ONLY THE YOUNG CAN BE CREATIVE

You overhear Sam, a man in his mid-forties, say to a much younger man: “Only the young can be creative.” Einstein said something similar: “Anything truly novel is invented only during one’s youth. Later one becomes more experienced, more famous - and more blockheaded!”

These beliefs can resonate with the young who feel pressure to create. They can resonate with the old who feel resigned to their fate. Einstein was my hero. I hung a large poster of him while in Vietnam during the war and carried it around for a year. I once held Sam and Einstein’s beliefs.

What does Sam mean by “creativity?” Alan Bowness, in his book on European art, asked: Does creation reside in the idea or the action? Is Sam concerned only with generating ideas? Does he mean creating inventions or innovating in the marketplace? Here, assume he uses any of the words be creative, be inventive, or be innovative in his belief statement.