Creative Information
(Picture courtesy of New York Times)
“The original root of the word “information” is the Latin word informare, which means to fashion, shape, or create, to give form to. Information is an idea that has been given a form, such as the spoken or written word. It is a means of representing an image or thought so that it can be communicated from one mind to another rather than worrying about all the information afloat in the world, we must ask ourselves what matters to us, what do we want to know. It’s having ideas and learning to deal with issues that is important, not accumulating lots and lots of data.”
–Theodore Roszak (American Social Thinker, Critic and Writer, 1933- 2011)
The Value of the Intuitive Leap
“The shrewd guess, the fertile hypothesis, the courageous leap to a tentative conclusion – these are the most valuable coin of the thinker at work. But in most schools guessing is heavily penalized and is associated somehow with laziness.”
–Jerome Bruner (American Psychologist, 1915-)
Will Power
“Willpower is the energy of the Creative Principle in the Universe. It is the power that creates, sustains, and destroys. Because everything is emanated from this principle, the Core of every atom, cell, form, entity, and soul has its own willpower. It is the inner Core or inner Divine Spark that is a portion of that energy of the Creative Principle of the Universe. It is this willpower that gradually paves the way for you to direct your steps toward Home, toward the source of the Creative Principle.”
–Torkom Saraydarian (Armenian-born American Spiritual Teacher, Musician and Writer, 1917-1997)
Thoughts From Our Collective Mind
“Each theory may have evolved from a unique angle of analysis, but ultimately our theories form from – and refer to – a sort of unified, collective mind.”
–Todd Siler (American Visual Artist, Educator, Inventor and Author, 1953-)
Infinite Creativity
“The ultimate creative capacity of the brain may be, for all practical purposes, infinite.”
–George Leonard (American Aikidoist, President Emeritus of the Esalen Institute and Writer, 1923-2010)
The Creative and Controlling Force of the Universe
“Acting from the highest levels in his being, man is the creative and controlling force in the Universe;…. Hence Maeterlinck’s famous saying, ‘Let us always remember that nothing befalls us that is not of the nature of ourselves.’”
–Christmas Humphreys (English Judge, Author and Buddhist Philosopher, 1901-1983)
Transcendence and Creativity
“There is perhaps no better way of measuring the natural endowment of a soul than by its ability to transmute dissatisfaction into a creative impulse.”
–Eric Hoffer (American Longshoreman, Writer and Philosopher, 1902-1983)
Get Motivated by Your Creativity
“Creativity is a great motivator because it makes people interested in what they are doing. Creativity gives hope that there can be a worthwhile idea. Creativity gives the possibility of some sort of achievement to everyone. Creativity makes life more fun and more interesting.”
–Edward de Bono (Maltese-born British Physician and Discoverer of Lateral Thinking, 1933-)
“Serious Creativity: Using the Power of Lateral Thinking to Create New Ideas” (Edward De Bono)
The Power of Solitude
The path of the hermit is meant for very few people. But we can all benefit from learning the power of occasional solitude.
Even if you have a house full of cats, dogs and kids demanding your attention, you will be better able to help them all if you can have just a little quiet time. Even if it means spending five minutes sitting on your own in a closet!
“When you cease to fear your solitude, a new creativity awakens in you. Your forgotten or neglected wealth begins to reveal itself. You come home to yourself and learn to rest within. Thoughts are our inner senses. Infused with silence and solitude, they bring out the mystery of inner landscape.”
–John O’Donohue (Irish Poet, Author, Catholic Priest and Hegelian Philosopher, 1956-2008)
Breaking to Create
“Truly every new idea is a violation of some older idea; as the awakening of tomorrow is a violation of today’s slumber. As long as man continues to evolve, in other words, to separate himself from chaos, and to express himself in a higher form, he must always shatter something. In shattering, he disobeys: in breaking, he creates.”
—Jeanne de Vietinghoff (Belgian Writer and Philosopher, 1875-1926)
