You may have heard the phrase “a mind is like a parachute, it only works when it’s open”. When an individual’s mind is rigid, it cannot grow, there’s no space for new ideas or change. If we take this concept of mental rigidity within the individual and scale it up to a cultural level we can see the same phenomenon. When a culture cannot accept new ideas it becomes stagnant and cannot grow. From this level, creative endeavors can be seen as necessary to the evolution of the society. Yet the creative individual or artist has been often downplayed by society as a whole. Creativity is often seen as superfluous to life instead of intrinsic to it.
Imagination: The Ultimate Strategic Advantage
Even when creative individuals have brought revolutionary ideas into being that have shaped the progression of the human race for the better, they are still not described as essentially creative or imaginative. For instance, Albert Einstein is possibly the most widely accepted example of a genius in the English speaking world, but it is not his ability to be creative that is held in high esteem by most. He is directly quoted as saying “I am enough of an artist to draw freely upon my imagination. Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited, whereas imagination encircles the world”. When we see leaders in any field such…
