Kermit the Frog started by mentioning an issue that has been bothering a large number of people: the “meaning” of life. I am obviously one of them when I was young. However, I later on justified myself with his point. The answer lies in creativity, which will make the world a better place for others because of your existence and achievement. Kermit believes that creativity is not a small group of people’s ability or right to do so. I also strongly reckon his point as I believe that the notion of creativity is “spontaneity into any process” and is inherent in all people. It is not restricted to artists but also scientists and researchers coming up with a new field of interest, engineers that makes a new design decision or invention, even common people who puts his or her own touch to interior design, dinner and so much more. Kermit believes that creativity moves the society forward, and is inherent in the definition of human intelligence.
He emphasized that to gain creativity, one should open his or her arms to acceptable failures and risks or what he called “controllable chaos”. Hence, one should be ridiculously optimistic about trying different things. This also resonated with me. I have always believed that there are more than one way to solve a problem as all problems are interconnected. One solution may provide a better way to solve this particular problem, while others may solve the problem in acceptable efficiency but also benefits the solution of other problems.
I also resonated deeply with his idea of a “Beginner’s Mind”, meaning that being interested in exploring new things like a child would do. It is not acceptable or even scary for me to consider losing interest to and rejecting new ideas or things that can contribute to the solution of the issue. For me, this even applies for serious manufacturing such as planes as mentioned in the talk. For these kind of problem, if a better solution is thoroughly tested and proven to be much more efficient then the existing one, than there is no need to stick to the old solution anymore. I wish that this notion of a “beginner’s mind” can be more acknowledged in the future, becoming a skill not only for kids but for anyone who is actively participating in making the world a better place.
To better hone my creativity skills, I should value Kermit’s next point on teamwork. While I am always open and respect new ideas, perspectives or pathways and recognizing their uses in understanding the full picture of the solution of a problem, teamwork was usually not a preference for me. I now realized the power of active collaboration and will start to recognize the importance of balancing my views and solution with actively searching for teams and new solution when dealing with new problems.
Overall, this was a very informative, resonating and fun talk. I rethought my notion on creativity during all parts of the talk and refreshed them through thinking about Kermit’s viewpoints.