December 9, 2011

  • How Can Doing the Right Thing be Creative?

    Some of you have no doubt read John Milton's "Paradise Lost," and an even fewer number of you read it by choice. It's a poetic retelling of the Fall of Man as told in Genesis. Critics have long since pointed out that the Devil is essentially a supremely interesting and clever anti-hero while God comes across as rather boring in comparison. In fact, William Blake once said this:
    "The reason Milton wrote in fetters when he wrote of Angels & God, and at liberty when of Devils & Hell, is because he was a true Poet and of the Devil's party without knowing it."

    Which opens up a great question as to whether creativity is in some ways devilish?! One big problem is that often, the right thing sounds like something stuck in tradition. To a creative person, it's more exciting to come up with an elaborate series of lies rather than obey "Thou shalt not bear false witness." One starts believing that good is boring, traditional, and passe, while finding ways to subvert and disobey is where one can truly have fun. If you've taken an ethics class, I'm sure you've seen students do their best to be devil's advocates and come up with excuses to do the wrong thing. When was the last time you saw a passionate, creative argument for paying your taxes?

    So how can we fix this? Take "Do not lie" for example, a virtue common to many different religions and personal codes. I could just tell myself "Don't lie!" and dutifully try not to lie and yell at myself if I do. Or...
    *I can force myself to name each of the main characters in my favorite sitcom to myself before answering a difficult question. Hello, Michael, George Michael, GOB, and Buster, Maybe...wait, I forgot some names, won't be talking for a while.
    *I can scheme clever ways not to lie to Susan when she asks "Does this make me look fat?" while still having an answer. (Hint: Don't play Sir Mix-a-Lot songs as your response.)
    *I can figure out clever ways to manage my boss's expectations so that when she asks "When will this project be done?" she won't be shocked when I tell her it will be another 6 months.
    *I can make sure that everything I do is something I can boldly stand behind, even if people don't like it, and defend what I do instead of lying about it.
    *I can reward myself with chocolate every time I tell the truth when it would have been easier to lie.
    *I can create a list of articles that mention disasters that happened due to lies, like the Greek economic crisis mostly due to lying, cooked books, and corruption.
    *I can start a "truth-teller" club where each week we compare our progress and create truth strategies.

    Your own ideas? I just think it's sad that oftentimes, creative people are told or think that doing evil is a better showcase for their creativity than doing good.

Comments (9)

  • I'm a very creative person and I use it in my parenting all the time.  Sure, it might be a way to teach about boring old 'lying' or not hitting your sister.  But there are plenty of ways to get creative about it.

  • I am too weary to be creative right now, but I definitely think we can be very inventive and adventurous in our daily lives without distorting the truth or breaking the law.  In fact, it may even require more creativity to do that than it does to tell an interesting lie.

  • i'm not sure i agree with this.  unless you're suggesting that fiction is lying.  or that picasso lied in his art. or maybe variations on a theme are lies because they don't stay true to the original.  i think there's straight truth and there's truth with a creative spin to it. truth is in the eye of the beholder.  yada yada.

  • You can be creative without lying. Most people understand fiction. I happen to be a very creative person, I love the arts, but simultaneously am very honest. And this is yet another way I know I just don't think like most people. Because I honestly have a very hard time lying. I have always thought along the lines of, if something is worth doing, it is worth admitting to. And creativity can be used to show just how much trouble we can get into when we neglect the golden rule.

  • The concept of boredom really bugs me!   If we did justice to the natural gifts we have and the to the opportunities open to us just because we are living, we could never be bored.   Being bored is a cop-out.  It's a false representation of ourselves as "better" and "more intelligent" or made for "better things.   In reality it is unthankfulness for the life that we've been blessed with and unholiness toward an infinitely interesting and complex Father God.

  • Evil and temptation are always going to be enticing, but the thing to stress is they are only that way for a time (they are temporary). All the darkness, evil, and lies we stuff down will eventually always come up to the surface. Either we cant learn to tell the truth and persue good or those things will persue us and we will be found hiding in the dark crevaces, being caught in our own dark actions, the ones we thought were cool or hip or would help us reach the top, these are the actions that cause us to be untrustworthy, take drugs, and be an alchoholic (ect.).

  • It's very hard to be creative and stay grounded in what you believe. unfortunately, sometimes you must compromise creativity for your faith. :/

  • God Himself is the Creator and Sustainer of all things, and God is always good, He always does the right thing. He is light and in Him is no darkness, He does not take pleasure in wickedness, and He cannot lie. God is the perfect melding of creativity and goodness.

    Because we have been created in the image of God, we have a desire to be creative. However, due to the fall, that desire (like all desires) has become corrupted and warped. Our doing evil to showcase creativity is evidence of the rebellious nature of mankind. However, those who are Christ's have their desires changed by the Holy Spirit, and we are empowered to showcase creativity by doing good.

    Psalm 37:27-28.

  • Creative people need room to mess up to do their job...they need grace from mistakes.  According to Christianity, they should be experts.  I feel that's not the case though.  There's a deep flaw between extending what they believe to themselves (and it must extend to themselves first, before others) to be genuinely given to anyone else.

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