Freedom to Create

I hope you had a great Independence Day.

I always feel extremely lucky to be an American, especially on the Fourth of July.  I love how we all come together to recognize our freedoms in this country, especially to appreciate those in the military who protect those freedoms.

It also makes me realize how lucky we are, as people in a democratic society, to create and express ourselves freely. We have so much to be thankful for, as people who are privileged enough to create ourselves, our work, our businesses, and our paths. To take that freedom for granted seems like a waste of precious resources.


I recently posted an article about how our cravings can diminish our creative pursuits; how, by being inundated with choices and information and material must-haves, we neglect our freedom to innovate.  We are at liberty to consume so much, yet often at the expense of personal creativity.  


But now, like a good American, I'm coming to our defense.

We the Cravers of Many Many Things

If you stop and think about it, we're constantly being groomed to consume, not to create.  In fact, we're taught to strive for this value of consumption- from Frosted Flakes and Mattel Toys to endlessly memorizing trivial facts- from an early age. I recently found a great article in Forbes Magazine about this dominant philosophy informing our education system. In her article, author Erica Swallow contends that "America's last competitive advantage: the ability to innovate," is squandered by contemporary education's emphasis on consuming. She makes quite a good case, in my opinion. 


Starting the moment we begin school, we're rewarded for learning everything we can about everything. We learn about hundreds of things an inch deep and a mile wide, as they point out in the fascinating film, Race to Nowhere. We consume lots and lots of information, too often at the expense of using our talents to create and innovate. Of course, this type of learning allows young people to learn what fascinates them; however, as with all things, how about a little moderation? Or perhaps a focus more on application and less on information gathering?


And lest you astute readers deem me an outright hypocrite, I must confess that I do indeed realize the irony: when I create a link for readers to click I'm luring them to absorb more information! (...and giving authors and creators their due acknowledgement, of course.) 


But perhaps it's less about shutting out consumption entirely, and more about being selective and choosing well.  As Anne Morrow Lindbergh writes in her soulful, exquisitely tranquil book, Gift from the Sea:

One cannot collect all the beautiful shells on the beach.  One can collect only a few, and they are more beautiful if they are few.  One moon shell is more impressive than three.... Gradually one discards and keeps just the perfect specimen; not necessarily a rare shell, but a perfect one of its kind.  One sets it apart by itself, ringed around by space- like the island.

sunset shell

Today's information age obviously doesn't allow us much of that relished "space" Lindbergh describes; in fact, lingering in a state of solitary contemplation oftentimes feels downright absurd! I've found, however, that replacing even a small fraction of this noise with quiet time goes a long way. When I give myself space it's refreshing.  I can create from a noise-less inner place that is solely mine.

In his powerful memoir, Man's Search for Meaning, Holocaust survivor, neurologist and psychiatrist,Viktor E. Frankl, also writes about the freedom found in space: 

"Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom."

We could all stand to become choosier about what we allow to penetrate our brains.  When everything is there for the taking (thank you democracy/free speech/capitalism!) we have to make a concerted effort to regulate the noise we choose to absorb.  Careful selection frees us to experience and make our own new discoveries. It allows us to replace over-consuming with purposeful doing, creating, being and feeling. It also allows us to protect our mental health and well-being. 


The act of living inwardly and replacing consumption with innovation takes some concerted efforts on our part.  It involves some reconditioning and major unplugging once in a while, but it's well worth the effort, don't you think?  


After all, it would be a shame to take our freedom to create for granted.