Secret Origin Of Creativity And Invention
If you are reading a book titled Unleash Your Inventions: The Secret Origin Of Creativity And Inventions, I certainly hope it is because you are interested in learning what it takes to become an inventor. If you are “just looking around”, it is also fine. You are more than welcome to stay.
I believe that everyone is a born inventor, we were all born with unlimited creativity and inventive potentials (I will prove it beyond any reasonable doubt in this book)
I am willing to guess that at some time or other an idea for a new invention or of how some existing device, gadget, widget, app or even a movie plot could be improved certainly dropped in your mind. You got an idea. Have you ever had an idea and you were completely clueless about how to even develop it any further?
When we get an original idea for an invention, which is in itself might be a lot of work, but it is not enough to make it a success and if you do not know how to develop it you are almost certain to give up before you have completed it.
Now, you might claim none of that has ever happened to you. Why does it seem that some people are creative and some are not creative? Have you ever wished you could become more creative?
I wonder if that is something you can relate with?
You have an idea for an invention, but because of your background, age, race, financial status, and geographical location, you feel you cannot get it done.
The big question seems to be that: how do people become creative and inventive? Can Creativity be taught as a subject in school? As an inventive thinker, how do I work out my ideas and make it a reality? Countless number of brilliant-sounding theories have been proposed, countless number of books have been written, yet there seem to be no consensus on these matters.
What we can all agree on is that creativity and invention requires some insights. Usually an odd insight that is rare or appears impossible. A discovery; getting fresh insights about something, usually amounts to seeing what everybody else is seeing, but thinking up something no one else is thinking of.
Insights is the fuel of invention, invention runs on insights we can get from the data, information and knowledge we have access to. Especially the knowledge we have internalised.
What Is The Formulae For Unlocking Fresh Insights?
Could there be some secret formulae to follow in order for us to unlock the insights that fuel creativity? In general, the world is an uncertain place and looking ahead for anybody always has its own fair share of uncertainty.
Our quest for certainty, order and predictability is why we have made data, numbers, and collection of facts, a fundamental part of the human experience. This is why we are trying to develop concepts, theorems and formulae for everything and anything at all. Including discovery of some new insights.
Science exists because we want to conquer our fear of the unknown and provide a rational reason for why things happen. Science allows us to explain away anything. The same uncertainty and fear of the unknown is also what fuels religion. Religion gives us a handle on things that are seemingly out of our control. When something goes beyond what can be explained or controlled, our basic training and instinct is to pray about it.
A physicist once said that data collection is the closest thing we have to reading the hand of God.
That statement is a “very Physicist” statement because Physics strictly runs only on things that can be quantified and independently verified.
As people of numbers; physicists and mathematicians believe that if two people do the same exact things, they would get the same results. However, real life paints a different outcome and you observe that two people doing the same things usually end up differently.
When we approach our quest for fresh insights from a strictly scientific viewpoint, we would be inclined to invest in data collection and acquisition of knowledge, these would be reasonable prerequisites for fresh insights that would lead us towards inventions. Nevertheless, history has shown us repeatedly that investing thousands of hours into study and research in themselves contain no guarantees that we are getting any closer to acquiring what we really need for invention: insights.
If money, data and the knowledge we can glean from the collected data is all we need for insights, then the best ideas going forward will only originate from places like Silicon Valley and perhaps China. They have the money and vast amounts of data they could turn to. However, I hope you can agree with me that the next world-changing idea can emerge from some young woman working on her laptop from her hostel space in rural Nigeria.
Having trailer loads of data is good, but it is insights that count. Your bag of data or volumes of knowledge is not worth anything compared to even just a handful of insights. Great insights can come from anywhere; great knowledge often comes from the humblest of origins.
This clearly demonstrates that insights do not depend on how much money we have or the amount of knowledge we have acquired. The big question remains: how do we acquire the insights we need in order to unlock creativity and invention?
The answers seem to be so simple, that they appear dumb. Nikola Tesla, one of the most prolific inventors ever to walk on the earth provided a hint when he said that “My brain is only a receiver, in the Universe there is a core from which we obtain knowledge, strength and inspiration. I have not penetrated into the secrets of this core, but I know that it exists”.
This might sound weird, but I have observed that most inventors attribute their success to some intuition, something that goes beyond the mind and normal physical sensations. A source that is beyond the usual realms of data, knowledge and science.
LOGIC AND REASON has a role to play in invention, there is no doubt about that. However, that initial spark, the initial idea usually comes to us from a realm that is beyond logic and reason. Albert Einstein did not discover his world-changing formula: E=mc2 by working towards it from existing logic and reason. He intuited it from “the universe” and then worked backwards from the answer.
The initial idea simply came to him.
The standard world education system does not take into account the spirit of men, and honestly, I think that is crazy. The physical universe we can touch and see is said to be just 4% of what is out there. Which means that there is 96% of something out there that we cannot see or detect, how do we ignore that?
