So are we as clever as we think?
Today as I was enjoying my first cup of coffee, I stumbled across a news article that highlighted interesting research in the field of creativity. The article from CNN was written by Katie Hunt and it was her opening line caught my eye and caused me read one. After reading her introduction I had to learn about the nature of the study and what it was testing and hoping to achieve. She wrote:
"Creativity is a uniquely human quality that's difficult to define and, perhaps, even harder to objectively measure."
Ohhhhh…. I’m hooked. As I read on, I found a link (which I will share) and followed it to the research. Here is the link:
You are asked to give 10 nouns as different and unique as possible. No cheating. No looking up words. No asking for help from you spouse or children. No asking a certain digital assistant on your iPhone for help. Just be creative. The test is supposed to take around 4 minutes to complete. I started off with the first thing that came to my mind: vicarious. . . . It's a theological noun. “Alright, Derek you can do better than that!” I thought.
So next I typed in: onomatopoeia. “HA! That’s better,” I said to a concerned look from Jennifer. “Who would have thought to go in that direction!” I said to no one in particular. Then I continued onward filling in the 10 slots that are provided. I paced around the room until I was done.
I may have taken a bit longer than I was supposed it, but I wanted to do a good job. . . I mean hey, do your best or don’t do it, right.
I clicked “SUBMIT” and my answers were catalogued and my score was given. As the website loaded I thought, “Well, you did really good. This should be impressive. After all you do have three advanced degrees.” (And yes for the moment I felt that arrogant). The site finished loading and the score flashed in green. I read my score to the dogs as Jennifer was continuing to get ready. I wanted to ‘crush’ this test, and prove my intellectual superiority.
My score was good, but it wasn’t what I hoped for. I scored 90.3 which, according to the research, places me in the 96th percentile. My brow furrowed. I wanted to do even better. But then the humility kicked in: who was I trying to impress? The test is blind and no one would know my results unless I shared them. I could even inflate my score if I wanted to in order to prove something. But why?
Why did it matter to be seen as very creative to a website?
We put a lot of energy into proving how clever, how wise, how thoughtful, and how smart we are, but I wonder whose standards are we trying trying to live up to? Who cares if I scored a 90 or an 80 or a 70 on this test. It does not matter. But yet a four minute test occupied so much of my mind. As I walked over to the church today I contemplated taking it again to ‘better’ my score. (Yes, I am that hopeless).
So, again whose standards of cleverness, of faith, of service are we trying to live up to? Ours or someone else’s?
Blessings
Rev. Derek
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