I’m continuing to follow the new installments of Conservative Estimate, the recently founded website that is devoted to demolishing Conservatism.
Today's post is a practical, two-step approach toward becoming continually freer and more creative—two things that are absolutely necessary for progressives if we are ever to retire the fear-filled and regressive notion of conservatives.
Let's look at his post over the orange wisps.
The following is reposted from today's Conservative Estimate blog with the express permission of Mr. Alfred George.
Today Mr. George writes as follows:
Yesterday we saw that becoming freer increases your creative powers, and that becoming more creative makes you more free.
Today we are going to describe a two-step practical plan for increasing your creative capacities, because, as we said a few days ago, Creativity is the force that is going to make the future different from the past.
Practical plan for becoming free and creative
If you are going to align yourself with creativity, the force of the future, you need a plan. Here is your simple two-step program. Follow it repeatedly and you’ll find yourself advancing exponentially in both creativity and freedom is no time at all.
Tactic 1
Use your feelings of fear or defensiveness as detectors for an opportunity to be creative. When you sense yourself beginning to react fearfully, stop for a second and ask yourself if it is safe for you to refuse the dictates of the fear. (An aside: you have to make a critical judgment here; never refuse to avoid or flee from a situation that could result in physical or mental harm.) If it is safe, reject the fear. So, for example, if someone insults you and you normally fly into a rage at such times, try something different, like engaging the person in an exchange about your shortcomings—even if you have to put on an act pretending that you are really interested in the critic’s opinion of you. Even if the critic refuses to engage you, it will become clear to you that you don’t have to do what you’ve always done in the past—and that is a crucial discovery on the journey to freedom. There is no sadder statement than “That’s just the way I am” to those who know the inner freedom humans can attain if they will only learn to reject the influences of unnecessary fears.
Tactic 2
Take every opportunity that presents itself to be truly creative, that is, to grab a new idea, hold it in your thoughts, and begin to make it real. Every time you hear or see or imagine something that strikes you as out of the ordinary, write it down or jot notes about why you think it is out of the ordinary, and spend at least a little time trying to figure out an action plan to bring this out-of-the-ordinary thing into reality somehow. These are the habitual motions of a creator, and by doing the motions until they become a habit, you can become a creator too. It’s just like learning to ride a bicycle.
Now since you have latched onto something that appears new to you, there’s a good chance it’s related to some limitation of yours, a limit that you may have to face while working with the idea. You will recognize whether or not you are approaching a limiting belief by the reluctance you have to continue creating your vision. If you should come up against such a thing, go back to Tactic 1 and work through it until you create a way around your reluctance.
That’s all there is to it. Keep cycling through these two tactics and you will be breaking through your fears and creating new stuff all the time. That’s the power you’ll need to break the influence of conservatism on your life and create a future that conservatives can’t even imagine.
Tomorrow we will discuss the relationship between creativity and happiness.
Until tomorrow, then.
I'll return with the next installment tomorrow.