Basic Creativity

Spirit (Ling): Greetings.

We feel that if a title were given to what we are going to discuss tonight it would be, “Basic Creativity”.

It has been observed that people who come to us, who have been perhaps in a major way, but even in a small way, creative, are far more balanced and satisfied in themselves, that those who have not had this pleasure.

Initially, going back to my own life, which as you know was a leisurely, scholarly one, rather selfish as I did not have to work to create a living, but looking back on my life the most satisfaction I got was from my garden. Now this was not done on the whole by myself. I had people to work, to sweep the paths and to keep everything in order, but when I look back and think of the times I spent myself, in perhaps merely sweeping a small area of path, or creating a small vista, which I opened up with my own endeavours, they gave me satisfaction and pleasure.

And thinking of today’s people, possibly even the young ones you have mentioned, they do not have, many of them, the basic satisfaction of doing something with their own hands. For example, the sewing that women do, the creation of beautiful garments, or furnishings, right from the start, the choosing of the fabric, the cutting and the sewing, can bring a great sense of achievement. Similarly, the person who builds a house, or a small box… the sense of achievement, the person who creates a wonderful meal for friend or family, or possibly even for a banquet… the sense of satisfaction.

They have not, (other than in the case of a cook with perhaps the oven), just sat and pushed buttons. They have started from the basics. Perhaps in the case of the cook, the one who has grown the fruit or vegetables, he or she has gone out into the garden and chosen what to prepare for an evening meal, or maybe the man who has built his little box has in mind to give it as on object of love to someone. They can look back on their life and think, “I did that. It is something that I did” – a concrete path, a small dinghy, perhaps a beautiful park, created by their own hands. A mag-nificent garment, a lovely shoe, there are so many things that people can create… including a story, not picked out on a computer, but with their own physical effort of holding the pen or pencil and writing the words… or the painting of a picture.

These people can look back in their lives and say, “I did it, I created it”; it was not something that was done by a machine. Machines have helped, but it is they themselves, that have put in the effort. They are well dressed, because they have done it themselves. They have eaten well because they have done it themselves. People are happier because this person has taken the time to listen, and perhaps given advice or merely said a comforting word, but they did it. They didn’t say, “ Have you read…?”, or “Why didn’t you listen to so and so”, they did it themselves, they helped that person.

And it is these people we find, at the end of their lives, or even as they go through it, look back and think, “Well I did that”, and they have a certain amount of satisfaction. I don’t mean that they become egotistical, but have just a quiet sense of satisfaction at having created something, whether it is joy in someone’s life, or something physical that they have created in the way of garments, or food, or houses or whatever.

We feel that today, it is because so much is so easy to come by, (by the pushing of buttons, by going to a shop, by I think your word is ‘passing the buck’ of someone else’s problems on to someone else), without you yourself putting in that little bit of effort. Too much of that is happening in your world today.

So when the opportunity arises, see if you can encourage people, perhaps merely by praising their efforts… but encourage them to do things for themselves.

We don’t say that everyone has to do everything, but even if it is one thing that they can look back on and say, “I did that”, it gives a sense of satisfaction, and not a sense of, “Well I didn’t do anything with my life’.
Those are the people who, when they pass over, are hardest for us to help. They have a negativity about them and it is usually one of their own making, but it is the place of those who surround them and really in particular their teachers, to encourage creativity. When I speak of teachers I don’t necessarily mean those in the schools, but those that are around the young people.

Point out to them, they may just say, “Pouf” and ignore you, but it is there and one day they may think, “I’ll have a go, if they can do that, I can”.

Well my friends, you yourselves know who this applies to. You know in your own lives what satisfaction you will have got out of doing something, helping someone, or creating something… but many of the people today, from the very young to the middle aged, (perhaps not so much the old, the older ones usually have created something in their lives), try and encourage others to do the same so that they, may have the satisfaction at the end of their lives, that we would like to think you people have.

On this particular subject is there anything you would care to ask about?

Sitter (K): Ling I can’t quite follow your thinking in part of it.

You speak of the computer, and to me the creating of a book or whatever, is from your thinking, rather than of what you do it with. Whether you tap computer keys so it is easier to read, or whether you use a pen to hand write it, seems to me to be immaterial. As I say I just can’t quite follow your thinking.

Spirit: There is a certain satisfaction to many people in the physical effort that comes into the holding of the pen and driving it across the paper, creating the words, the shapes themselves, that gives a sense of satisfaction. It may not be so to everyone, but many people become so involved in the mechanics of the machine they are using, that they almost forget the creativity of using the mind and the physical body.

Perhaps sometime when you have a little time to spare, pick up a pencil and paper and write a small poem, or a brief paragraph of a story and then do the same thing… make up the story, not identical but make up another story on the computer, and see if you get the same satisfaction out of both. It’s an interesting exercise you may care to try.

Sitter: Thank you.

Spirit: Goodnight and God bless you all.