THE TWO SIDES OF CREATIVITY

What is the dark side of creativity? It is destructiveness. The back side of creating is destroying. The back side of constructing is de-constructing.

And if we all have the power to be creative both positively in creativity and negatively in destruction (Meta Reflection #21 and 22), then creating good and/or evil is inherent in our nature and our potentiality. We have the potentiality for creating good and destroying evil; and we also have the potentiality for creating evil and destroying good.

And from where do these powers arise? Yes they arise from our nature, our human nature—yet they do not arise because we are evil. They arise because we are free. We are free to choose our thoughts, our emotions, our speech, and our behaviors and, in fact, choose we must. We are free to think, feel, speak, and do and these responses as actions has consequences.

Yet choosing is not all that easy. We often choose what we think is a good, but it ends up being hurtful and destructive to us and others. Often this involves choosing a short-term value that we think will bring good and contribution, but then it has some unintended and unexpected long-term negative consequences. And this creates the moral and ethical dilemma that each of us face everyday. For in choosing our thoughts, ideas, beliefs, understandings we so choose our feelings which lead to our conversations and actions.

In choosing the choices we choose—there are many factors and variables that play into whether we are choosing to create goodness or evil.

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What criteria are we using in making our choices?

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In making our choices are we considering just ourselves or others as well?

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In making our choices are we thinking just about the immediate moment or about future moments?

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In making our choices, are we thinking about the context and layers of contexts within which we operate?

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In making our choices, are we asking ecological questions to quality control our decisions?

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In making our choices, how well informed are we about the nature of things?

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Are you taking the views and opinions of others into account, especially those who may be better informed and intelligent about things outside our understandings?

How often do we do harm and "evil" to ourselves and others simply due to poor decision making skills? How often do we end up saying, "I just didn't think about that!" What we thought about as we made decisions was too limited. If we didn't think about others in our lives, our choices will probably be self-centered and even selfish. If we didn't think about consequences and long-term effects, our choices could have done harm without us even realizing it. And did we even think about the criteria or values that we uses in making our choices?

So much human "evil" arises from ignorance and stupidity. And it is summarized in the statement that we have all made so many times, "I just didn't realize." If we had thought, if we had realized, we would not have made the choices we did. Of course, doesn't this describe the process of learning from our mistakes? This also speaks about the maturing process of mind and emotion so that we make conscious decisions and choices rather than just reacting and over the years of our lives develop a conscious and intentional set of values that help us make up our mind about things.

The majority of the destructiveness and hurt that children to do, especially to each other, arises from ignorance, reactivity, insecurity, and stupidity. I speak from experience! The hurt, the ugliness, the nastiness, and the destructive that we create during childhood mostly arise because we were so ignorant about things. That's why we needed guidance and direction. We needed wiser ones to help us know right from wrong, good from evil, and how to be okay enough within ourselves to think before we act.

The dark side of creativity is destructiveness and lack of thoroughly choosing which then leads to the de-construction of something good.
In this, it is so much easier to destroy than to create. Creating takes more intelligence, consciousness, choice, effort, discipline, commitment, passion, etc. Destructiveness is easy. Bateson noted this in his meta-logue on meta-muddles. Muddling up something is so much easier and there's so many more ways to muddle things than to find the proper and correct way to do something.

Here's to your creativity! Here's to your destructive creativity as you tear apart and de-construct things that undermine your resourcefulness, productivity, and happiness. Here's to your positive creativity in building up and constructing wonderful frames of mind that bring out your best and unleash your highest potentials. May your creative powers be much more in your hands— much more at your disposal —and much more available when you need it!



WOW,,,REALLY AMAZING-PART3
« on: May 22, 2008, 08:54:26 PM »

* Astronauts cannot burp in space.
* The snowiest city in the U.S.A. is blue canyon, California
* Lake Nicaragua in Nicaragua is the only fresh water lake in the world that has sharks.
* Kite flying is a professional sport in Thailand.
* The great warrior Genghis khan died in bed while having sex.
* No matter how cold it gets gasoline will not freeze.


In 24 Hours Average Human:

1) HEART beats 1,03,689 times.