The first thing I discovered about creativity and inventions is that it is a spiritual pursuit. Every act of creativity and invention has its root in the spirit. Nobody experiences a breakthrough discovery without some spiritual input.
They can call it anything they like – intuition, spirit, inner being, deep soul or some other esoteric term from an eastern religion, but the point is that, most insights that led to great discovery are usually made by someone who traces it back to a source that goes beyond the usual three dimensions (3-D) we easily perceive and are most familiar with.
Herein lies my dilemma (and the REAL reason I put off writing about the subject matter for so long); I cannot discuss creativity and invention without been explicitly spiritual about it. I cannot discuss spirituality without doing so in the context of Christianity because I gained access to my God and Father through Christianity.
I know there are multiple religions and spiritual pathways out there, however, I have only been a Christian all my life and Christianity is working so well for me that I wish everybody – all 7 billion people will all become born-again Christians. It is impossible for me to describe spirituality any other way, as I have no experience in those pathways.
While people say they had an “intuition” or “gut feeling” about something, I simply say I perceived in my spirit or I say that the Holy Spirit spoke to me for example. I am also a very big fan of praying. My Christian beliefs and practises sets me at odds with people, but it is working very well for me and I have no desire to change.
Thousands of inventions have come from Christian minds and so, I believe I am in great company. One of the greatest inventors of all time – Nikola Tesla wrote that “The gift of mental power comes from God, Divine Being, and if we concentrate our minds on that truth, we become in tune with this great power. My Mother had taught me to seek all truth in the Bible”. One of his greatest undertaking was inspired by an insight he got from the biblical book of Revelations.
I bet that if you had an option, you would rather not buy an Android phone manual that has been written by an iPhone expert. So also, I cannot teach or train about invention without using the Holy Bible, and various relevant Christian concepts in this short discourse.
Going forward, I now wish to dig into the depths of the source of creativity and invention, how it works and how you can tap into it. Your first invention is an insight away.
“Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods? If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken;” John 10: 34 – 35 (KJV)
I need to do a deep dive into one of the greatest books of all time; the Holy Bible, to layout some fundamental precepts necessary in order for us to better understand the secret origin of creativity and invention. Once I explain this stuff, you might start seeing things more clearly and more importantly, you will learn the ONE thing you need to change about yourself, so that you can become much more inventive and do great things.
In ancient Babylon, the King; Nebuchadnezzar had a problem he could not solve. He had a disturbing dream, a very disturbing dream that had troubled him through the night. Despite the unlimited resources at his disposal, he was stuck.
His team of consultants, experts and spiritualists could not solve the puzzle and all hope was getting lost. This was an unusual request, his team had remarked that “the king’s demand is impossible. No one except the gods can tell you your dream, and they do not live here among people”. It was at that point that Daniel stepped up.
Daniel delivered the answer in less than 48 hours. The king was so impressed that the Holy Bible notes that this mighty king actually began to worship Daniel.
I guess that makes him a god?
Daniel went on to become a very influential figure, so revered and held in the highest esteem across the land, he knew future events before they happened and his predictions were always “on-point”.
I love asking questions. I love asking a lot of questions, because I have this belief that if I can ask the right questions then I can unlock the right results I am seeking.
That is why I wish to start my discourse with a question: What happens to ordinary people when the Word of God comes to them?
In the above mentioned bible passage, we find Jesus Christ quoting Psalm 82:6, and then inferring a certain, clear conclusion from that same scripture. Let us consider that scripture again in the Contemporary English Version (CEV)
“Jesus replied: In your Scriptures doesn't God say, "You are gods"? You can't argue with the Scriptures, and God spoke to those people and called them gods.” John 10: 34 – 35 (CEV)
Jesus was quoting Psalm 82:6 at this point because the religious leaders had incited a mob to stone him to death under the guise that he was claiming to be God (or the Son of God).
The defence he presented was simple: if men were called gods (by the Law); men to whom God's message came (please take note of this condition), then how can it be blasphemy for a man that has been consecrated, dedicated and set apart for God by God Himself to be called or regarded as a god?
There are gods among men. Ordinary men unto whom the word of God came. If you receive the word of God in any particular area or field, you can become a god to your world.
This I believe is a critical lesson (among so many other lessons) that we can learn from the bible passage we are discussing.
What happens to ordinary people when the Word of God comes to them? Jesus Christ directly teaches us here that when that happens, that word they heard will change them, totally transform them and empower them; effectively transforming them into gods among men.
The implication of this is that you can become gods in a particular area if the Word of God comes to you in that particular area (praise God!).
If the Word of God comes to you on a particular topic or area of focus, you can become a god to your generation, a god to your nation – living as the man with the answers.
The eleventh chapter of the Book of Hebrews is an amazing read. It is like the Hall of Fame for people – men and women alike – that have walked this road of faith and achieved excellent results by the practical application of faith.
(I want you to please note that men and women, young or old, have obtained exact, same results by application of faith in God, this is because God doesn’t discriminate based on gender. Discrimination in things of God by age or gender, skin colour and nationality is not of God, that trait is due to religion and really, that is just a shame.)
