Reality: Nothing, Potential and Creation

If you look at your surroundings, you won't fail to observe a human-made object. The innate ability to make has set humanity apart, giving them their uniqueness. Creativity and innovation have been a core driving force behind the rapid development of human civilization. The trait is abundant in humans, who take making/creation to higher and higher levels. It is fascinating that humans do this even when they don't fully understand what they are doing. For example, Electricity, to most, might seem obvious, but even though we use it, we still don't know what it is. One cannot claim to understand something unless one understands why it is; why it exists. Understanding why something exists means not only knowing its purpose, but also its meaning. Meaning is what things aim, signify and express. Thus, it implies attaining and understanding all the information about existence which we don't have. If so, how exactly do humans create?

Humanity creates by first studying behaviour and using imagination to bring forth something into existence that serves a particular purpose. Humankind, therefore, does not need to look at meaning to create but is only required to study purpose. It is why humans can identify, what they call a gap in existence, and create something that will fill that gap, something to fulfil a particular purpose. Creation is defined simply as making or bringing something new into existence. 

There is a notion in modern times that one can create from nothing. The definition of nothing is often cloudy, subjective or fragmented in the group. Nothing commonly means the absence of anything, including a vacuum or empty space. Therefore, the claim that creation is from nothing means even bringing something into existence that was supposedly not meant to exist. The issue with this thinking is that it has a loophole. Making may include putting parts together or combining substances. If you take components and combine them, they do not necessarily have to form a new thing. Sometimes you have to try different combinations of the parts to create something new. If one could create from nothing, all combinations would be possible, but this is not the case, as there is an underlying constant that acts as the guide in creation. The guide ensures we move towards linearity, preventing a situation where purpose and meaning would be ever-changing and can get lost in a state of randomness. 

If something exists, then it has expressed itself. Its expression means it has significance because if there is no significance, then there would be no need for it to exist. Some people argue that one can give purpose and meaning to things, but this is rooted in the belief that we can create from nothing. Creating from nothing would imply no meaning and purpose, and how can you discover anything if nothing exists to be discovered. Creation is not giving meaning and purpose but its discovery, as its potential exists. One cannot create from nothing; you create from potential. 

Potential is latent qualities or abilities that are, but can be developed, into something more. It has never been the case that we can create from nothing; in truth, we create from potential. An idea exists in a state of potential and not nothingness. People will study behaviour and purpose; from this, they can imagine what they want to create. If creation is making or bringing something new into existence, imagination helps us infer and observe the potential of something's existence. Imagination is a tool of creation, of discovery; it is critical in existence and is why everyone has it. Imagination is exploring and discovering potential, which is why humans can create. 

So why has the belief that we can create from nothing recently gained more traction? The answer lies in the implications of holding the belief. Such a belief gives a feeling of power and control, especially to experiences that make one feel powerless. Take the example of imagination; the meaning and significance of imagination can prove challenging to understand due to its abstract and subjective nature. Due to this, people bend its significance to get a sense of power with control over it. One can state things like something was a figment of their imagination, minimizing the realness of the experience, especially when it is hard to comprehend. Many abstract concepts, such as morals and ethics, can be conveniently stated as unreal and labelled as human creations made from nothing.

It is easy to state that we can create from nothing, as certain things in existence can be dismissed as false, unreal, or unimportant. It gives a false sense of power and control over existence. Consequences expose its falseness, as if unreal or unimportant, would not exist. It is easier for people to be open when their lives have crumbled due to consequences, as they see no need for power with control. In these moments, you come eye to eye with the randomness you have created when chasing control; if you can dismiss anything as unreal, false or unimportant, then what is the point of existing at all. The belief also shows itself in groups that exemplify value systems, even when it comes to individuals. By placing a hierarchy on the value of people, we turn away from another truth of existence: that everyone is valuable and interactions are priceless. If creation is from potential, then everything that exists was meant to exist, and therefore everything/everyone is significant. 

The belief that we can create from nothing can cause the overlooking of vital historical details evident in different cultures. Even when there are similarities across cultures, one can look for an explanation that fits the belief, such as stating that the cultures were primitive and had a skewed view of reality. Such dismissals can give a false sense of power with control over existence as one can dismiss that which proves hard to understand. For instance, downplaying the motif of the primordial waters of creation: the motif appears in cultures like Jewish, Babylonian, Egyptian, Ugaritic and Sumerian that would talk about the same waters developing into something more. It may seem primitive to some people now, but the primordial waters refer more to potential; and not nothing.

What better way to reject anything in existence or even existence itself than to state we can create from nothing?

The issue is that if we can create from nothing and deem things as unreal, false or unimportant, truth becomes shaky. Truth is consistent, sustainable and constant; it is not random. Randomness cannot be the ground of any existence as meaning breaks down. There has to be an unshakable ground. What is unshakable can only be the truth; that is why truth is the ground of all existence. Truth is what grounds all, grounding you in sustainability as truth encompasses the purpose and meaning of all that exists.

Humanity is amazing as it can see the potential of something and pull it into existence, which is creation.