really there (killing people).
Governments like art. It stops the people from questioning what they and their friends in big business are up to. It’s like using the magician’s slight of hand, where he directs you to look somewhere else to divert your attention from what he is really doing.
Last week, I sat watching a swedish comedian/social commentator/magician at work, and although I didn’t understand a word of what he was saying, I still laughed along with the crowd. But as I was laughing, I started to look around me at the crowd enjoying themselves, and began to wonder who these people really were, what they did for a living, what they thought about life, what their hopes, dreams, and fears were; and I realised that most of them were probably asleep.
They probably worked hard, paid their bills on time, and were nice to their husbands and wives. They probably bought presents for loved ones, and either had a family, or hoped to have one in the future. As I sat there, I suddenly felt sad that whilst these people were being entertained, their minds were being kept solidly off questioning why they were really here on this planet. All of their lives were taken up making sure they crossed the “t’s” and dotted the “i’s.” Their lives were being guided by an unknown force, and no, it wasn’t god at work, it was the people in power who needed them to conform and keep quiet so they could get on with the business of controlling the people and directing the future of the show (planet earth).
They relied upon people like the magician I was watching, to allow the people to question what was going on, but within a controlled environment; safe in the knowledge that as soon as the show was over, the people would get back to their daily lives, back to work, and get back to paying their taxes; because, “contributing to society,” is what we are here for right?
I thought perhaps I was being a bit cynical, but the more I looked around the auditorium, the more I felt I was staring into hollow eyes, conditioned by society to conform, or else.
Fortunately for the government, art of any kind (no matter how deep the meaning, or however revolutionary the content), is still classed as art, and once it is contained in that box it is forever labelled.
The only difference seems to be books. Books have the ability to reach a vast audience and allow them time to digest the content. Within the book, the reader has the ability to stop and consider life outside of the conditioning – I have been inspired by many authors work – but if the content is too inflammatory, the government or the church will probably have it pulled or some smear campaign will be started about the integrity of the author. But normally, the government will just let it go. They know that books still come under the label “art,” so they know they are safe.
A creativity revolution
So although I advise all of you to take an acting class, or to learn to play an instrument in order to express yourself, there is one thing you can do to create a revolution, and that is to be yourself. Does that make any sense?
For so many years now, people have been kept asleep. We have been kept (superficially at least) happy by the promise of plentiful employment, healthcare, the purchase of cheap consumer goods, cheap package holidays, and a state retirement plan if you’re lucky. You may accuse me of being a conspiracy theorist (a secret agreement between two or more people to perform an unlawful act), but there is nothing illegal about what is going on in the world. Every country has some law to say that, yes, everything we are doing is perfectly legal; now shut up and get on with your job.
Some people have cited secret groups such as the freemasons or other secret groups as having a design to take over and control the world; but hang on, we are already under control! We just call it democracy because it sounds better. But you just try speaking out against your government or trying to create real change in the world and you will see how much of a democracy you live in.
For too long, we have been observers of pain and suffering. We like to paint it, film it, write books and plays about it but now is the time to do something about it. For most of you reading this it will probably be a scary proposition; but don’t worry, this isn’t about demonstrating on the streets, or forcefully overthrowing the government. Oh no, that would be “illegal”. What we are talking about is drawing on our inner creativity to find a way out of the mess we have left ourselves in.
One meaning of the word “create,” is, “to bring into existence,” and what we are talking about here is bringing ourselves into existence, to wake up from the happy gas that has been pumped around the cities of the world, so we think this is how things are, and how things should be. This isn’t how life should be, this is a man-made illusion. We have got so far away from how things really are, that we don’t know what is real anymore and what is not.
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In our explorations and discussions throughout this book, you will notice two themes coming up again and again, and that is awareness and insight. If you have neither, then you are asleep.
I don’t want to change the world, and I don’t want to change you. I just want to help you wake up. “But what if I don’t want waking up?” says you. Don’t worry that’s just the happy gas talking!
We are not trying to create an ideal world here, there is no such thing. We are not trying to create a perfect world, there is no such thing. What we are trying to do is to create. To create a space for just a fraction of a second that allows your mind to say: “Hey! Wait a minute…” And that’s all we are trying to create here – nothing more. No revolutions; they just cause pain and misery, and all that happens is one controlling organisation is replaced by another controlling organisation. Think about it for a minute or two.
The world has been in some state of war and suffering for many thousands of years and we can see the same thing happening throughout history. But don’t take my word for it. Go down to your local library open a history book, and you can see for yourselves.
Throughout history, we can see that when people have tried to create something new they have either been the oppressor or brutally oppressed. What we have now is an opportunity to let ourselves shine, to free ourselves from all limitations, from all the constraints that have been put on us, by tradition, education, and social conditioning. We are not laboratory animals; we are homo sapiens, the most intelligent, creative species, in the known universe, let us not limit that creativity to a few works of art, a concert or two, and a magician with nothing up his sleeve.
We are creators. We have created so much in such a little space of time, whether good or bad. Let us turn to ourselves, and create compassion and love in ourselves; and let that light spread forth and touch all creatures on earth. No government, nor any man can stop it once it starts. And the great thing about it is it’s all legal! Don’t be fooled by mind tricks anymore. You are too intelligent for that; aren’t you?
Create the space.
Let insight in for one second…
And now wake up!
