Imagination Isn’t Just a Play Thing
Some people look down on imagination as though it’s only for kids. ‘Real work’ involves crunching numbers, speaking with clients and lifting heavy objects. Imagination, they say, is just a waste of time that disconnects you from the real world.
This would all be fine and well if it weren’t so untrue. Imagination is not only a great escape, it’s also what allowed society to progress to the point it has (such as it is). It’s something that can make the world a much happier place on an individual basis and can lift our communities to greater heights for everyone.
Read on as we address a few of the most important benefits of a good imagination.
Escapism
While some people dismiss escapism as a time wasted, it’s actually a very useful tool. If you have a good imagination, then you can be anywhere in the world, doing anything you can think of. As a result, life is never boring and you never feel trapped – just like Coldplay sang.
Those who are particularly good at imagining these other worlds, characters, and scenarios, can then share those with other people, which is how best-selling authors are made!
Color and Excitement
Imagination isn’t limited to fantasy. It can also help us work through problems presented to us in the real world. Never is this more apparent than when you have a family. If you lack imagination, then evenings can become boring and routine, spent watching TV, doing chores, and eating dinner. It’s the kind of life that sends teenagers screaming out the door. Inject a little creativity, though, and you can come up with new games, connect with your kids, and surprise your partner in truly romantic ways that show how thoughtful you are.
Invention and Creation
Our imagination and its tag team partner, Creative Visualization, is what allows us to plan ahead and to come up with amazing ideas. Imagination is at its core a survival tool. It helps us survive by allowing us to visualize ‘what if’ scenarios and to come up with contingencies in case our first attempt fails. At the same time, this lets us see how things could be made better and it lets us come up with solutions to the problems that other people weren’t even aware of.
Lacking imagination and letting it fall into the pile of unused tools will set you up for a life of just going through the motions and following the rules. If you have an imagination, you’ll be able to define your own reality, set new goals and achieve what you conceived. You’ll be able to set the rules that other people follow.
This is what imagination really is: the ability to visualize other realities and to, eventually, make them real.
