妙想生花 Getting behind the Creative Mind

The world is but a canvas to the imagination.

——Henry David Thoreau

世界对富有想象力的人来说只是一块帆布。——亨利·大卫·梭罗

Creativity is not,as some would have us believed,something to be taken lightly.More than painting pictures orcomposing original music—creativity could rightly be considered a healing force for societies overwhelmed by the ongoing utilitarian struggles of humanity.Call it a cure for depression,an escape from working—class drudgery,catharsis for the stress and worry that accumulates within us all.Or just call it a fun and productive way to wile away an afternoon.

创造力并不像人们让我们相信的那样，是不以为然的东西。这不像绘画或者原创音乐那样，创造力可以看做是治愈被持续的社会功利斗争所压迫人性的力量.我们称之为治疗抑郁的良药，逃避工薪阶层的苦差事，积压在我们内心所有压力和忧虑的宣泄。或者只是一个消磨一个下午的有趣高效的方法。

But the spark of creativity is not always easily lit.As children,our creative zeal is generally encouraged and allowed tothrive,but as we move into adulthood that zeal tends to atrophy from neglect.Other things take over our lives,such as hectic career schedules and increased social pressure to achieve"status".According to Elisabeth Keating inpieces of Beauty,this is an unhealthy trend spawned from an overly materialistic culture.She gose on to detail the spiritual benefits of a more creative life.

但创造力的火花并不容易点燃。作为孩子，我们的创作热情容易受到鼓励和发展，但随着我们进入成年期，热情往往容易减退。其它事情占据了我们的生活，如简单忙碌的职业计划和为了获得地位产生的社会压力。根据伊丽莎白.基庭的《美丽碎片》，这是由过度的物质文化产生的一种不健康趋势。她继续深究更有创造性的生活的精神上的益处。

Tongue in cheek,Melvin Durai exposes creativity from a more "everyday" andpractical angle in his humorous piece,Let theBeer Come to You.Not only have great minds invented personal computers and cell phone technology,they might also bless us with beertossing refrigerators and couches that spit out lost remote controls.

Melvin Durai在用他的诙谐作品《让啤酒来到你的身边》开玩笑似的从日常和实践的角度剖析创造性。

Clearly,the expression of artistic creativity throughout history has been just a instrumental in improving the human condition as any business venture or economic boom.Without it there would be no great works of art to enjoy and puzzle over,no songs to sing badly in the shower,no ho new fashion trends,no novels to read.I ask you,is that the sort of world you want to live in?

显然，纵观历史，艺术创作的表达一直只是一个改善人类生存条件成为一切商业风险和经济繁荣的工具。没有创造力就不会有伟大的艺术作品供欣赏和思索，就没有糟糕的洗澡歌，就没有潮流趋势，就没有小说可以读。我问你们，那是你们想要生活的那种世界吗？