Creativity

On account of being on a cleanse and still working full time, I have not been exercising.  I devote my energy to work and thus have not been taking my morning walks, either.  My body wants the time to rest, and that's OK, after all, that is the point of the cleanse.  However, on my solitary walks is when I think about things to write, my thoughts develop with the monotonous movement of my legs and the beauty of my surroundings.  A bird will chirp and inspire a thought or a wave will crash and it will spark an emotional fire.  

A dear friend told me that we are losing creativity in today's society; we are always connected, attached, plugged-in such that we don't have down time which is where creativity flourishes.  In fact, people most commonly say "I had a great idea when I was in the shower!" because that is the only place that the cell phone has not (yet) been able to infiltrate.  At the gym, people have their headphones jammed into their ears to block out all life and get themselves through their miserable workout and what's worse is when this is outdoors.  Wouldn't one want to hear nature, be aware of her/his surroundings, greet their fellow runner? At home, people have the TV blaring as "background noise."  Are we afraid to be alone with our own thoughts?  What happened to sitting and contemplating? Silence?  Isn't is said that Isaac Newton's theory of gravitation was inspired by the fall of an apple?  I don't know that Newton would have seen that apple fall if he was texting and walking or distracted by talking on his cell phone.  (I am guilty of these things,  myself.)

According to the wise Albert Einstein, "The monotony and solitude of a quiet life stimulates the creative mind."  

Maybe we ought to incorporate some more quiet time in our lives?  Some time to just watch the wind blow.  Maybe it will inspire in us some creativity or maybe just allow us to take in the magnificence of the world.    

Travel

"For my part, I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel's sake. The great affair is to move." RLS

How true!

I read that yesterday and it totally defines my life's philosophy. I love to travel. I love to see new things and talk to people and smell the smells of different lands. I live to see the landscape and see if I can identify the differences in the plants and animals that are foreign to me. The flavors of distinct regions of the world, or state, or even city, can be so discretely, but at the same time, completely variable. I really value the importance of travel for so many reasons but especially to see other people's beliefs and ways of life, hopefully learn a thing or 2 to improve my own life, even if that improvement comes in the form of knowing that I am satisfied with my life style and don't like the lifestyle that I observed elsewhere.

The other thing that was astounding about this quote is that I find it incredible that someone else, from a different time can so accurately explain my emotions. It's a tribute to the similarity of humans. We may often think about our feelings as unique but how wrong is that? Everything we've felt, other humans potentially have the capacity to feel as well. How amazing is that? To know that you have a sort of emotional connection with a poet from the 5th century BC who spoke a language that is now extinct! Or that people have been falling in love, feeling betrayed, suffered due to their emotions for, well, I don't even know how long but it's been documented in the form of literature since at least the 7th century BC. How cool is that?

I wish for humanity that we hold on to those things we have in common. And that we cherish those priceless things, like love and emotions, even loneliness and sadness.