The email is titled "2017 Creative Mornings Themes" and opens with the question: "Interested in talking about one topic as a keynote speaker?" I go through the list of themes: mystery, moments, taboo, beyond, serendipity, survival, equality, genius, compassion, pioneer, death, and context. Instantly, I am attracted to "genius". After all, reconnecting with our inner genius is what Thinkergy's creative Genius Journey leadership method is all about.
But one topic surprises me and makes me uncomfortable: death. Does the Grim Reaper have a creative side? I begin thinking about it -- and indeed, death is an unlikely ally of creativity and creation.
(First, I should explain that Creative Mornings is a creative speaker series held in cities across the globe once a month. The organiser in Bangkok is the Institute for Knowledge & Innovation-Southeast Asia (IKI-SEA) at Bangkok University, which I have just joined as an assistant professor on a part-time basis.)
So, what are the creative dimensions of death? Death is the action or fact of dying or being killed; it can also be the destruction or permanent end of something. Death and destruction are antonyms of life and creation. So how can they have a creative side? Interestingly, these opposites seem to feed on each other in three paradoxical ways:
1. Creation and creative destruction (death) complement each other, depend on each other and complete each other.
2. While we cannot avoid death, creation is the way to circumvent it.
3. In order to do that, death can remind us to focus our creative energies wisely. Let's now discuss each of these three insights in greater detail.
Insight 1. Death completes and supports creation, and vice versa. "For life and death are one, even as the river and the sea are one," as Khalil Gibran noted in The Prophet. Just as plants, typhoons or galaxies follow a life cycle, it also holds true for an idea, a product, a technology, a company or an industry.
What if this cycle had no end? What if there were only creation and life without any destruction and death? We would live in a world overcrowded with people and stuff. And old people, things and ideas would suppress the new, and limit its ability to develop, thrive and mature.
Steve Jobs put it this way: "No one wants to die. ... And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life's change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new."
Insight 2. Creation is a way to circumvent death. While none of us can avoid death, we can live on after we're gone. How? By using the force of creation. Human beings are the only species that can employ two creative strategies to prolong life after death:
- Procreation. "Our dead are never dead to us, until we have forgotten them," noted the British author George Eliot. So, procreate. Start a family and have children. It is likely to prolong your life for one to two generations before you eventually will be forgotten and dead for good.
- Creation. In this life, focus your work and energy on creative output in a field where your talents, skills and passions intersect. The more you create during your lifetime, the greater the odds that at least one of your creations becomes an eternal masterpiece and you live on in the hearts of present and future generations, just as Steve Jobs does.
Insight 3. Death is a tool to focus creative energy. Use the prospect of death as a tool to focus your time and energy on those things that are most important for you. Steve Jobs said in this context: "Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart."
Sadly, most busy businesspeople use time management systems to deal with their schedules. What they forget is that "busyness" (filling hours with activity) doesn't equate to productivity and creativity (producing results and creative outputs). Moreover, how can you manage time if you don't know how much time you have left? Here's Steve Jobs again: "Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life."
So, "carpe diem" -- use each day wisely. Make each day you have left count by living your life instead of living up to the expectations of others. Make it count by spending time with people you love and who bring out the best in you. Make it count by procreating and bringing up functional children. Make it count by following your passion and doing what you think is important. Make it count by leaving a lasting legacy. Then, when you have your appointment with death, you can look back with a gratifying smile, and look forward to a new adventure.
Dr Detlef Reis is the founding director and chief ideator of Thinkergy Limited (www.THINKERGY.com), the Innovation Company in Asia. He is also an assistant professor at the Institute for Knowledge & Innovation -- Southeast Asia (IKI-SEA), Bangkok University, and an adjunct associate professor at the Hong Kong Baptist University. He can be reached at dr.d@thinkergy.com.
No comments:
Post a Comment