Creativity Divides The Species

When I Look Up From My Writing Table, I See Only Products Of
Creativity—This Boat And All Its Contents

Aug., ‘82

The scenery along the Georgian Bay is very beautiful. I almost hate
to be writing, but I'm too tired to get up and walk. I will let the
big picture window in front of me suffice for now. The water is very,
very blue.

My decision to go north instead of west was a good one, but it
should have been accompanied with enough time to enjoy the area. I
am, however, trying hard to enjoy what little time I have. Here are a
few supplemental notes on this trip:

A. The weather has been exceptional. Almost every day I have enjoyed
looking out at beautiful clouds. If this trip needed a label, it
would be called: The Trip Of The Clouds.

B. A couple of days ago I stumbled upon a grocery store, but nothing
looked good. I settled for some cheese and crackers. I had just come
from a bar so my thirst had already been quenched. The bar was definitely
called for because I had just pedaled 90 miles on extremely busy
highways. The cheese and crackers were more than just something to
eat. They were memorable bits of nostalgia because twelve years ago,
when I was hitchhiking around California, those pocket size packages
served as my staple food.

C. Finally, a few notes are in order concerning freedom as it relates
to my ideas of the past couple of years. I might add, however, that I
have already forgotten most of the important ones. My ideas come and
go almost like free association. I'll be thinking of something almost
totally irrelevant, and all of a sudden something clicks, and I see it
new, as if for the first time. Anyway, many people disagree that a
whole new dimension separates the animal world from Homo sapiens.
However, when I look up from my writing table, I see only the products
of creativity. This boat and everything in it is a product of human
creativity, and it is this creativity that divides the species. All
too often we take for granted our environment of creative
communication, but it is this environment-- this act of understanding
and agreement-- that separates us from other primates. It is a matter
of kind, not degree. Indeed, this possibility-- this act of
understanding and agreement-- liberates, through technological
progress, not just the human body, but also, by generating a more
inclusive social consciousness, the human soul as well.

D. That's it for now. The captain says it's time to depart, so I have
to guzzle this beer, and it's off to see more of the Georgian Bay area
of Canada. It is true that I have forgotten many of the things that I
should have remembered, but they will come back; that is, as long as I
keep thinking.