sound successful education.
Throughout the full spectrum of an education system from kindergarten to PhD candidates to the company training sessions, without this element potential stays in the 5% bracket at best. This absence of awareness of the significance of creative development is demonstrated every day all around us in every corner and sector of society. Creative development is what underscores the meaning, value and purpose of education, it infuses learning with personal meaning, it does the same for careers, relationships, business, anywhere people are involved , what you get in quality is proportionate to the quality of creative development encountered in the education system – and in life of course. Creative development isn’t a subject that the curriculum designers forgot to include for the past hundred years; it is a way of teaching and learning based on an authentic understanding of human potential. Authentic understanding is an understanding of why people excel, why people are fulfilled (or could be), it is an understanding that what serves peoples best interests is unique to the individual and not necessarily an academic opinion of what is good for people – however well informed or well intentioned.
Many of the biggest breakthroughs in the sciences, especially neuroscience and psychology come from exploring what isn’t working correctly. One such breakthrough came from examining stroke survivors and in particular patients that made a full recovery. Keeping this brief; scientists found to their surprise that the fully recovered patients still had the original brain damage but other areas of the brain had taken on the role of the damaged area – speech, walking, use of an arm or whatever, this finding had tremendous implications for others with acquired brain injury.
How can exploring the problem/issues teach us about creative development?
What does a reasonable understanding of human potential tell us? I have not been to any college but I have figured out that the average working class brain is just the same as, let’s say a Richard Branson brain or a Steve Jobs brain or a college professors brain, so what gives! Brains for the most part are all the same, what isn’t the same however is the information put into the brain, the environment the ‘brain’ is born into, the social and economic conditions individuals find themselves part of. I used the words ‘working class’ in this paragraph, we describe people in lots of ways that categorises, separates and distinguishes them from the rest. You can’t have posh cultured people if there aren’t less posh common people to help set them apart. This is all part of the learning and development process and why we have, today so many people conditioned into believing they are less intelligent, of limited potential and should be grateful for their lot. All of society is paying a heavy price for academic ignorance. When an education system fails to lay down the foundations for an enjoyable fulfilling and rewarding education then a foundation is being laid for most of the problems you now see all around you. What are these problems? Well educated political leadership doing stupid things, making bad decisions that undermine society, Lack of fulfilment in work, career, life, relationships. Depression, poverty, many of the haves baring no responsibility for the have-nots. Elitism. The list is endless; right now there is a poor understanding of the interdependence of all elements of society. There is little understanding of the benefits of facilitating the development of a whole person, if understanding does exist, it would appear to be a well guarded secret. As a society we still rate or value people by their social status, their address, their looks or whatever the T.V. has told us a successful person looks like or should be. Are you offended by this? You should be! It is not enough for a society to have some of the people be caring, understanding with respect for their fellow man or woman, until the collective - the critical mass make the shift you can expect more of the same disjointed, disconnected leadership informing every corner of society. Without a reasonable grasp of the real potential capabilities of people we will continue to live with systems, organisations and services always functioning below their true potential. Creative development is simple, it is the nurturing of a whole person, it is person centred.
Education without creative development is the Yin without its yang.
Creative development is not totally absent; there is also ample evidence to support this fact. Where you observe progressive sustainable growth, long reach of positive impact, influence and high level generation of revenue and reward – the people involved have the right balance of education and personal creative development. Some of the better known examples are to be found in areas of rapid development of technology, the sciences and especially the arts. By definition and necessity artists inhabit creativity and continuously develop by default. Much of the tone of this piece is critical, for good reason; there is too much suffering and too many lives being lost in the name of investor’s bottom line. This is happening because too many experts understand too little about being a whole person. I would not have hope if I weren’t aware that there are wise people in our society, people with passion, understanding and strength. There is also a youth out there that is less conditioned and more resilient against B/S.
Creative development stretches awareness; the mathematicians with expanded awareness and dynamic mental ability are the ones of significant note, reputation and impact. The same is true for absolutely any profession. Creative development is to education what electricity is to a bulb, it provides energy, power and purpose.
One article won’t explain creative development, nor will ten thousand, there are plenty of smart people out there with a passion for people and education capable of taking initiative and taking on the job of regenerating creative development. The little I know about creative development informs me that to facilitate requires a personal understanding, no amount of academic rhetoric will conjure up a useful method of facilitating creative development. It will come from educators and training facilitators who take the trouble to understand it for themselves, on a personal level, relative to their own lives, only then will you appreciate the real potential of a student and understand how to nurture their development as well as educate them.
If this article shows a slight bias against academia, politics or the wealthy please consider it a creative development issue on my behalf (otherwise known as a chip on the shoulder)