Calling All Creative People to Rise Up

Something is missing from the discussion in the 2016* race for the Presidency. What is it? An untapped wealth of resources -- creative and intelligent people everywhere who are ready to help. 

But, no one is calling on them. 

by Lee Chazen, GliderCell 

you are disillusioned because the reality of what you are seeing each day does not match the great potential for what you envision and you realize that many of the problems we see are the result of outmoded philosophies, systems and structures -
And if you understand that such structures in need of massive reform include education, the banking system, government, insurance, health-care, the political system, etc. 
And if you believe that such systems are systemically flawed in that they are top down in nature, hierarchical, rigid and lack the ability by their very nature to empower and enable people to reach their full potential as human beings -- 
And if you believe that underemployment is just as great a problem in this country and in the world as un-employment - in that there are so many talented, creative and intelligent human beings that are not being enabled to help in solving some of the dramatic problems in the world today… and that such people are not rising up to positions where they can be of service, whether because of economic inequality, lack of support or because they are being drowned out by a sea of louder and wealthier voices --
And if you believe that even our great leaders or political voices or candidates out there, well-intentioned as they may be, are not employing advances in data science, technology, medicine, the human brain and the potential in things like crowdsourcing, collective intelligence and Distributed Autonomous Organizations (DAOs) to name but a few -- 
And If you believe that classrooms, textbooks and standardized tests are exclusionary and seemingly built around a model of rewarding the few and that such systems tend NOT to offer recognition for imagination, critical thinking and problem solving abilities and that they tend mostly to cater to a small subset of a wider intelligence spectrum -- 
And if you believe that such constructs tend to favor good or fast test takers and that we are often asked to learn, do business or participate in society in ways that do not necessarily match the types of people or learners that we really are -- and that games and projects in the classroom, while acceptable now, are still not widespread -- 
And if you believe in the power of “multi-potentialsim” (the notion that we can have more than just one pursuit or potential in life) and that many of our innate talents and abilities are being under-utilized on a daily basis -- 
And if you believe that incremental change is not good enough — and that, in order to make real changes, there is not a solution in one candidate or one person, but rather, solutions lie in fixing the very nature of our institutions -- 
And if you are someone with a set of good solutions and are effectively being shut out of producing said solutions because of a lack of support or funding or because you are tied down in a job that takes away your time and energy to get to work on such solutions -- 
And if you find it frustrating that those with money and the ability to make such changes or innovations, do not have or share your abilities, or vision or talent or imagination, and that the two “sides” (you and them) even lack the vocabulary or understanding to communicate on the same level --  
And if you believe that there are those with great math, science, technological, musical, artistic or imaginative skills who are not being “tapped” to be part of the greater good -
And if you believe that such people, if given the chance to start a company, share their ideas, or start a new political party could more effectively fix problems in education, energy, transportation, infrastructure, government, the economy, etc., in a way that doesn’t have to be dogmatic or ideological or filled with hatred and fear  -- 
And if you believe that our leaders and decision makers, in so many different ways are actually no more intelligent or creative than many of us who have not had the same opportunities or who may not have an equal level of drive or ambition or fearlessness -

perhaps it is time, in the middle of our tumultuous political season to either start a massive new political movement  -- or it is time to create our own visionary programs.

Note: Special thanks to Ed Mulder for his help on this.

Sources: 

Thriving On The Edge Of Chaos: An Argument For A Complex Adaptive Theory Of Education
DAOs and the Power of Self-Organization
The Global Challenge Project

Also see: Ed Mulder's essay: Surfing the Future, Pt. 1

An example of non-ideological problem solving

Tags: Education, Edu, EdTech, Tech, DAO, Bitcoin, Thinking, Innovation, Creativity, Collective Intelligence, Self-Organization, Politics, Third Party, Democracy, Independents, Election 2016, economy, income inequality, Media, Standardized Testing, Game-Based Learning, Bitnation, BTC, ETH, Holacracy

*2020 Could be different.

The type of wood is really important

“I wanted generally to apologize to every one of you all for letting you down,” Mr. Sanford told the gathering of his cabinet secretaries in a mahogany conference room in the ornate state Capitol complex. (New York Times, 6/26/09)

I once apologized to a group of people, but was standing next to a stainless steel counter top.


Other options:

1. Showing gratitude next to a cedar desk...
2. Feeling shameful in a tile kitchen...
3. Expressing remorse near a laminated board room table...
4. Displaying sympathy next to an outside stucco surface...

Wanted: Right Brain Thinkers for Top Government Positions

On Friday night I wrote a blog entry, posted it, then took a break. I turned on the news and was reminded of the devastation and suffering. Being strongly affected by this, I went back to my computer and removed the blog entry. It just didn't seem appropriate.

It’s now a few days later, and I’ve decided that work needs to continue. If that work can get people to start being more critical and imaginative in their thinking, then all the better.

The 911 Commission Report(see section 11.1) attributed the failures of 911, at least in part, to lack of imagination. That's right. At the heart of our problem in the protecting of our homeland, is a lack of creativity. Yet, ask, anyone in the field of education how high creativity ranks in terms of federal and state priorities, and you will get some confused looks. It's right there in the report if anyone want to take a closer look. And now, in the wake of the disaster that swept through the Gulf Coast, we see a clear lack of imaginative and creative problem solving. The idea that a levee could break and flood New Orleans seemed to our government to be out of the realm of possibilities.

Abstracting this further, one could say that the standardization of education, the use of multiple choice testing and a lack of a push for creative and critical thinking in the classroom, has lead this country down a dangerous path.

I applaud the creative artists, teachers and thinking people who come to this site to read and share ideas, and I wish more people like this would rise to levels of importance in the country. It's clearly time that we open up the doors of bureaucracies and large, traditional institutions to more non-linear thinkers. More differently intelligent people need to be allowed in to the decision-making centers of this country.

The collective brainpower of Americans IS imaginable, and probably greater than any computer network in the world. That in mind, shouldn't someone be asking us, even challenging us to not only work harder, but to think more creatively and contribute collectively. If the government’s leaders would call upon scientists, academics, artists and other thinkers to rise up with solutions, they might just have responded with answers to a deteriorating levee system. A strong national leader would compliment and honor the talent of its citizens by asking such questions.

The President, just like a teacher, can and should be a facilitator of such action. In a classroom project that I administered over a seven-year period, I witnessed the benefits of bottom-up or “emergent” behavior. As I veered away from top-down control of my classes, students rose up to create rules, form groups and prepare for different scenarios. Feeling as though I had witnessed an exciting phenomenon, I dedicated my thesis research to the study of chaos and complexity theories as they relate to education. Conclusion: people, when given the opportunity and challenged from the top, can rise up from below, use their minds and achieve unimaginable results. A feedback loop is created. The teacher facilitates and the students respond with new information and directions. The teacher makes adjustments and responds back with new plans or instructions. The classroom becomes a living organism and both teacher and student benefit. This same kind of relationship can be formed between Dr. and patient, and yes, President and citizens!

The blogosphere, itself, is such an emergent tool. The other night, I watched Denzel Washington in The Hurricane. One thing struck me… when he went to write, he felt as though he was connected to all the other imprisoned writers in the world, i.e. Nelson Mandela, Huey Newton, etc; that they were rising up together, transcending their cells to become one voice, sending a strong message. The blogosphere can send that message, and can affect change.

Below, is the original post from last Friday. Some of the ideas therein can be used to get students (adults too) to think more creatively and critically.