Awakening the Creator Within

Just before the turn of the new millennium, I wrote the following opening lines to my 3^rd book, Flash of Brilliance:

 "A new era trembles to be born, with and through our creativity. The world at large, and the spirit deep within each of us, call upon us to recognize and actualize—perhaps for the first time—the natural, creative brilliance of our lives.

"Certainly the problems we face at the dawn of a new millennium—overpopulation, economic uncertainty, environmental destruction, terrorist and nuclear threats, lifestyle stresses —demand our creative participation to “clean up the mess we’re in.”  

"But even more, our souls urge us to ignite our lives with spiritual purpose, to cherish again the gift of being alive and rededicate our work to making a creative difference (not just making money) through our unique gifts and talents."

Reading these words today, I wonder: “Is this new era actually being born? Are we answering the call of the times? Are we answering the call of our souls?

I’ve found that these are not questions I can answer just by “looking at the evidence” – because there is plenty of evidence in the world for both Yes and No answers to each question. Instead, I have to start by looking within, to that place where we share a common spirit, with common human values: those positive qualities of good character that are found across cultures throughout history. Values that we esteem as the pinnacle of humanness, such as our esteem for honesty, fairness, contributing to others’ lives, caring, responsibility, serving others, seeking higher wisdom, doing no harm to others.

Because these values are indeed found across cultures and time, I firmly believe they are inherent in our human DNA – they are part of being human. Even if we sometimes/often/usually don’t live up to them, they are built into the psyche of our species.

I trust in that impression of our inherent goodness. I trust in the inner push we share to actualize those values in our cultures, in our societies, in our relationship to the planet. I trust that they are behind the inner call, and our responsiveness to the worldly call, to “clean up the mess we’re in.”

I’ve been inspired by the writings of Adam Smith – the 18^th century economist and moral philosopher who first wrote about the “invisible hand” that guides modern capitalism. He also wrote about our inherent moral faculties, which…

"… were set up within us to be the supreme arbiters of all our actions, to superintend [control] all our senses, passions, and appetites, and to judge how far each of them was either to be indulged or restrained. [These] were plainly intended to be the governing principles of human nature; the rules which they prescribe are to be regarded as the commands and laws of the Deity."[1]

I trust in this internal compass that can guide the invisible hand, individually and collectively. But to bring our moral faculties to the forefront of how we operate in the world, the key question is not, “What can we innovate?” or even, “What do we want to innovate?”

Rather, for all of us it is, “What are we called to innovate?” That is, “What higher needs for serving each other will enrich and ennoble our lives?  What are our values, our commitments, and our passions that move us to create a sustainable future for us all?”

Only when we answer that from our inmost human center, and dare to live that answer, does learning the skills for innovation takes on any real meaning.  Only when we venture deep within ourselves do we access the core of our inherent potential for creativity and innovation.  There we touch the living flame, the source of love and insight, illuminating the meaning of our lives not just once but repeatedly.

We are an intimate part of this creation, and as such, we share in its creative nature. We can literally co-create the evolution of our society, species and planet.  That is the call today. At what speed are we awakening to that call?