Imagination

[Green Gaia]

Shelley wrote, "The great instrument of moral good is the imagination." John Keats said, "I am certain of nothing but the holiness of the heart's affection and the truth of imagination." William Blake bemoaned the failure of imagination in his time. What is imagination? Is it available to everyone? Are we born with it? How do we lose it? How can we get it back? Are those who we call 'genius' or inspired, people who held on to their imagination into adulthood?

 

[Pah]

Shelley wrote, "The great instrument of moral good is the imagination." John Keats said, "I am certain of nothing but the holiness of the heart's affection and the truth of imagination." William Blake bemoaned the failure of imagination in his time. What is imagination? Is it available to everyone? Are we born with it? How do we lose it? How can we get it back? Are those who we call 'genius' or inspired, people who held on to their imagination into adulthood?

Isn't a figuarative "walking in another's shoes" the same as imagination? Isn't it the projection of being in another's mind - seeing and feeling things from the other's perspective? Imagination is, of course, more than that, but the non-egotistical reach of imagination is a strength of social structure.

Bob

 

[jewscout]

Imagination is the ability for people to believe in what seems to be the impossible. I think as we get older we begin to loose this ability because the we understand more and more the confines of the world around us and simply assume that there are limitations to what can be done. It is our imagination that allows us to brake those chains.

 

[cardero]

I think imagination is the ability to see things in different ways. I believe it is something that everyone is born with but has to be developed. Imagination balanced CORRECTLY with reality can procure a healthy perspective.

 

[Lightkeeper]

I think imagination has to do with creativity, allowing your mind to play different roles, thinking outside the box. I think we lose it, because our families discourage imagination. They tell their children to face reality, stop pretending. I think we discourage it because we may be afraid of where our imagination might take us. Maybe we are afraid we won't be able to find the balance between fantasy and reality. Imagination can lead us to great places and to not so good places. I think it is an important part of our being and we are born with it. I wonder if people who lose their imaginitive abilities are also out of touch with compassion.

 

[Master Vigil]

Imagination is such a wonderful tool. It is seen in every religion. But it is when followers no longer recognize it as imagination and believe it as truth is where religions begin to fall.

 

[SoulTYPE]

Being a creative writer, I have a LOT of imagination. Imagination also helped me meet Erene and Laura. It can be a great thing to have, sometimes, but not to the extreme.