Inspiring Vision and Purpose for Regional Change: Part 2
© Copyright 2002-2007 ~ Bernie SlepkovThere are many who believe as I in Niagara's pressing need for a unique, progressive approach to overcoming a chronic stagnation of our regional communities. However - and this is a big however - few seem brave enough to raise the lance and dare lead an impassioned charge on the windmills. I do so now, trusting that people will eventually rally to this call for a Niagara renewed. Our daily lives are being frustrated by overwhelming uncertainty, more so since September 11th. In the obvious light of an anticipated Breakpoint change beyond which every aspect of our societies will have changed, sacred industrial age cows are the targets for slaughter. The developed world has begun moving along a path towards post-industrial societies. Can Niagara really afford to permit irrelevant tradition, bureaucratic control or deep-seated insecurity of risk prevent our regional imaginations from making the journey a rewarding one? Welcome to the advent of an era of change defined in part by social invention and innovation. Creativity is that well of unlimited human resources from which we must now draw. The question is are we daring enough to draw from that well and see the world anew? Will we include our youth as well as our elders as we collectively set out in future directions? Along the way, if we boldly maximize our resources while we still have them, we could very well establish Niagara as the cradle of post-industrial society. In 1968, George Land gave 1,600 5-year-olds a creativity test used by NASA to select innovative engineers and scientists. He then re-tested the same children at ages 10 and 15. The test results were staggering! 98% at age 5 registered genius level creativity, 30% at 10 year and 12% at 15 years of age. The same test given to 280,000 adults placed their genius level creativity at only 2%! In his book 'Breakpoint and Beyond', co-authored by Beth Jarman, Land concluded that "non-creative behavior is learned". The well of creativity is hardly dry, yet until society manages to overcome the drought of creativity that 20th century institutions fostered, we so need right now to harness - and closely guard - the genius of our children! As long as provincial and federal governments are giving lip service to education reforms and creating innovative cultures, without tapping into our greatest source of creativity, it is unlikely that we will see innovative cultures emerge swiftly enough.