2) LUNGS respire 23,045 times.

3) BLOOD flows 16,80,000 miles.

4) NAILS grow 0.00007 inches

5) HAIR grows 0.01715 inches

6) Take 2.9 pounds WATER (including all liquids)

7) Take of 3.25 pounds FOOD.

Cool Breathe 438 cubic feet AIR.

9) Lose 85.60, BODY TEMPERATURE.

10) Produce 1.43 pints SWEAT.

11) Speak 4,800 WORDS.

12) During SLEEP move 25.4 times.







Play-off Promosi
Sejarah 104 Si Macan

Premier League sekali lagi menyambut tim debutan. Setelah menunggu sepanjang sejarah berdirinya klub, Hull menjadi debutan teranyar setelah Reading melakukannya terakhir kali dua musim lalu.

Hull menembus top flight setelah menang tipis 1-0 atas Bristol City di final play-off promosi pada Sabtu (24/5). The Tigers, yang memang finis di posisi ketiga Championship, menyusul West Brom dan Stoke, yang promosi otomatis.

Dean Windass menjadi pahlawan dalam terciptanya sejarah Tigers ini. Pada penampilan pertamanya di Wembley, striker gaek tersebut membuat gol semata wayang delapan menit sebelum jeda.

Frazier Campbell memberikan umpan matang ke arah penyerang 39 tahun yang pernah merasakan Premier League kala memperkuat Middlesbrough pada rentang 2001-03 itu. Windass menyelesaikannya dengan voli spektakuler dari jarak 16 meter.

Tekanan Bristol City di paruh kedua lewat Lee Trundle dan Michael McIndoe mampu ditepis kiper Boaz Myhill. Usai melewati injury time lima menit di akhir duel, Si Macan berpesta. Hull akhirnya bisa merasakan kasta tertinggi di Inggris sejak berdiri pada 1904.

“Para pemain pantas mendapatkannya karena telah berusaha keras sepanjang musim. Fantastis melakukannya di sini, di depan para pendukung,” tutur manajer Hull, Phil Brown, di BBC.

“Tantangan berikut telah menunggu. Cerita kesuksesan Portsmouth dan Bolton bisa menjadi inspirasi. Jika chairman mendukung saya di Premier League, siapa yang tahu sejauh mana kami melesat,” lanjut Brown. (chrs)

DATA-FAKTA
------------------------
HULL vs BRISTOL CITY 1-0
Waktu: 24 Mei
Tempat: Wembley (86.703)
Wasit: Alan Wiley
Pencetak Gol: 1-0 Windass 38’
Hull (4-4-2): 1-Myhill; 21-Ricketts, 15-W. Brown, 6-Turner, 3-Dawson; 14-Garcia, 4-Ashbee, 11-B. Hughes, 8-Barmby (23-Fagan 67’); 25-F. Campbell (22-Marney 90’), 9-Windass (18-Folan 71’). Cadangan: 12-Duke, 2-D. Doyle. Pelatih: Phil Brown.
Bristol City (4-4-2): 1-Basso; 2-Orr (33-L. Johnson 45’), 6-Carey, 4-Fontaine, 3-McAllister; 8-Noble (29-Sproule 63’), 25-M. Elliott, 10-Carle (34-Byfield 76’), 11-McIndoe; 35-Adebola, 23-Trundle. Cadangan: 22-Weale, 19-Vasko. Pelatih: Gary Johnson.



Cuci Gudang Barcelona
Giliran Edmilson

Isu cuci gudang di Camp Nou yang berembus sejak sebulan lalu perlahan mendekati kenyataan. Satu per satu penghuni katedral sepakbola Catalonia itu hijrah ke luar, dimulai dari Frank Rijkaard, yang dilengserkan direksi Barcelona pada jornada pamungkas Primera Liga.

Edmilson, hijrah ke Villarreal. (Foto: AFP)

Medio pekan lalu, giliran Edmilson angkat koper. Gelandang bertahan Brasil yang sepanjang musim 07/08 ini jarang merumput, entah akibat cedera atau karena memang dianggap tak layak tampil, memutuskan untuk hengkang ke arah selatan dengan tujuan Villarreal.

