Joshua Toyer

Mrs. May

English 12 3rd hour

03/11/21

599 Words

The Act of Creation

I should begin by saying that I like to write. I create characters, situations, and emotions,

using paper as a medium. This allows me to make stories for others, but I have always had a

question about writing- Why? Why do we write, and what is its purpose? In pondering this

question, I discovered something interesting. There is a single, unifying trait among all of the

peoples of the world. This trait is so essential to everyday life that if it were removed, I would

not call it life at all. The trait that I am referring to is that which I will call “creation,” and it is

this unassuming word that ties everything in the world together.

“But what is creation?” I hear you thinking. Defined literally, creation is “the action or

process of bringing something into existence.” In other words, there is nothing in reality before

you begin. Then comes the idea, and you take steps to make that idea come true. Finally, reality

is changed as a result of your actions. This is the literal process of creating anything, but even

this is not the trait that I refer to. What I am referring to is the fact that humanity is the only

species on Earth that can create things.

Now, I believe that I can predict some naysayers’ reactions to this. You will bring up how

some apes can create tools, or structures, and point out that humans are not unique when it comes

to building things or solving problems. However, when I speak of humanity’s unique form of
creation, I am not only referring to physical objects- I am speaking about how we create our own

immaterial objects. We create our own rules, boundaries, and ideas, and we trade them with

others as if they were goods. We are the only species that associates with others for no reward,

and the only species that finds deeper meaning in our lives. Disregarding all of that, I believe that

our greatest strength is that we can choose what we want to create. In my own opinion, this

ability is no less than a gift from God, presented to humanity out of pure generosity. What else

can explain the wellspring of creativity that I possess, or the ideas that I wish to manifest? This is

the trait that I refer to as creation- humanity’s divine gift of ideas, and the ability to make them

real.

I believe that the trait of creation is necessary for humanity is because it makes up

everything. If you truly think about it, everything that happens in life starts with this process.

Whether it is an athlete imagining the results of his training, an inventor tinkering with

machinery, or even politicians creating laws, creation is everywhere that we look. However,

while creating things is an awesome power, the fact remains that what we create may not always

be beneficial. There are those whose actions result in creating evil in the world, even

unintentionally. However, I do not believe that this is insurmountable. While we can never truly

understand the consequences that our creations may bring into the world, that must never stop us

from creating at all. Rather, it should inspire us to create the best that we can, for it follows that if

creation can be used for evil, then it can also be used to create good. At the end of the day, it is

what we seek to create, and how we go about it that forms the basis of life in our world. This is

what I believe.
 Joshua Toyer is a senior at Western High School who enjoys playing video games, watching

TV and movies, and reading. He plans to attend Cedarville University, and go on to study writing

professionally.