Creativity, Curiosity, and Political Identity (identities, religion, constitution, world)

[Fiddlehead]

I just read a book that has me pondering the nature of religion and creativity. In the book, a kid has an epiphany that one does not need to choose between the God of the Christian Church or his other spiritual insights. He realizes he can blend them into something new. Made me think about political identities.

It seems that religious and cultural dogmas provide a roadmap that can be both helpful and a straightjacket. People are always learning and need to create their world views, but many people feel that there are only a few acceptable ways to believe and behave. I would say the tendency toward doctrinaire attitudes (Christian religion, pro-liberty, inerrancy of the Constitution, anti-communism,etc.) is conservative, whereas a desire to keep revisiting these ideas and principles and work toward a better future is aligned with the liberal approach. We are locked in a perpetual battle of right vs. wrong, based on our need for orthodoxy and innovation, respectively.

I know the Myers-Briggs thinking suggests that Sensing type people like to work from past experience and Intuitive people prefer to innovate and synthesize. So, I guess I am wondering if we are wasting our time trying to put forward a single "right" way of thinking, because such an either approach stifles fundamental human creativity. Neither should we ignore tradition, because many of the best ideas are ancient. Obviously society needs both a degree of inertia and freedom to bring out the best in its people. I am a moderate, so I think the balance is the key.

What do you think?