mighty creator
Think about a piece of art or music that you really like. Now even more interesting (at least to me), is to think about one of your favorite pieces in a genre in which you participate. For example, I like to write music from time to time, and I have a pretty solid understanding and recognition of relative pitch and common progressions and harmonies. And I know what kind of music I like. So I'm going to choose one of my favorite songs: No Surprises by Radiohead. Now I ask myself the question--and I encourage you, dear reader, to ask it of yourself as well--"why couldn't I have created that?"
It sounds like a stupid question at first, I know. But in my example, I find it almost philosophically enigmatic. I "understand" music, and my brain obviously knows what it likes to hear. So why can't I simply whistle a tune that my brain likes? Why am I repeatedly delighted by the creative efforts of others when they present something literally unheard of to my hungry ears? I try to create music that I like. But it's difficult. Very difficult. Sometimes it's even difficult to create music that I don't much care for. The bottom line is that I have all of the tools to not only create, but also to evaluate my own creation even as it's being born. Yet I can't simply sit down and hum a melody that I find truly interesting.
Excuse the self-referencing definition, but as I mentioned, I think this is the whole idea of creative effort. For most people, except perhaps those relatively few geniuses of the arts and mathematics, creating something new is difficult. Maybe "daunting" is a better word. Looking out upon a horizon where your blank pages meet the sky can be disorienting. To intentionally put one's self in that position seems to go against the nature in most of us. Or perhaps I should say we each only find a very narrow area of our lives where we can do that. And not all of us explore it.
That being said, exploration in and of itself is lauded as a heroic ambition, at least in Western culture. Diving into adventure, the unknown, and surfacing with discovery are all part of the Indiana Jones archetype, not to mention the pioneering astrophysicist, the Stravinsky-esque composer, etc.
Now, if you're a fan of creationism, I hope I can give some food for thought here. If you're not, then I hope I can give you even more food for thought. Consider the effort it takes to create something as simple as a painting or a piece of music. Now consider something infinitely more subtle and dynamic and complex, such as an organism. How about a whole ecosystem, or planet, or solar system, or galaxy, or universe? If there is a being who has the imagination to think of such incredibly complicated interactive systems, and if this same being has the power to bring His designs into existence... well I don't know where I'm going there, I got lost staring at the stars. The point is, when we consider ourselves and our universe to be the result of someone's creative effort, I think the most reasonable explanation is that there's a God out there who wants to interact with His creation. As if that weren't enough, consider how much Indiana Jones He must have in Him, to set off on this adventure in the first place! I'm sure He always has his hat.
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