Imagination

noun: the ability to form pictures in the mind; something that you think exists or is true, although it is not considered objectively real or true; the ability to think of new ideas

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I should imagine that imagination is one of the most powerful things in existence – whether or not it exists beyond our respective imaginations. Despite often being dismissed as childish, imagination is the beginning of everything. Actually, as childhood is also a beginning, perhaps there’s some deeper connection there? They do say like goes to like… Regardless, imagination is the foundation of any and every achievement. I say this because if we don’t imagine anything, we don’t work towards anything. Let’s look at a real-world example…

Despite his many laudable accomplishments – and the creative vision required to achieve them – “imagination” isn’t a term one generally associates with Charles Darwin, is it? But how could he possibly conceive that all species share a common ancestry without a vivid imagination? The notion was completely at odds with what was understood to be true at the time. That being the case, he saw no realistic prospect of his idea being taken seriously. So, he began to imagine ways to make his authority irrefutable…

The answer he chose was a simple one: become an established expert on taxonomy. He then proceeded to spend eight years studying barnacles to establish his authority and have his theory of evolution taken seriously. For context: he had no more interest in – or passion for – barnacles specifically than I have for toenail clippings.

Imagine the commitment it would take to devote eight years of your life to studying barnacles in order to make people understand what seems completely obvious to you. The drudgery. The monotony. He must have had absolute, blind faith that everything would work out as he imagined. Otherwise, lasting eight years would be impossible. And guess what? It did go to plan. He imagined, he visualised, he committed, he believed, and it happened. To this day, his work: “On the Origin of Species” is widely regarded as the unifying concept of the life sciences. But we’ve barely scratched the surface of what our imaginations are capable of…

Can you imagine a world without song? What about novels? Fairy tales? Paintings? Films? Without imagination, we can’t make the abstract, emotional associations necessary to create or appreciate art in any form. And what about sports? Games? Someone thought up the rules, imagined it would be fun and gave it a go. None of these things would exist without imagination. We can create anything – even an entire universe – in our imagination. And if a universe is infinite, surely our imagination must be infinite as well, in order to contain it?

Imagination is the lens through which we see possibilities. We see things as they are, as they aren’t, as they could be, should be, can never be, how they used to be, how we wish they were, how we fear they may become. In short, we see whatever we choose to see. This does make me wonder: how can people ever be miserable? Don’t like something? Look at it differently. Imagine it as you want it to be. “Truth” is subjective anyway, right? At least, according to Guinanan. Then again, even the most powerful of imaginations can’t erase what’s in front of us, here and now. It can only show us what might have been, what could be elsewhere, and what may be in the future. The here and now is non-negotiable. You can imagine it differently later, when it doesn’t exist anymore, but to deny it right now is to lie to yourself. Once you start lying to yourself, you’re working against yourself. That’s never helpful: unless you can imagine a way it would be?

Thank you for sharing my imaginings, dear reader, and I look forward to sharing next week’s post with you – as long as we don’t drive ourselves mad by thinking too much before then!

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