by Hugo La Rosa
I once asked a Psychology Professor, when I was in College, if inspiration existed along the lines of popular belief. And I meant it as the divine force that animated all beings, as an independent influence responsible of human progress, be it spiritual or material. The answer came, but it was not what I expected. She said that yes, and no, that there was such influence, but that it constituted a sort of reasoning beyond our awareness, which occurred, primarily, as a result of a trained mind.For a long time this answer pervaded my belief about intuition and inspiration. Nevertheless, in time, as I began to learn the craft of a writer, I noticed that the more I read, the better I "unconsciously" wrote. There was also an unquestionable intuitive source of an intelligent and unknown flow, which allowed me to "think" as if were from a blueprint accessible only to me. I am still amazed at this train of reasoning that I feel is a given, not only in my writing but in my everyday decisions.I do not mean that this implied voice of inspiration comes to only a few. This intuitive, and useful power, is available to everybody, but it requires some sort of preparation. This preparation must come in the form of an unfaltering attitude towards the faithfulness of this influence. We have to believe in it. And then, we have to prepare as much as we can, acquiring the best of knowledge there might be on the subject we want to receive inspiration from. This allowed that whenever I wanted to receive inspiration, I had to investigate, analyze, and weigh all matters as much as I could. Then, and only then, my writing, for example, would come unimpeded, as if done automatically. So I understood that to become a better writer, we would have to read and analyze on the content of the best books we can possible find.This same procedure happens to be the one I use when confronted with a difficult decision. There is this force, we might call it a voice, if you will, that permeates our consciousness if we prepare for it, and if we have faith in it. I would say that there is no inspiration without knowledge, be it in any of the areas of human knowledge. Music, plastic arts, writing, and even life could be made into an inspirational venue. I would say there must be 50 % inspiration and 50% preparation. In conclusion: God helps those who help themselves, making the right decisions. After that life begin to be friendly.