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Strange Incongruity
Creativity for some comes as a flash of inspiration or insight. For people who consistently generate creative ideas, that flash is no coincidence, but the result of an awareness of intersecting paths. By focusing our attention on information that does not fit accepted pattterns, we force our brain to lower its associative barriers and establish new meaning. In the process, new realms of possibilities unfold.
In this second excerpt from Lea Redmond’s thesis, she reveals how the curious workings of presuppositional frameworks create these associative barriers. Their effect is illustrated with the story of the rice-boats from David Abram’s book, The Spell of the Sensuous. This example shows one way that presuppositions can be revealed and questioned. (See previous excerpt Mistakes and Possibilities).
A “strange incongruity” is a phenomenon that catches us off guard – that comes out of left field and hits us over the head when we’re not looking. Since we often cannot gain a perspective that will reveal our mistakes from the inside, we need something from the outside – a trigger, a spark, a snag, a “strange incongruity.” … A “strange incongruity” is not out in the world or inside of us, but in between the two, in the dimension of meaning through which we experience the world. The “strange incongruity” of the rice incident is found in the simple fact that Abram’s hostess proclaimed the rice-boats to be offerings for the “spirits”. To Abram, coming from a Western worldview that has historically separated “matter” and “spirit” into two mutually exclusive realms, it would simply be impossible for the rice to be for spirits. … Juxtaposition is one way that newness comes about. … Given that most of us inhabit worlds where we tend to see the same things, and hear the same words, again and again, juxtaposition is a phenomenon that can generate newness out of oldness – or new meaning out of old meanings. In Abram’s case it was the juxtaposition of the beckoning artifact of the rice-boats and the spoken words of the hostess that revealed a “strange incongruity” that lead to his insight about the possibility of the rice truly being for spirits.
Chas Martin
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Reader Comments (2)
Thanks so very much for your review of the Spell of the Sensuous. It correlates well with your insights into creativity.
This is also a great example of how important cultural training is for international executives, management, and even support staff. Being able to come to that understanding of "the possibility of the rice truly being for spirits" is accepting cultural differences. Being open to other's beliefs and not rejecting them is crucial to a "wholesome" organization - one that doesn't tear apart its neighbor because of unfamiliarity.
Very nice post. Thank you for sharing these thoughts.
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