Creativity

I am reading a book about Creativity by the author who wrote about Flow. He makes the interesting observation: "And what holds true for the sciences, the arts and for the economy also applies to education. When school budgets tighten and test scores wobble, more and more schools opt for dispensing with frills-usually with the arts and extracurricular activities-so as to focus instead on the so-called basics. This would not be bad if the 'three R's' were taught in way that encouraged originality and creative thinking; unfortunately, they rarely are. Students generally find the basic academic subjects threatening or dull; their chance of using their minds in creative ways comes from working on the student paper, the drama club, or the orchestra. So if the next generation is to face the future with zest and self-confidence, we must educate them to be original as well as competent."
Now that is certainly an argument for the arts!