Imagination

“Imagination is more important than knowledge”
~Albert Einstein


There is a small poster tacked up on the wall near the doorway just to my left as I sit at the computer. It is a black and white picture of Albert Einstein with the quote that you see above. My wife found it several years ago and kept it as a reminder while we were trying to mold our daughter’s education. Our daughter is now in college on an art scholarship – so far imagination has served her well (I should add that she is also very smart and hard-working).

I think about imagination from time to time, sometimes glancing up at Dr. Einstein’s picture prompts a return to imagination. Sometimes things get so serious, and work becomes so necessary, and other things become so Very Important that imagination gets relegated to a back corner.

A couple of weeks ago I attended a Jungian workshop titled, “Jung, Tolkein, and the Archetypes of Middle Earth.” In the first session, the presenter, Jungian analyst Dr. Janice Maxwell, talked about J.R.R. Tolkein’s prolific imagination and how he was able to tap into such a deep inner reserve in crafting The Lord of the Rings and other remarkable works of fantasy. One need only to google “JRR Tolkein” to see how very much his imagination has inspired so many. Indeed, many writers have used their imaginations to show us what possibilities are available for our lives as individuals and as a society.

My friend David Brazzeal and his wife, Sanan, are currently living in Paris. David has a wonderful entry on his blog today about modern art and imagination. The title of the entry is "Practicing Imagination" and is well worth reading. In fact, it inspired me to spend a few moments here musing on imagination.



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