Let us return our attention to the main discourse by considering Hebrews 11:33.
“Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions” Hebrews 11:33 (KJV)
The Amplified Bible renders it this way:
“Who by [the help of] faith subdued kingdoms, administered justice, obtained promised blessings, closed the mouths of lions” Hebrews 11:33 (AMP)
This scripture describes some of the great things kingdom champions have done by faith, everything written in the eleventh chapter of Hebrews were all done by faith.
If I have a problem with twenty-first century Christianity, it is the fact that when people talk about faith they limit it to a few things. Especially healing.
I grew up in Nigeria, and I can attest that Nigerian Christians are only looking for three things, there are only three things they are seeking after. Nigerian Christians are looking for “breakthrough", in three areas, which are: academic/career breakthrough, financial breakthrough and marital breakthrough. That's all about the breakthrough that people are looking for.
If you consider most of the prayer points we pray in most churches, you can summarize them into these breakthrough points that people are looking for, So that's all they are using their faith for.
“Give me this day my daily bread”, that's all most people are using their faith for, whereas there is so much more that you can access through that gift of faith.
Faith can do more.
The eleventh chapter of the book of Hebrews chronicles for us some people that used their faith for some serious things like subduing kingdoms.
Once again, the twenty-first century Christian reading this might be thinking that the kingdoms referred to here are demonic kingdoms, witches, wizards, and wickedness in high places, principalities and powers.
While that is a very valid interpretation of this scripture, that is not even close to the literal meaning of that biblical verse.
The Good News Bible renders that phrase as “through faith they fought a whole country and they won".
That is why I don't want you to be thinking about principalities and powers of darkness in high places right now. That is not what the scripture is saying here, it is saying that by faith men conquered nations, and they subdued kingdoms.
Before the fall, when God blessed man, he charged mankind to “have dominion, and subdue the natural world”. So then, if this verse says by faith or through faith, men subdued nations and countries, establishing dominion over them, we can believe that word. It is very valid.
Talking about the subject of faith, what is faith? The bible says in the tenth chapter of the book of Romans “that faith comes by hearing and hearing comes by the word of God”.
If I hear the word of God, it will birth faith within me. The word of God is imparted into our hearts through revelation, and so if the word of God comes to you it will not leave you the same.
The word of God can come to you and transform you into a god, the word of God can come to you and orchestrate a complete transformation. So think not so much about your current state, neither been alarmed nor frightened. All you have to do is to just accept and obey the word of God. That's all you have to do.
I find it interesting that Christians have troubles with believing what the Holy Bible says. The Holy Bible will say something and Christians will step forward to debate it. In so many cases, we are so afraid of what the Holy Bible says, for example the Holy Bible clearly says that you should not be broke but you should be lending unto nations but how many people can confidently believe that?
I have heard people dare say the Holy Bible is too old and hence irrelevant to modern issues. The truth of the matter is that “whether you say you can or you say you cannot, you are correct”.
My Father-in-the-Lord taught me that God cannot use you beyond the level of your faith. God stops and will not be able to move further beyond what your faith permits, the operation of the Holy Spirit in your life is limited by your faith.
Once again; what happens to ordinary people when the word of God comes to them? They can become transformed into gods.
There are gods among men.
There are a lot of times were men were referred to as gods in the Holy Bible. There are people around us that have qualities regarded as making them superior to other people.
Let us briefly consider one more of such cases in order to lend weight to our discourse. I shall now be considering the New Testament Apostle Paul.
Apostle Paul is a stand-out character across the Holy Bible, he was a man mighty in words and deeds. I wish to highlight an incident from his life. Paul experienced a shipwreck during one of his trips, now, Paul had no business with a sinking ship, but the captain of the ship (a man of great knowledge and expertise in his field) had actually sailed against the Man of God’s advice.
That was how they found themselves in trouble on the high seas. The Man of God stepped up again and somehow they made it to the island of Malta. Upon arrival on the island of Malta, Paul was once again caught in the middle of another controversy.
“As Paul gathered an armful of sticks and was laying them on the fire, a poisonous snake, driven out by the heat, bit him on the hand. The people of the island saw it hanging from his hand and said to each other, "A murderer, no doubt! Though he escaped the sea, justice will not permit him to live." But Paul shook off the snake into the fire and was unharmed. The people waited for him to swell up or suddenly drop dead. But when they had waited a long time and saw that he wasn't harmed, they changed their minds and decided he was a god.” Acts 28 : 3 – 6 (NLT)
They changed their minds and decided Paul was a god. Epic.
There are men, and there are women and then there are gods. The gods are anyone unto whom the message of God has come. If the word of God comes to you and you accept it, YOU CAN DO GREAT THINGS.
From the beginning of time itself, we have observed that whenever God wants to do anything upon the face of the earth – he sends a man. When the Israelites where enslaved in Egypt and needed deliverance, he sent a man – Moses. If you look t