Navigating Our Collective Future: The Intersection of Human Connections, Creativity and Ecology.
One often wonders why. some people are able to harness their creative potential and attain mastery over their field while others struggle or just accept inertia. Are some people just born creative. Observations during worldwide ethnographic studies and co-creation sessions with students, professionals and communities have led one to believe that creativity is inherent in every living specie, it flourishes when it receives the proper nourishment and a conducive. environment.
The fundamental purpose of creativity lies in fostering cooperation, collaboration, and synthesis among all living beings, contributing to the broader ecological balance and the continuous evolution of life on Earth.
If creativity’s purpose is to support the evolution of life on Earth, what role does the pursuit of happiness play for an individual? Aren’t we inherently wired to be selfish? Isn’t the “survival of the fittest” a foundational principle of evolution? What, then, is the purpose of having a unique identity, ego, and individual needs? To gain insight into these questions, we can examine the lives of those who have mastered their respective knowledge domains or skills.
By understanding their journeys, we observe a common pattern – a shift in focus from the self to the broader world. Among us are those who dedicate themselves to their crafts with questioning, curious minds. Whether they are musicians, craftspeople, scientists, designers, or philosophers, they continually broaden their understanding of the world around them. As they delve deeper into their practices, their self-focus diminishes, allowing them to cultivate an environment of reflection and contemplation within the realm of collective consciousness. This pivotal moment in life can be referred to as the inflection point.
This inflection point in one’s evolution can lead to an ultimate state of liberation and enlightenment. As boundaries between the self and collective consciousness blur, a state of openness can emerge, unleashing our creative potential and contributing to the expansion of consciousness and imagination.
Imagine if every living being participates in the evolutionary process with expanded consciousness and Imagination, what would the world be like The word that best describes the imagination of such a future is conviviality.
Conviviality refers to a warm, friendly, and lively atmosphere that fosters enjoyable social experiences and connections. It is characterized by a sense of togetherness, where individuals come together to share good times, stimulating conversations, and camaraderie. Conviviality promotes the idea of living together in harmony, and it encompasses the idea of engaging, playful, and supportive interactions among people within a community or social setting. At its core, conviviality reflects the essence of positive human relationships and a shared sense of joy.
We can shape a convivial future by aligning aspirations, choices, decisions, and actions, guiding our efforts towards harmony and positive human connections.
Ivan Illich, in his book “Tools for Conviviality,” states,
“I believe that a desirable future depends on our deliberately choosing a life of action over a life of consumption, on our engendering a lifestyle which will enable us to be spontaneous, independent, yet related to each other, rather than maintaining a lifestyle which only allows us to produce and consume.”
So, how can we achieve such a future? Is it possible to transform an economy reliant on production and consumption into a society driven by curiosity, compassion, and imagination?
For this transformation to happen, a radical shift in education is necessary. Cultivating curiosity, compassion, and imagination must be given equal importance as efficiency and productivity. Critical thinking, dialogue, and conflict resolution should be taught as essential skills. Furthermore, there is a need to balance human-made technologies with nature-inspired innovations by encouraging students to explore the mysteries of the natural world. This exploration should not be overshadowed by the convenience of super-intelligent and accessible human-made technologies.
