1st Prize Winner of Arise And Achieve #AAA# Essay Competition 2021
Introduction
“Ideas have catalystic power to change the world. They are leaders of social evolution. Evolutionary developments in science, religion, art all have at their roots mental ideas that later realize themselves through physical acts” (Ashok Natarajan. “Ideas that Changed the World,” Cadmus: Promoting Leadership in Thought that Leads to Action.vol.3, 2019, 35). These are the words of a renowned Indian researcher, Ashok Natarajan.
This is a truism in the sense that the society, as it is today, is to a very great extent, the product of man’s imaginative power that was brought into action. Certain discoveries in history were products of chance and accidents. The primitive man, for instance, was said to have discovered fire accidentally. It was useful for keeping warmth and served in the preparation of his primitive meals. But today, that same fire has evolved by the product of man’s imaginative power. It has been domesticated and put under various covers: fire arms.
Man needs not to smash stones against the other to produce a spark. He does not need to gather dried leaves to light up his environment. He simply presses a button or turns a knob of the lighter or gas cylinder and he has fire. He slightly squeezes a match stick against its box and produces fire. In cold weathers, his reasoned-out machines (heater for example), are there to transform the same cold surrounding air to a warmer one to keep him warmth. Animals that were once hunted for game now serve different purposes and brought under usages in religion, medicine, agriculture, industries, arts, etc. all these and many more prove that ideas rule the world.
Man has ab initio been given the power of reasoning. And this rationality differentiates him from other animals. For this he is called a rational animal. Over the years, two schools of thought have paralleled in their views as to how man gains his ideas and knowledge (by extension). One is the rationalism which argues that man’s ideas are acquired through reason, which could be intuitive or innate. The other is the empiricism which claims that one gains ideas and knowledge primarily through sensory perceptions and experiences.
Be that as it may, this write-up adopts a unitive, rather than evaluative, method to harmonize the two opposing views. It, thereafter, projects that ideas when they are transformed into action influence and change the status of things in the world. However, for the purpose of this article, the scope obtains within the ambience of the “how.” That is, “how” can a change be made in the society through creative ideas.
The Creativity of Ideas
What does it imply for an idea to be creative? This is approached from two perspectives: from the meaning of the word “creative” and from the sense of the word. From the former, being creative means having or showing the ability to make new things or think of new things. It, however, extends from mere having or showcasing of ideas to its implementation. It could also connote the sense of repetition of an action but in an unusual mannerism.
As an action word, בָּרָא (bârâʾ) “to create” is used to describe the action of God in bringing the universe into existence. That is to say that God brought into being, what never was or existed. In this first sense then, creativity of ideas suggests bringing up new ideas to challenge and change the societal state of affairs.
In the second perspective, the bringing up of new and fresh ideas transcends to selectivity. This means that man becomes selective in the choice of ideas he implements. Thoughts and imaginations can come in negativity or positivity. They can be very edifying or destructive in character but the ability to select and implement only that which will bring a positive change and expand the frontiers of knowledge is herein described as creativity of ideas.
The ability to select and execute the needed thoughts and imagination is described here as being “creative.” Lindsey Carruthers et al, support this motion when they state that “creativity is a valuable attribute that involves the generation of ideas; attention is a vital function that facilitates information “selection” (Carruthers, L., et al. “The Relationship between Creativity and Attention in Adults.” Creativity Researh Journal, 2018, 30(4), 370). The selected thought becomes an asset. This is akin however, to the Ancient Near Eastern political sphere where the sovereign singles out his vassal by giving him a status of sglt (segullah) which means peculium, “special property.”
Nevertheless, Shiv says creativity resides at the intersection of two primary pathways in the brain. Along one pathway, the neurostransmitter serotonin governs whether one is operating from a sense of calm and contentment or form a position of anxiety and fear. On the other pathway, dopamine mover one from boredom or apathy to excitement and engagement (seewww.inc.com/magazine/201402/ryan-underwood/creativity-boosters-neuroscience.html).
The Society – A Living Organism
Movement is one of the factors that characterize every living organism. Between the Milesians and the later Pluralists stand Heraclitus, an Ephesian trained philosopher who maintains that the universe is just synonymous with “change.” Hence, nothing is constant. And being that the status of things cannot remain the same till eternity, creative ideas are factors that influence and change the society. Now, the “how” of helping the society to grow through creative ideas are grouped into stages: identifying the status quo, re-evaluation and implementation of innovative ideas.
In the first stage, identifying the status quo, one realizes that the process of observation generates ideas. A problem known is half-solved. People need to rise and question the modus Vivendi that has held sway for years. History reveals that democracy in government evolved as a revolutionary idea that everybody in society should have a say in how the society is governed, who governs it, and also gives everybody an opportunity to participate.
In the second stage of re-evaluation, people begin reassessing the pre-set data, identifying the good, the bad, and the ugly. Thereafter, they filter through. Karl Marx and Frederich Engels, for instance, re-assessed the economic standard of the society and determined to overthrow capitalism and replace it with a Communist society based on equality, which eventually led to a polarising of global politics.
The stages of observation and re-evaluation now lead to the third: implementation of innovative/ creative ideas. Using this knowledge, man is able to command life and make it go the way he wants. Such a command over life equipped man to launch technological revolutions using coal, steam, electricity and electronics. And in all other works of life, it is obvious that the major revolutions that history has recorded were preceded by a launch of ideas. The idea of Liberty launched the French Revolution, and that of economic equality spurred the Russian Revolution. With the same idea of freedom, Mahatma Gandhi inspired the Indian population to fight for Independence. Similarly, the scientific inquiry and technological discoveries led to industrial revolution and so on.
Conclusion
Humanity has been endowed with the capacity of reasoning. When this reasoning is creative / positive enough, societal change is realized. Impossibility becomes a mere concept that does not exist. Man has to “arise” first of all by maximizing his creative thinking capacity before he “achieves” the desired goal. For this reason, the Germans would say, Übung macht der Meister (practice makes the master).
Human mind is a powerful tool of societal change. It is an evolutionary instrument, which however, needs to be aided by a strong will-power to bring into being, the products of its imaginative power. Dormancy, therefore, is as a result of nonuse or minimal use of man’s imaginative capacity. In sum, this write-up invites all, especially the youths, to take up the challenge of facing the affairs of the society, re-evaluate it and coming up with suggestions about what to do, and making visible representations of these formulated thoughts or opinions.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Henry Uzoka is a native of Amiri in Oru East L. G. A in Imo State, Nigeria. He finds joy in article writings. Being computer inclined, he works with Fruitsoft company wherein they specialize in: website development, mobile app, computer networking and installations, laptop and computer unit sales and supply, online bookings and consulting services.