Meaning is a mixture of energy and will. An idea starts out fleeting and simple until it's grasped. Ideas resist identification in a laborious process that demands uncovering. A master quickly uncovers meaning and captivates our attention, distracting us from the discipline that is required to do this. All manner of vocations require a selectivity and precision of thought. Think of a cook, an athlete, a philosopher. They all grow to full potential in a similar fashion of melding thoughts with reality. It starts with recording or writing our experiences. Writing is difficult and rewarding, but our minds record every day regardless. We write experiences that can be hellish or blissful, enlightening or maddening, but we write them nonetheless. A series of patterns become the modality of thought. Thought is a series of layers that grows on itself, compounding errors and building meaning.
First we write, then we edit, and then we create.
Editing is the hard work. Creativity is the sparkle. Editing is painful and resists change, like a sore muscle. People who force themselves to edit often do so out of necessity. They find new ways of coping or reaching their goals. When we talk about learning, we mean better quality of thought and more critical thinking. We do not mean regurgitating facts, we mean the synthesis of ideas with action. Action is the key. Action is editing, yet it requires continual activation. This is hard work.
Editing is rarely self-taught at first, but learned from others. When we comfort and answer questions, we attempt to aid the editing that is naturally underway. Emotions are interconnected with this process and must be healed or addressed before intellectual change can happen. Once quality editing is practiced and learned, the result is an autonomous individual. True autonomy leads to compassion, the natural product of creativity.
How do we help ourselves and others through this process?
Other than strive for mastery in ourselves, I'm not sure we can. An individual cannot be forced to think by others, but thought happens nonetheless. From birth, it is obvious human's crave the process of learning. A child's natural curiosity is awesome, but if cultivated in an unhealthy culture, it is stifled. By and large, are we stifling or creating? The big picture gets in the way here. It is only the sum of minds. A mind can be stifled from an unhealthy culture, but that same mind has the power, the will, and energy to grow. Moreover, that mind will move towards autonomy regardless of external forces. That's just what it does.
Write. Edit. Create. Master.
I understand this could be more intelligible. I don't doubt it needs more editing. =)