The Irony of Creativity

The idea of creativity being "endangered" is something that society does not draw much attention to, though should be.  After reading "Is Creativity Being Endangered?" from the New York Times, I sided with Richard Florida, whose argument was entitled, "Cities Are The Fonts of Creativity".  His reasoning involved stimulating originality by the presence of others.  Humans are naturally born with creativity, which is what has fueled our world since the beginning of time.  Florida suggests that throughout history, cities with diversity and public spaces have precipitated new ideas.  He also argues that the reason creativity is being taken away from society is because of the institutions made to provoke ideas.  Florida believes "Creativity is disruptive; schools and organizations are regimented, standardized and stultifying"(Par. 4).

I thoroughly agree with this argument, especially with our generation.  As time has passed, education has become a principle rather than a privilege.  Although students appreciate education, the route that most of society wants children to take is to attend school and have an ideal job to live a stable life.  America has tailored the education system for this type of student, yet ignores the other side of the argument.  Not every child is wired to live a life such as the one that most Americans live, and is then being pressured into doing what society wants.  Since there are not many opportunities for a child to go different paths, creativity is then being looked down upon, or is a "dangerous" path to go down.  Although being an artist, musician, or writer can be a difficult career to gain attention (let alone money) from, it is exactly why America should give an opportunity to these activities to be improved and cared for.  These things have let a student find joy and interest in something they are willing to devote their lives to, just like any other career.

Jaden Cleto