There are two words in the Arabic language that differ by only a single dot in their spelling, yet the difference in meaning between them is immense. These two words are īdāʿ إيداع (“depositing”) and ibdāʿ إبداع (“creativity”). The first conveys stagnation—leaving things as they are without development or renewal. The second conveys setting the mind in motion toward renewal, development, modernization, and innovation. These concepts apply to many areas of life, including parenting, education, ministry, administration, and society. In this article, I would like for us to reflect together on each word and its practical applications.
First: In Parenting within the Family
Every generation has its own realities and tools for raising children. Methods and concepts that suited previous generations are not necessarily appropriate for today. Parents often say, “When I was your age, I used to…,” but such comparisons no longer fit our present time. Today’s generation needs more of their parents’ time, and that time should be filled with dialogue, love, encouragement, attentive listening, and the sharing of experiences between adults, children, and young people. An approach based on commands and control is no longer effective; in fact, it may produce the opposite result. What truly matters is helping children understand life, engage with the present, and prepare for the future through fresh ideas and innovative concepts that correspond to their aspirations and desires.
Second: In General Education
The “depositing” approach to education treats learning as a one-way process from the teacher to the student. In this model, the teacher pours knowledge into the student’s mind, assuming it to be empty or lacking. This type of education may be called education by domination, because it flows in only one direction. It is education by rote instruction—from above (the teacher) to below (the learner)—without giving the learner any opportunity to speak. Such an approach produces memorizers rather than thinkers. Before long, the student forgets what was learned, and life continues without real growth.
Creative education, on the other hand, moves in both directions between the teacher and the student. It relies on dialogue, discussion, listening, and interaction between both parties. For this reason, it may be called education in freedom. This approach produces creative thinkers and, consequently, leads to progress and innovation over the years. For example, methods such as questions and answers, or multiple-choice questions, encourage the learner to interact, choose, and determine what is right and what is wrong. In this way, the learner discovers not merely what to think, but how to think, and how to create.
One day, a teacher asked her fourth-grade class of fifty students to draw a human face. Every student drew a face with its usual features, hair, eyes, nose, mouth, and ears, except for one child, who produced a very unusual drawing. The teacher asked, “What have you drawn?” He replied, “It is a human head, but from the inside.” That was how he thought, and his drawing stood apart from all the others. The teacher recognized him as a creative thinker with a vivid imagination, encouraged him, and ranked him first in the class.
Third: In Church Ministry
This is especially true in the field of Church education, where the minds and hearts of children are shaped by what is offered to them. What applies to general education also applies to Church education. Although there are many teaching aids and visual resources available for Church lessons, true success lies in the presence of a servant who genuinely loves those he or she serves. That love must be communicated clearly and sincerely. Whether the teaching tools are printed or digital, they cannot accomplish their primary purpose apart from the servant’s love, expressed through a welcoming smile, warm hospitality, acceptance, encouragement, and genuine participation in the lives of the children. Such love helps discover their abilities and talents and invest in them so that their personalities may grow in a healthy and balanced way.
I remember one servant who was heavyset. He would use his chest and stomach as though they were a flannel board, attaching lesson pictures to himself as he moved from side to side. The children watched with amazement and remained fully engaged throughout the lesson.
Creativity is found not only in lessons and teaching but also in songs that reflect the spirit of the Church, such as: “My Church, My Church, My Church—She Is My Home, My Mother, and the Joy of My Life,” and, “A Drop of Water Going Back and Forth in the Jordan River and Never Stopping,” among many others.
I also remember a female servant who came each week carrying a drawing of a large heart representing Jesus’ heart. She wrote the names of the girls in her class on small paper hearts and placed them inside the large Jesus heart whenever she marked attendance.
Fourth: In Administration and the Workplace
Creative leadership is the key to success, whether in small businesses or large corporations. Poor management brings losses, while good management produces both material and intangible gains. A creative manager is consistently successful, so much so that companies compete to recruit such individuals. By contrast, a conventional manager who rigidly clings to regulations and dry procedures often achieves little progress, sees work as a burden, and is seldom appreciated by those who work with him.
One story of creativity tells of a man who was appointed mayor of a German city but discovered that there was virtually no budget available. He came up with a simple idea to generate revenue: he sold the naming rights of the city’s streets to individuals and organizations for a specified period. The idea succeeded, generated the needed funds, and enabled him to improve the city.
Another inventor realized that every person keeps a foot inside a leather shoe for about ten hours each day. He asked himself how the heat generated inside the shoe could be converted into electrical energy capable of charging a mobile phone,and he succeeded through his innovation.
In another example, a pharmaceutical company mistakenly packaged Vitamin C injections in clear glass instead of amber-colored glass, which is necessary to preserve the medication’s effectiveness. The medical recommendation was to destroy the entire production batch, resulting in enormous financial loss. A factory worker proposed a remarkably simple solution: wrap each ampoule in transparent amber-colored film. The medicine was saved, and the company avoided a devastating loss through one creative idea.
Fifth: In Society and the Homeland
Creativity in developing society is essential for the good of the nation. New ideas move a country forward. Examples include Egypt’s Takaful and Karama initiative to support low-income families, as well as the Decent Life initiative for developing the Egyptian countryside.
Another example is Professor Magdi Yacoub, who chose Aswan as the location for establishing a free heart hospital and research institute. His project succeeded and has now expanded to Cairo. Likewise, football player Mohamed Salah has distinguished himself through his exemplary character both nationally and internationally, among many other inspiring examples.
People are always looking for an outstanding physician, an outstanding engineer, an outstanding lawyer, or an outstanding teacher. The Arabic word shāṭir (“excellent” or “outstanding”) describes someone who is creative and continually develops himself through reading, research, discipline, and diligent effort. Truly, as the proverb says, “The hand of the lazy man catches no game.”
Be creative in your work, your studies, your service, and in every aspect of your life. And, beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things.
