To be Creative and Innovative is to Live

 World Creativity and Innovation Day 2022 / 21 April / Article

To be Creative and Innovative is to Live

Fr Dr M. D. Thomas

Director, Institute of Harmony and Peace Studies, New Delhi

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The 21st day of April is ‘World Creativity and Innovation Day’, as designated by the United Nations. ‘Raising awareness of the role of creativity and innovation in all aspects of human development’ is the objective of the day. Encouraging people to use new ideas, to make new decision and to do creative thinking is the plan of action that is destined to make the necessary effect.

This day was officially recognized by the United Nations in 2017. In 2018, a global community was launched, with educators, creative entrepreneurs, social and business leaders, creators, researchers and other change agents. This was for promoting and connecting initiatives of creativity and innovation for sustainable development in the social, technological and economic arenas.

 

Creative multidisciplinary thinking at the individual and group levels is the ‘true wealth of the 21st century’. The creative economy consists of audiovisual products, design, new media, performing arts, publishing and visual arts. ‘Creativity and innovation’ is a highly transformative sector of the world economy, in terms of income generation, job creation and export earnings.


According to the UNESCO report on ‘culture and sustainable development’, cultural and creative industries should be part of economic growth strategies. These industries are among the most dynamic sectors in the world economy. It has generated revenue in billions and job in millions.

 

Creativity is what makes the world go round. Creativity advances the ‘Sustainable Development Goals’ of the United Nations. This sector has the potential to provide new momentum for economic growth and job creation. It can expand opportunities for everyone, including women and youth. It can also provide solutions to some of the most concerning issues, such as poverty and hunger.

Oscar Wilde, an Irish poet and playwright, states, “An idea that is not dangerous is unworthy of being called an idea at all”. “Creativity involves breaking out of established patterns, in order to look at things in a different way”, affirms Edward de Bono. “If you want something new, you have to stop doing something old”, observes Peter Drucker. Again, Erich Fromm says, “Creativity requires the courage to let go of certainties”.

Creativity is the ‘use of imagination or original ideas to create something’. It is a tendency to generate or recognize ideas, alternatives or possibilities that may be useful in solving problems, communicating with others and entertaining ourselves and others. It is a mindset that suggests that there may be more than a single answer or solution to any particular issue or problem.

Creativity is a sense of intense curiosity. It is a positive attitude. It is a strong motivation and determination. Creativity allows us to view and solve problems more openly and with innovation. Creativity opens the mind. A society that has lost touch with its creative side is an imprisoned society, in that generations of people may be closed minded. But, creativity broadens our perspectives and can help us overcome prejudices.

A creative person can be referred to as an innovator or a creator of new ideas. A person who introduces new methods, ideas or concepts is a creative person. A person who creates or invents new things or products is willing to be different. Imagination, originality, inspiration, vision, inventiveness, resourcefulness, and the like, are a few of the dimensions of creativity and innovation.

Creativity is the identity and brilliance of human life. To be creative is to live as a human being. To be creative is to grow up in life, to the full stature. To be creative is to contribute to the betterment of the society. Moreover, creativity is the character of the divine. To be creative is the way to explore the divine in life, too. To be creative is to be human and divine in life, both at one go. Creativity culminates in innovation, as well. 

 

On the occasion of ‘World Creativity and Innovation Day 2022’, it is time for the humans in India and world over to resolve to be creative and innovative in life and thus ascend the heights of humanity and divinity, both at the same time. May creativity and innovation characterize our country and the larger society!

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The author is Director, Institute of Harmony and Peace Studies, New Delhi, and has been committed to cross-cultural perspectives, cross-scriptural values, constitutional values, interfaith relations, communal harmony, national integration and social wellbeing, for the past over 40 years. He contributes to the above cause through lectures, articles, video messages, conferences, social interactions, views at TV channels, and the like.

 

He could be viewed, listened to and contacted at the following portals – websites ‘www.mdthomas.in’ (p), ‘https://mdthomas.academia.edu’ (p), ‘https://drmdthomas.blogspot.com’(p) and ‘www.ihpsindia.org’ (o); social media ‘https://www.youtube.com/InstituteofHarmonyandPeaceStudies’ (o), ‘https://twitter.com/mdthomas53’ (p), ‘https://www.facebook.com/mdthomas53’ (p); email ‘mdthomas53@gmail.com’ (p) and telephone 9810535378 (p).

Location: New Delhi, Delhi, India

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