Terrified? Imagination is your Superpower!
There’s a lot of fear in our country. In some cases this turns to snarkiness and even hate and in other cases, to isolation and depression.
What helps us deal with fear — even embrace it? It’s NOT Critical Thinking. CT is important, but I believe the core issue is that society pressures us to give up our imaginations. We have created a culture of passivity with TV, streaming, podcasts, games, etc. I’m not saying all this is bad, but when we turn off our own imaginations or turn our imaginations over to others, we are freely giving up an incredibly valuable superpower.
Kids who aren’t allowed to pretend play lose many important skills, including analytical and symbolic reasoning (CT) and empathy (DJ Leong is one of the researchers in this area). In fact, I found teaching imagination to increase CT and empathy to be successful for UNM undergraduates. At first, I thought these issues might be unique to NM students, but working with teachers, including AP science teachers, from around the country, I know these issues existed everywhere.
The good news is that imagination can be redeveloped at any age. It’s not easy and you are likely to get angry before you find yourself elated. It doesn’t require any degree. It can be done at home or outside the home and doesn’t require any specific equipment.
Strengthening your imagination helps you address fear because you trust yourself to solve hard problems, to see paths that can disrupt the wall in front of you, or a way for the group to get better. We need imagination gyms more desperately than we need more think tanks.
Start by closing your eyes and imaging walking around your house or neighborhood. Notice what you hear, smell, feel on your feet, hands, face. The first step to rediscovering your imagination is to realize that your entire self needs to be part of it — all your senses.
Once you get good at this, you can begin to have adventures and work on finding solutions for hard problems — knowing that there are no limits to your imagination. As a scientist, we went into cells, interacted up close with various molecules and organelles — and the students asked questions 15 years ago that are still been addressed in top laboratories. Imagination is a tool for discovery. As Albert Einstein (who did know some physics) said, “Imagination is more important than knowledge.” He discovered relativity by imagining himself riding on a particle of light.
Imagination isn’t just fun, it can save lives. It can lead to discoveries and start businesses. It can help you raise great children and be a more creative parent. It can lead to and revive careers and it can help you begin to see fear as a friend.*
*One way to start releasing the hold your fear has on you is to be clear about why you are afraid. That may seem silly at first, but, typically, we are afraid because we actually want something good to be the outcome. I’m terrified about this upcoming meeting. Why? It’s because you want the meeting to be a success. Hold on to the last idea and it begins to let the fear dissapate.
This is only one approach, but I hope it gives you your first experience that there are different ways to reframe fear.
