creation and destruction

All of us create and destroy on a daily basis, for the most part unwittingly.

It’s not possible for us to get through a day without having a thought pop into our heads, which on a very basic level is a moment of creation. Similarly, it’s not possible to get through a day without performing an act that puts an end to something, if only on a molecular level.

At the other end of the spectrum lie the conscious, grand acts of creation and destruction, the ones that overwhelm us with their magnitude.

When I think of the number of people who devote their lives to destroying things, or to pursuits that they know are destructive, I feel like some balance is due, some extra effort in the direction of creation. I understand that destruction is called for in many instances – nothing can or should last forever – but I still feel like our destructive impulses get out of hand pretty quickly, and it behooves us to approach the act of creation in a conscious way, as a response as well as an impulse.

When I see a roomful of young composers, which happens with fair frequency as I travel around to festivals and arts schools, I feel encouraged. Confronted by dozens of curious faces, all trying to understand how to create more effectively, more meaningfully, with greater awareness, I feel a measure of hope for this puzzling and wayward species.