Monday, February 8, 2010

Creativity and the Economy

We're at a place in our country that we can not expect to shuffle the cards we've already got, make a few budget cuts and minor adjustments and be ok. Our debts are too large. Even major cuts in expenditure alone won't do it (and I'm talking both about individuals and the larger culture here). We've got to be creative as well.

We've got to come up with new ideas, practices, approaches, and yes, even products and services. We've got more stuff than we need, but a lot of it is junk. There are inventions not yet thought of or produced that will cut out all sorts of unnecessary waste. There are songs that haven't been written that people actually need to hear. They will create markets of some sort. Maybe people won't pay for the songs, but they'll invest something of value to hear them.

I see in myself and in the US right now the human tendency to become afraid, defensive, angry and/or withdrawn because of the economic climate. We have been overextended in unhealthy, greed-driven ways. However, fear of loss in no better a motivator than greed -- both are destructive roots that eventually bear unhealthy fruit. Generosity and love, however, are good roots that end up creating something. When paired with wisdom and diligence they often create something of substance and value.

As strange as it sounds, right now we need to create! Ideas, processes, and yes, new and better stuff. And less of it. (If you've ever had really, really good chocolate you don't need much of it.) So bring it on. The sooner the better.

1 comment:

JDK said...

great insights Jonathan, I think you hit it on the head, now the big question how do we make it happen? What your talking about was a major part of the vision for Humstream, I'm wondering how many people have ideas that they can't implement themselves for lack of resources or gifting or education.

That problem seems like it can only be resolved through communities like the DSC, where creatives team together to empower the new ideas.