Technology or Creativity – What do you prefer?
Most of us had imaginary friends when we were children. As kids, we had to make up new games just to keep things new and fresh. All this gave a good boost to our creativity and imagination.
But do you think kids of today have imaginary friends?
Do they invent games the way we used to?
Absolutely not! In fact, we hardly ever provide them the chance. We just buy them video games and make sure they are kept busy for a couple days.
In today’s world of video games, PC games and game apps, a child would hardly feel the need for an imaginary friend. Yet, it is not just these games that we need to blame. It is the entire tech culture.
Social media may have come up with creative options like ‘catfishing.’ But does that actually help? All it does is increase its fan base.
Lego is a very popular toy-manufacturing company that has been there for decades now. For sure, it is going to be there for many more years to come.
Many of us have grown up on Legos.
Back in those days, Legos meant just blocks of six colors and six shapes. There were no step-by-step instructions to follow. We could build anything we wanted – using our own imagination. All this has changed today, much of it to the worse.
Lego toys of today are sold in the form of DIY (Do-it-yourself) kits. There are mockups of Star Wars spaceships….Medieval castles….White House and other such landmarks….and more.
The fun is still very much there; but what about the creativity?
Today’s world is all about others telling us what to do and how to do. We need step-by-step instructions for everything. We need to see something visual to understand what we are supposed to create and how it should look.
So, what kind of world is this leading us towards?
That said have you ever tried giving your child a shape?
The first thing you will hear your kid saying is, “What am I supposed to do with this shape?”
There is no usage of imagination to find out what can be done with that shape. It is all about stopping and looking at others for instructions or cues.
It is high time we stopped looking outside and started looking within ourselves. We all have the power to create the world around us. All we need to do is recognize this power.
Have you ever thought what you would do, if you were to forego your smart phone, your tablet, your iPad, your computer and your TV?
What if there was this huge earthquake that wiped out all the power?
What if a certain hacker managed to destroy all connectivity?
How then would you work?
How would you connect with people?
What would you do with all that time?
Isn’t it unimaginable to live a life without technology?
Such a life would force you to think… to restructure everything… your home… your workplace…. The way you relate to people around you.
You may have to conjure your imagination and use your creativity, to plan those 10-to-12 hours that you would fill up with technology previously.
Would you be able to do this?
More importantly, would your child be able to manage a life without technology? For sure he/she would have been immersed into technology right from birth….relies on technology for everything starting from entertainment to self-regulation.
Think about it this way…
The new millennium children have been raised and educated using technology. They are not imaginative; nor creative. They live in a virtual world, with no exposure to the real world out there. So, do you think they will be able to survive the real life?
All these questions may seem esoteric to you. But in the long term technology does hamper the human capacity for creativity and imagination. This is especially true with the young children of today.
Yes, there are a few technologies that actually promote high level thinking. But most of those that the young children use, is all about ‘stimulus and response’ or ‘brain-dead/spoon-fed.’
We have been filling every spare moment of our life with cell phone chatter, social networking, emails, news, blogs, business and more.
These are today’s standard rules of engagement. Almost everyone conforms to them. We do too. In fact we are scared of missing out on opportunities by not doing so.
All this is perpetuating scattered minds. It is time we started allowing some space in our day-to-day lives, for the brilliance to get in. It is time to disconnect ourselves from the hypnosis of these modern practices.
Artists, who need to create genuine but unique expressions, have to be free from such influences.
It is high time you started spending sometime pondering over your thoughts…exploring your creativity….journaling your ideas… and feeding your higher mind.
Going shopping or being around corporate messages won’t do it.
You will have to get out of your old habits and take steps to enhance creativity.
So, cook some real food…go for a walk…take a deep breath…relax…observe…meditate. Activate that higher energy in you. Your outlook will start changing.
You will start experiencing a life that is richer in every way.
You will start opening wider to possibilities.
Original ideas will start flowing out of you.
You won’t get anywhere by doing what everyone else is doing. You need to break away from those chains of blind, bland compliance. You will have to strive to become an inspiring leader… a role model…to yourself and to the society that you live in.
So, stop restricting yourself and start observing your thoughts. Spread awareness about creative and deep thinking. Insure your legacy of creativity and nurture the survival of art.
Think positive…reframe your challenges…bring out the little kid in you…day-dream.
It may not happen overnight; but with practice you will get there. You will start seeing a newer person within you…healthier and happier…someone whom you will fall in love with.
So did you happen to play with Legos when you were a kid? If yes, what is it that you built?
