Ridge on Fryman Trail
The inexhaustible supply
We are meant to be creative. This does not mean we all have the same chances to be so. We don't all have access to the same resources. Some of us are lucky to have been encouraged by parents or teachers. Some of us were given the gift of a strong desire to create at an early age.
Are we Mozart or are we Salieri? Mozart showed an immense talent while quite young. His raw talent was undeniable. Salieri, on the other hand, was not as naturally gifted. He had to employ every other talent he had in business, in manipulation, and in political savvy to curry favor with his patrons and secure his job as a court composer. At the time of his death, Mozart was penniless, unsung and, for the most part, unrecognized. Salieri was very popular with the wealthy patrons of Vienna.
Yet today, Mozart is recognized as an artistic genius of the highest caliber. Salieri, while his compositional efforts are respectable, and by no means without quality, is not even thought of in the same class as Mozart.
Are these comparisons useful or fair? Not really. Each man had different skills, and employed them in service to the same end: the glory and elevation of the art form.
We can be effective in the application of our own creative energies as Mozart was, by enabling and encouraging ourselves to continue to learn, to strive for improvement, and to create for the sheer joy of doing so. Whether we create a sumptuous meal for our loved ones, write our deepest feelings down in a poem, or design a garden plot, we enjoy ourselves and leave the world a better place for having done so.
When we meditate, we plow the ground. We then can choose the seeds we plant. We discover inner space that can be filled with our creativity.
It is our birthright, and it is our dharma.
When we go to the well regularly, do we risk depleting a finite supply? As it turns out, no. We fill ourselves with abundant adaptation energy, and then use it generously for the benefit of others, which in turn helps us. In this way we ensure our inner resources will continue to flow.
Well, Cal State Channel Islands Campus