The forces of creation

Positive creation – a spiritual means of actualizing man's purpose
 

Since we have been created in God’s own image, it logically follows that creative forces would be found within us as well. Facts on the ground support this assumption. The creative process is expressed in both thought and deed. If we utilize these forces in a positive direction, we will realize our purpose and enjoy all the benefits creative power has to offer.

A further proof of creativity’s immense importance is in the advantage its natural development has over other spiritual tools

Due to its vast importance, it too will be designated as a “meta-value” in this book. Similarly to love, it too is involved in every shade of a person’s activities and plays a very important role in our lives. Similarly to love, creativity too has sub-values, the primary ones are: Success, Curiosity, Desire for knowledge, Understanding and Progress. Unlike the value of love, creativity was not awarded the regard of the ancient world’s philosophers and was neither mentioned by the prophets nor by the Creator Himself. This phenomenon apparently has its own causes. Despite this, it indirectly arises in God’s request for us to walk in His footsteps.

Due to creativity’s unique activity, it would be logical to assume that it possesses unusual qualities. Its uniqueness is comprised in its ability to bring into existence something with a clearly original component. Among other things, this brings about that creatively doing the same thing again will lead to its improved execution. Thus, creativity contributes to man’s development. Its additional unique characteristic is that an activity in which it partakes is frequently performed at a high level of sophistication. Due to all this one can accept  that the creative expression involves many of man’s spiritual powers.

This spiritual tool is the principle cause behind man’s most impressive achievements, from ancient times and until this very day, when he actualized genuinely positive goals or the true Good, thereby realizing the essence of that wonderful creation, born in God’s own image.
However, it is also an unsurpassable destructive force, leading to the greatest disasters along the course of human history, when it realized negative aims, or the false Good, thereby unleashing the worst beast of all. This ambivalence stems from the fact that in both cases, the activity occurs at a highly sophisticated level.

The involvement of love, drives the creative expression to provide us with impressive achievements whereas the involvement of hatred, causes the creative expression to strike us with disasters. Therefore, in order for the forces of creativity to realize man’s purpose, they have to be accompanied by love.

The concept “to create” is familiar to man since the dawn of history. In every human society and at every meeting of people, we witness creative expressions. However, only a few are aware of its significance and of the true role this wonderful quality plays in man’s life. Due to this lack of awareness, man expresses only a fraction of its capacity, in general, and of its capability to realize his purpose, in particular. It is reasonable to suppose that as man’s awareness of this quality increases, this will increasingly improve. Despite all these limitations, there are people, in every generation, who possess positive, elevated creative qualities and talent.

Man cannot be truly happy if he is not creatively expressed. Literature in this area notes that we are beings who, first and foremost, attain goals and solve problems. When we creatively deal with an important task, we sense satisfaction and even happiness. People who go about saying that life isn’t worthwhile, are actually saying that they have no goals worth realizing.

We express ourselves creatively when, of our own accord, we decide to perform a particular activity. We shall lose much of this ability if an element of coercion is involved.
Man’s capacity to express creativity, most of his time. Since man’s creative expression is a prime trait, it is logical to suppose that he is indeed able to express himself this way. Reality proves that this capacity does exist and it could even be said that man has an urge to act creatively most of his time.
Is creativity a byproduct of a person’s maturity? No, the trait of creativity is highly developed in children . However, genuine, positive creativity and its activity are indeed a byproduct of maturity, since the love involved is itself a product of one’s maturity.

Encouragement to positive, creative expression.

Having realized that negative, creative activity causes man destruction, while positive, creative activity benefits him, it would be only natural to provide words of guidance and encouragement in favor of the latter.

Man receives the most dramatic encouragement for it from God’s actual calling on him to follow His ways. Man may receive further significant encouragement from educational bodies, such as: his parents, teachers, the society in which he lives and the government. It is recommended to begin providing this encouragement, including actual activity, already in the child’s formative years. This will form a basis for continual, proper creative development. It is recommended for the process to be maintained in school too, as well as in adult life.

Encouraging a child’s positive, creative expression constitutes one of the most important tasks for every nation. The various regimes must furnish the principle content and experience, scrutinizing its implementation if they have a sincere interest in acting to benefit their people. In this issue, more than any other, they will contribute to their nation’s positive progress; progress that today’s individual is so greatly in need of. The planning and execution of this project can be done with almost the same level of efficiency in a democracy as in a totalitarian regime. It appears to me that it is actually the democratic regime, which exhibits the greater weakness in this regard.

Encouraging and providing purely tactile content is insufficient. Man first has to understand and be convinced of the Good comprised in this activity  and to agree to perform it, in order for this Good to be performed at a high level of sophistication, i.e. creatively.

As for socially prevalent activities, man must work in accordance with these only when they actualize the true Good. Generally, the expression of true Good is always based on respect and genuine love for the other. It is advisable for every regime to prohibit, even by law, socially created negative activities. From time to time there will be instances in which we shall have to act differently than in the rule set above. I suppose that a person who implements the true Good will be capable of deciding for himself when and how to act this way.