CREATION
At least one hundred thousand years ago, there were those among our ancestors who, in the midst of foraging for food and sheltered spaces in which to rest, paused to wonder at the marvel of creation - to gaze at the crimson horizon of a new day, to quake at the flash of lightening, and cower before the miracle of life and the inevitability of death.
In response to these events and the many great mysteries animating their days, they set stone to stone. Tools were fashioned to aid them in their labors. Abstract images and designs took form, giving expression to something often only our imaginations can grasp. Over time a wide array of found objects, like bones and shells, plant fibers and clay, were amended, revised and transformed - their usefulness and beauty enhanced so much so, that they remain undiminished by the passing of millennia.
Human beings are clearly not the only creatures who have been thus engaged. Bird nests and bee hives, ant hills and spider webs all attest to the presence of adaptive ingenuity and aesthetic sensibility in other species. But if what humans create is not just for the purpose of enhancing our labors and ability to survive, why create? And does it matter that we do?
The human act of creation has long been explained as a form of communication, a means by which to record and commemorate events, to tell stories and explain the unknown. It is recognized as a means by which to create and reinforce cultural ties, to inspire and create social change, to express personal thoughts or feelings, to heal, to adorn, to earn a living, to challenge oneself, to create new experiences, and to draw attention to the extraordinary within the ordinary. Creation is also known as involving the act of destruction.
Through each choice we make, through everything we do, we humans communicate and draw attention to our fears, hopes, yearnings, commitments and values. Knowingly or unknowingly (more often the latter), we influence one another, and thereby contribute to the co-creation of the world in which we live.
Unitarian Universalism’s recognition of interdependence as a core reality points to the need for focused, ongoing, individual and collective attention to what already has been created, and what will be left behind for our descendants to ponder over. What observations, questions or ideas might you contribute?
In response to these events and the many great mysteries animating their days, they set stone to stone. Tools were fashioned to aid them in their labors. Abstract images and designs took form, giving expression to something often only our imaginations can grasp. Over time a wide array of found objects, like bones and shells, plant fibers and clay, were amended, revised and transformed - their usefulness and beauty enhanced so much so, that they remain undiminished by the passing of millennia.
Human beings are clearly not the only creatures who have been thus engaged. Bird nests and bee hives, ant hills and spider webs all attest to the presence of adaptive ingenuity and aesthetic sensibility in other species. But if what humans create is not just for the purpose of enhancing our labors and ability to survive, why create? And does it matter that we do?
The human act of creation has long been explained as a form of communication, a means by which to record and commemorate events, to tell stories and explain the unknown. It is recognized as a means by which to create and reinforce cultural ties, to inspire and create social change, to express personal thoughts or feelings, to heal, to adorn, to earn a living, to challenge oneself, to create new experiences, and to draw attention to the extraordinary within the ordinary. Creation is also known as involving the act of destruction.
Through each choice we make, through everything we do, we humans communicate and draw attention to our fears, hopes, yearnings, commitments and values. Knowingly or unknowingly (more often the latter), we influence one another, and thereby contribute to the co-creation of the world in which we live.
Unitarian Universalism’s recognition of interdependence as a core reality points to the need for focused, ongoing, individual and collective attention to what already has been created, and what will be left behind for our descendants to ponder over. What observations, questions or ideas might you contribute?