What works of human ingenuity will it take to spark our next greatest strides? There’s no better time in human history to be an artist, thinker, builder, or creator. Nearly any means you need to express your human experience is at your fingertips. Whether it’s the creatives who are seeking a higher truth through writing, music, and visual arts, or the innovators who are blazing into the future through business and technological ventures.
Amidst all of the division, disagreement, and dispute in our culture it seems we’ve become perfectly content with throwing our hands up and settling for what’s in front of us. We focus all of our energy towards solving problems of the past instead of looking towards the potential of the future. This is certainly an easier path, especially with our modern luxuries. I believe the human species is capable of much more than fancies and cheap entertainment, but what will it take to spur the next generation into action? Our artists, thinkers, and innovators must break free from the heavy chains of contentment. We have lost the will to dream and are allowing our minds to turn to sop.
As I grow older I’m stunned by not only the lack of inspiration and imagination in our culture, but the resentment held towards it. We have become afraid of our own dreams, too satisfied with mucking in a tar pit of despair and self-pity. How many of us claim to be an artist, but can’t step out on a limb and create something truly unique, something that genuinely means something. Our imaginations have been fenced in, we’ve been taught to feel creative, to want to express, but when we get down in the dirt we sure are in a hurry to get back up and brush ourselves off. We ironically live in a culture so obsessed with self-expression that we’ve begun to stifle it. The human experience is not meant to be watered down in such a way.
The true shame of it all is that we couldn’t live in a more opportune time to reach our fullest potential. As I mentioned at the beginning of this article, in the 21st Century the human mind has every tool imaginable within grasp. Technology and an ability to connect that generations before could not even fathom. Instead of taking advantage of what’s before us we stand frozen in fear and guilt. We have been force fed the lie that you cannot pursue what you love, that success and satisfaction out of this life are determined by strokes of luck. We spend our days chasing our own petty desires instead of channeling our passion towards excellence. Then when we look up only to realize we’ve accomplished nothing, it’s time to start pointing fingers. We aim the blame in every direction other than back at ourselves. Don’t wait around. Don’t wait for the perfect time in life to get to work. Starting asking yourself, what small step can I take today that sets me up to dream even bigger tomorrow?