A doctor was planning for his son’s life - not life insurance, fixed deposits but education. He wanted to choose the best school, best environment and best social circle so that his son would study and become a successful professional like him.

Most of the parents do this. They choose the best possible school, environment, materials etc for their children (in a given situation) so that parents can make their dreams come true. Children learn a lot from schoolteachers, friends, neighbors, relatives, environment and so on. Every child has his/her special capacity to do well in one of the thousands of activities but in today’s educational system, children are compared with others for talents like academic ranks, sport prizes, cultural activities etc that limit their individual talents and capacities.

Moreover we all follow a vertical thinking pattern, that means our thoughts are created based on the previous thoughts, experiences stored and we always try to link them by logic. For this reason, most of us can predict or expect behavior patterns in individuals and their actions under specific circumstances.

But creativity is just opposite of predictability. Famous scientists like Einstein, Newton, Archimedes or Jagadish Chandra Bose have discovered something, which was not present in their time. Discovery was possible because of their creative thinking, which is abstract, not directly obtained from the existing facts but can be derived from the known facts. Great artists like Picasso, MF Hussain, Pandit Jasaraj, Lata Mangeshkar and Vaijayantimala are great because of their mesmerizing performances that are not mere repetitions but unique and special piece of creation. Above all, it is important to note that not all of them were scholarly students of the school days.

Thus all those who think, do or talk only on the basis of repeating history are ordinary persons who are predictable. Such a life pattern is safe, comfortable, well planned and stereotype. For all those who belong to this category have a common disease called boredom. Any thing that is repetitive, derived from the previous act so that it does not give a fresh experience, will naturally lead to boredom, disinterestedness. This is a very important reason that most adults today are not enjoying their life.

Observe a child – learning every minute, something new about the world around him. He exhibits his learning through actions, sounds, sketches that are not close to reality but he/she improves upon it to reach to the best some time later. As children think laterally, every time they take a new fresh step that is not dependent on their previous performance.

A creator’s mind is equivalent to that of a child’s. Creativity is possible for those who have lateral thinking and not vertical. Lateral thinking is jumping out of tight thinking boxes. To think outside our boundary needs courage, self-confidence and propelling drive for success. Purpose of life is fulfilled when you can be in any unknown situation, not stereotyped but with an idea that is beyond anyone’s imagination.