In midieval times, a prisoner was sentenced to life in prison. To earn his food, he had to turn a gear's rotating lever, which below the prison floor turned the millstone of a grain mill.
Once, overhearing prison guards, he discovered that in fact there was nothing connected to the lever he used to push round and round every day.
Upon hearing this, the prisoner committed suicide.
But why did he commit suicide? What difference did it make to him if there was a mill attached to his lever or not; It would not have changed anything, as far as he was concerned?
Because even a lowly prisoner wants to believe he does something useful. Take this feeling of usefulness away from him, and he feels empty and worthless.
No doubt, every person has something he has created or wants to create. Even if the person has a job, once the day is done he or she sits down to write a plan, a poem, a book, a business strategy; or builds something, paints, plays (to create a win), sculpts, learns (to create), trains (to become better), … whatever.
The point is that "creation" is an essential part of us. As in the above apocryphal story, removing that ability robs us of our "humanity".
Why would "creation" be a part of humanity? Because it testifies to The Creator that created us. G-d actually leaves His imprint in each of our's essence. He is The Real Creator and engraves into our being the essence that only He really is. The human is branded with creative ability. This is one way of looking at the phrase, "And G-d created man with His image" (Beraishis 1, 27).
1 comment:
Nice take on an old tale.
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