Living Creatively in a Half Brained World
At school our creativity was also likely to have been stifled by a system that was often too narrow to tolerate or appreciate those children who thought outside the box. We were simply expected to fit into the education system, whether or not the education system fits us. Many of us were told we’d never amount to anything because we were dreamers or we had “too much imagination,” which helped engender the idea that being imaginative and creative is something bad. When our ideas did not fit into or went against the traditional way of thinking they were often pooh-poohed, resulting in our feeling diminished and even humiliated. Thus we learned to stay quiet and not voice our ideas or try to do things differently for fear of being put down or shamed.
It takes a brave soul to pursue creative activities that have historically had little value in our culture. For over a century Americans have been conditioned by society and even our educational systems to believe that activities such as art and music and doing things with our hands carry little value. This idea is still being perpetuated today by school districts and budget minded school boards who are quick to scrap visual and performing arts programs in favor of a core curriculum that heavily emphasizes science and math and little else.
It is ironic that at a time when Corporate America highly values and seeks creative thinkers, our children (and we) are being forced to live in a “half brained” world—one in which many if not all activities that encourage and promote creative thinking are being eliminated from our educational systems. The right brain is the big picture, creative part of the human mind, yet most everything we encounter in every day living is geared toward left brain, linear thinking. Thus if we are ever to live in a “whole brained state” and reach any level of self actualization, we are going to have to make an effort to do it on our own and we may need a little help. Find someone who can teach and/or mentor you—the destination will be well worth the journey.
