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Not that I’m very religious, but there is a phrase from Genesis that I think about from time to time: ‘Made in God’s Image’.  Before anyone goes rushing to the comments to argue theology, that’s not what I’m going to talk about.  The phrase, from my understanding, is about how humanity carries God’s attributes and characteristics.  Since there isn’t a true form for God surrounding this phrase, what does this mean?

For me, this means that we carry the same desires and flaws that God possesses.  We act like he would, but without the great power.  Then again, we might have some of his power of creation, which is what grabs my intention.  Not only the ability to create things, but a built-in desire to do so.  People have something that want to make either to prove they existed or as a hobby.  A puzzle, a Lego set, a book, a computer program, a picture, and the list goes on.  It’s almost like humans are hardwired to have this desire to build.

Unfortunately, we can’t always do this because not everyone is able to carve out the time to create what they want.  If this is a built-in desire then the majority of humanity spends most, or all, of their lives ignoring it.  Blips of it can appear such as cooking a new dish for dinner or making a picture album from a trip.  Yet, there could a stronger sense that we ignore until it either dies or we have no choice but to indulge.  I’m just running with the flow here as I consider the concept.

Depression and anxiety with no solid cause could partially stem from this as well.  Not being able to create could mean a sense of always being unfulfilled.  A person can look for anything to seal that void, which can lead to positive things.  It can also result in alcohol, drugs, and other addictions.  I’ve also met many people who had artistic aspirations, couldn’t get anywhere, and collapsed into a shell of their former selves.  They just don’t have that spark of life anymore.  Honestly, I’ve been circling that drain for a while with the few days of writing a month keeping me afloat.  So, I feel like this is an easy situation to fall into.

The loss of the chance, ability, and/or desire to create can turn someone into the antithesis of our creator nature too.  Since they were unable to follow their urgings, they think it isn’t possible or even fair for others to do the same.  They think following dreams of creation are unproductive or impractical.  So, they will actively discourage people from spending time on their dreams.  Even if the other person has no interest in making money, they will get some negativity.  For example, being told that their chosen method of creating is not important since it brings no money in, so the allotted time for it is routinely encroached on.  This continues until the one who wants to create either becomes anti-social or gives up as well.

To be fair, I don’t think the negative person is usually aware of what they are doing.  They have simply lost the desire to create, so they can’t recognize it in others.  At the very least, they can’t acknowledge the importance of such activities.  Their intrusion can be chalked up to them pushing their own priorities on other people, which is common in many of life’s arenas.  Even so, it still hurts and kind of continues a push towards most of humanity never getting to fulfill this desire.

Anyway, this has just been a meandering thought on part of human nature.  Maybe why art exists in the first place.  One could say it was a gift from God, an aspect of evolution, or the nature of existing with a soul