“Saya sangat sedih karena harus meninggalkan klub ini. Tapi, saya cukup senang dengan pengalaman empat tahun di sini. Saya selalu mencoba memberikan yang terbaik untuk klub dan para pendukung,” papar Edmilson dalam konferensi pers.

Edmilson ogah berkomentar lebih jauh akibat terlalu emosional. Namun, publik maupun pers lokal meyakini bahwa kubu El Madridgal sudah membuat kesepakatan. Situs El Submarino Amarillo pun telah merilis deal berdurasi dua musim tersebut.

Lantas siapa lagi punggawa Blaugrana yang siap menyusul? Belum ada berita yang kadar kebenarannya sebesar Edmilson. Tapi, media setempat mencium spekulasi yang memperkirakan Rafael Marquez bakal menanggalkan seragam garis-garis merah-biru menjadi lorek merah-putih.

Ya, kapten Meksiko tersebut tengah didekati Atletico Madrid. Bahkan el entrenador Javier Aguirre tanpa sungkan mengiyakan kabar ini. “Bukan rahasia lagi bahwa Marquez adalah pemain yang menarik. Dia bisa bermain di segala posisi. Setiap pelatih pasti menginginkan jasanya,” ujar Aguirre, yang kebetulan pernah berkolaborasi bareng Marquez semasa di timnas Tricolor dulu. (shr)




Prancis Terbuka
Magnet di Sektor Putri

Meski ratu tenis asal Belgia yang juga juara bertahan Justine Henin pensiun pada medio Mei, turnamen Prancis Terbuka tak kehilangan magnet.

Di sektor putri, sejumlah nama bakal menguntai sejarah di Roland Garros pada 25 Mei-8 Juni. Petenis cantik asal Rusia, Maria Sharapova, disebut-sebut memiliki kesempatan besar untuk melengkapi gelar grand slam dengan mahkota Prancis Terbuka.

“Setiap pemain punya kesem¬patan yang sama, tergantung sia¬pa yang paling bisa meman¬faatkan kesempatan. Saya harap orang itu adalah saya,” kata Sharapova.

Hadangan Ana

Hadangan terbesar mungkin datang dari petenis Serbia peringkat dua dunia, Ana Ivanovic. Ana bahkan sudah memulai langkahnya dengan mengalahkan petenis Swedia peringkat 52, Sofia Arvidsson. “Saya masih harus belajar meng¬atasi tekanan sebagai peringkat 2 dunia,” kata Ana, yang tahun lalu kalah dari Henin di partai puncak.

Tak hanya itu, petenis AS, Serena Williams, juga bertekad mengulangi prestasi 2002 ketika berhasil merebut mahkota Roland Garros. “Sangat disayangkan Henin memilih pensiun karena dia adalah salah satu petenis terbaik di lapangan tanah liat. Tapi, mungkin sekarang waktu yang paling tepat untuk kembali menjadi juara,” kata Serena.

Serena mengungkapkan bahwa dirinya fit 100 persen untuk ber¬tanding di Roland Garros. “Mungkin ini persiapan terbaik sejak 2002. Saya akan sangat menikmati bertanding di lapangan tanah liat seperti Roland Garros,” kata Serena.

Bekal Jankovic

Di luar ketiga nama tersebut, masih ada petenis peringkat tiga asal Serbia, Jelena Jankovic, yang juga sangat piawai bermain di lapangan tanah liat. Terlebih Jankovic datang ke Paris berbekal gelar juara di Italia Terbuka. Selain itu, masih ada pula sejumlah nama tenar lain, seperti Elena Dementieva, Dinara Safina, Alize Cornet, Venus Williams, hingga Anna Chakvetadze.

Sementara itu, unggulan ke-15, Nicole Vaidisova, sudah harus ter¬singkir di babak pertama setelah kalah dari Iveta Benesova 7-6 6-1. “Saya hanya berusaha bermain lebih agresif dan ternyata strategi itu berhasil dengan baik,” kata Benesova. (cw-1)