Innovation as Crossroads

Donald Merlin, author of ORIGINS OF THE MODERN MIND, felt that it is cultural innovation which sets our species apart from the rest. In his words (p10):

In fact, the uniqueness of humanity could be said to rest not so much in language as in our capacity for rapid cultural change.

To that, I would add that innovation is a great intersection for seeing similarities between institutions and individual consciousness. (Beyond this, we can extrapolate connections between institutional functioning and cultural functioning--an emphasis in direct opposition to identity politics.) In some ways, it is easier to understand the agentic aspects of an entity than the universe of circumstances that any entity inhabits. By beginning at this point, we can compare design processes with emergent processes along with intention as compared to activity (which involves both intentional choices and behaviors along with behaviors and influences that are not necessarily chosen or even noticed).

(My interest, here, is that feeling innovative or progressive is an important part of an inspired self. When we relate to someone else as uninspired and uninspiring, we train our own consciousness in boredom, apathy, and denigration. When we expect less than inspiration from ourselves and others, we are always capable of delivering.)

Contrary to the cliche, opportunity is always knocking. But to actually engage opportunity, we have to recognize our circumstances as presenting an opportunity and we must seize the day. In his book THE ACHIEVING SOCIETY, David C. McClelland talks about the importance of teaching kids important heuristics for success by providing worthwhile stories or myths. Unsurprisingly, kids learn how to look for opportunities based on the suggestions these myths and their parents provide. Even in the Christian Gospel stories, those who already have something tend to gain even more. It is the way of the world that success breeds success.

Beyond childhood, though, adults also tend to do well when they are capable of recognizing opportunities. I contend that our current cultural myths about how adults can achieve inspiration ("First you get the money, then you get the power, then you get the women", etc.) fall somewhat short in teaching us to recognize opportunity. Getting onto a reality show like Danny Bonaduce may get you your fifteen minutes of fame but may not provide the spark you're (I'm) looking for. Alternatively, we've recently run into the Aesop-like fable about unrestrained speculative investing--again--as well. Throw in Youtube, the poor man's Hollywood, and we've found the trifecta of our current myths' limitations. But if fame, money, and the Internet haven't already made you into the next Vanilla Ice, does that really mean you're out of options? If I'm not feeding directly from the tits of the great whore of Babylon, do I really have to choose apocalyptic fundamentalism as my last and only resort? Is our culture as bankrupt as our country will be if we keep buying into insurance scandals and trying to float foundering companies that have already saturated the market with more of their products than can be consumed?

In fact, the uniqueness of humanity could be said to rest not so much in language as in our capacity for rapid cultural change.