The Human Creative Process

Enjoying The Human Creative Process

As things in life get bigger faster and more complicated; is there any alternative to letting ourselves become bigger, faster and more complicated? Is it even legal to do so?

Think about it, before you think I’m being silly.

What if I wanted to live out in the woods and build a small structure to live in and live off the land as much as possible. Just because I want to, could I? It becomes nearly impossible unless I have enough money that I don’t have to live off the land etc. Kind of like going to a bank and proving to them exhaustively that you really don’t need their money in order for them to loan you some.

Let’s say I want to build a 12’x20’ building say the size of a 1 stall garage. Let’s say I’m the only one who will be living in it. Let us say it is in the middle of 10 acres of land. My land. Further I sign a promise to tear it down if I move and have nobody else live there, and padlock it to protect the homeless in case they try to live there in my absence.

By the time I satisfied the building codes and plumbing codes and all the other codes, and hired everyone and their brother to do the things I could do myself, I would have an easy 30-40 grand into it and probably twice the size would be the smallest I could get away with. Not to mention a huge headache, untold wasted time and gas going back and forth to the inspection dept. I would of also lost half the reason for doing it which is that I would enjoy overcoming all the challenges the government is protecting me from.

The codes were set up on the concept of protecting the public. Over the years they have morphed into protecting myself from myself. A lot of the other reasons for codes have to do with the environment and protecting it from me. They draw out the repercussions of my actions through generations to make sure I’m not hurting someone or something in the future.

That whole idea that a butterfly fluttering its wings half way around the world has consequences on my side of the world forgets to mention that the best way to stop those consequences from happening is to kill the butterfly, or at least to stop the one thing that make it so unique. The thing that lets it fly and be beautiful. Clip it’s wings. To hobble animals is wrong, but they charge us to hobble the human spirit.

All of this big government regulation on all levels as this country turns into a giant bureaucracy: has the same effect upon the one thing that is the most remarkable of human traits. Our individual creativity. The driver of that creativity is the simple enjoyment we get from using it - from exercising it - from watching it grow.

All the great “light bulb” ideas of course are included. Relativity, Alternating Current, and the Silicon Chip. But I’m mainly speaking of the reinventing of let me say from experience, heating my house with a wood stove. Of learning how to do what has been done for centuries and then trying to take it a step further, to put my own stamp on it.

From this I now go to the creativity of an individual “hands on” approach of helping out another human being. It is not a new idea helping others. It is more like discovering the hidden joy within our selves in so doing. Then wanting more of that joy, we exercise that practice and invent new creative ways to do it.

I was driving down the street Sat. when I saw somebody going slow in the right lane of a 5 lane road without much traffic. He then started turning sharply to the left and I had to change my lane to safely go around. Well it dawned on me that he was out of gas. I guessed he didn’t have enough momentum to get him off the road. I was right. Someone else saw the same thing and thought the same thing. We both parked illegally and got out to help push the guy out of the way. We both turned away and left. I heard a thanks behind me. I got to my truck then looked back at the guy and he was just standing there. I knew the look. I usually carry a can of gas as I run out now and then too. I got out with the can and I saw the guys eyes light up. I just walked over and poured the gas into the tank. He said thanks and I nobly got to say “Pay It Forward”. He said “is that why you carry the gas around?” I was tempted in saying yes, but I said no and told him the truth. He then asked me if he could pay me. I was happy not to be paid but I could tell he would be happier if he did. So I told him $2 as I only gave him a gallon. He reached into his pocket and gave me 4 crumpled up ones. I said thanks and felt good. He said you’re welcome and he felt good as he started up his car.

I then got creative and now I make sure to keep that can filled in case I get to help someone else. It felt good, It was free, it was easy. They should put a tax on it. It’s lucky I have an approved container, I’d hate to break the law.

Big anything interferes with this individualistic process. It takes money to be “Big”. Government collects more and more taxes to satiate it’s hunger. Those permit fees are taxes, don’t forget. “Big Business” gets in line also, backing the regulations on itself and its market. It sees “Big Government” as the enforcer that not only keeps the customers in line but the small entrepreneurs out of their market because they lack the wherewithal to put in place all the restrictions and regulations to compete. But I digress.

What brought this all on was an article Jackie Gingrich Cushman freelanced and Townhall.com picked up titled “The Good Samaritan”
-----link-----
http://townhall.com/columnists/JackieGingrichCushman/2008/11/30/the_good_samaritan
---------------
This part is what jumped out at me, and started this train of thought.
-----quote------
This parable does not ask us to help millions, just the one person we see in need of assistance in our life’s path. The transfer of assistance, support and hope from one human being to another is the core of the story. It is the human touch, the interaction between people, which makes it so important and real to us today.
------------------
Equally impressive to me was the idea that it isn’t the money so much as it is the individual interaction and the reason to do it. I could of given the guy out of gas two bucks to buy some gas or fifteen so he could buy an approved container to put it in but actually helping him gave us both a better appreciation of each other. Hence ourselves.
-----quote-----
When life seems to speed up – we need to slow down, and refocus on people rather than events, and value rather than money. Creating value for people is what life is all about.
-----------------
To be honest the first thought I had upon reading this was what a mentor of mine told me after I passed the hat to come up with $30 to help the Young Republicans buy some pizza. I only wanted $30 and said so. I also said I wanted some people to volunteer on the phone bank the thing was set up for in the first place.

Well I got $135 in the hat and no volunteers. My mentor when asked about it simply said. “Same Old Republican Bullshit”.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative