Inspiration is always magical – waving it’s wand to conjure up creativity and imagination. People can be inspired by any number of things: nature, other people, self sacrificing acts – to name a few.
Perhaps more than ever, the Covid 19 pandemic challenges our innovation. The current social restrictions have the propensity to engender negativity and even lethargy. What can we do to combat the seduction to apathy?
For me, books often give me inspiration, pique my imagination, promote learning and lift my spirits. “Winter Counts” by David Heska Wanbli is an excellent example of one such novel. Cleverly written, Heska Wanbli tells a captivating story that combines character driven crime fiction with lessons about Native American culture, the Lakota in South Dakota. Hear the rhyme?
Like other talented writers, Heska Wanbli weaves fiction with fact and provides an insider’s cultural perspective on US Indian residential life. At once funny and sad this gritty novel portrays life on and off the “Rez”. The major character, Virgil, is a vigilante who takes on a search for a member of his tribe who is trafficking heroin. Accompanied by his ex- girlfriend Marie, Virgil drives his old Pinto the long distance from the reserve to Denver Colorado in hopes of finding the trafficker.
Virgil narrates the novel and through his voice we learn about the people who most influenced him. I was struck by a phrase he attributed to his mother. “See everything as you go.” Virgil interpreted his mother’s words. “I think she meant I needed to be aware of the world as it really existed, not the way I wanted it to be.” Those words resonated for me and I thought about how they might apply to living in this pandemic. Our current world is not what we want it to be. Our challenge is how do we live in the world as it now exists? Perhaps the answer lies in imagination.
On the journey to Denver, Virgil and Marie stop at an art installation called Carhenge. Think Stonehenge only with cars. This real life unique installation is a “replica of Stonehenge made out of 38 junked automobiles.” Created by Jim Reinders, the quirky piece was a memorial to his dad. It has engendered considerable controversy about what can be considered art. Whether you appreciate or reject this composition the fact that it has stimulated discussion is a positive.
Reading “Winter Counts” helped remove me from Covid anxiety. It encouraged me to “take a look as I go” and create the time to see the world as it is in its entirety – not just through Covid eyes. We are not well equipped to handle what we cannot see.
Just as Carhenge has sparked vibrant discussion, seeing the world as we go can inspire us and create meaningful conversation. Imagination and creativity can open our minds to what may seem impossible. As counterintuitive as it might seem, seeing the world as we go can fuel unique ideas that can positively change our world experience.
Einstein famously stated: “Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand.”
Cheers to imagination and innovation. They are fundamental to fruitful lives and are the foundation of passion. Let’s passionately challenge ourselves to defeat Covid with artistic, business and scientific inventiveness.
