I heard yesterday that David Lynch and Donovan have teamed up and are doing the rounds here in Britain. They're flying the flag for Transcendental Meditation. This seems like an excellent idea in itself - a bit of peace and being present is a great thing to add to anyone's day. I did get a bit worried though when a certain issue emerged - to wit, can you create films/music/writings/art about suffering if you're not experiencing it? It is a bit of an eternal question of course, and one that's unlikely to reach a definitive final resolution in the next day or two.
I declare myself on the side that says you can't communicate what you don't experience. However, maybe it goes a bit deeper than that. An opera singer belting out an aria in a death-bed scene these days doesn't know what it is to be close to dying from tuberculosis, yet can still deliver a very moving performance. It could be that she communicates something very moving - just something other than her own imminent demise. Or does she perhaps position herself with the audience, and express their grief for the character? Does this all amount to faking it? If so, are we only allowed to be moved by true stories?
Stop right there. I'm back with David Lynch. I don't even wish to BEGIN contemplating a future in which reality TV is considered the only legitimate form of being emotionally touched and moved.
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I can appreciate the idea that suffering is necessary for art (or creativity). There are plenty of creative writers, artists, etc., who did their greatest work when they suffered most.
But this observation doesn't actually prove causality. It may be just as likely that their creativity was not caused by their suffering, but was simply noticed for that reason. Perhaps it is the suffering that made their creativity so unexpected and wonderful.
In any case, I frequently come up with creative solutions to problems in my field (software) at the beginning of TM sessions, when my mind shakes itself out of its rut and expands toward the source of thought, the field of all possibilities. Even a little of "all possibilities" mixed into my daily life seems to bring unexpected solutions, which is one type of creativity. In my experience, suffering has nothing to do with it.
David Spector
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