Domestication of Imagination

Post written by Aaron Bouwens.

I did not grow up in a Disney home. We lived in the land before cable TV, and only had the stations the old antenna could draw in. This meant most of our entertainment was outside, through the woods, fields and creeks surrounding our home. Hours were spent letting our imagination take us to places and situations far from where we were. A great number of war battles were waged, great explorations of unknown lands, even the occasional African safari. For the most part when we are young our imaginations run wild. A tragedy happens as many of us age, we put away imagination exchanging it for “the real life”. The end result is one of our greatest assets becomes domesticated.

The domestication of our imagination causes us to have dreams and play out scenarios about getting rich, or getting the big job, you know real life boring kinds of things. As the domestication continues we start seeing the world of myth and fantasy as a waste of time. Still within each of us there is a hunger for that myth and fantasy. We hunger to transport ourselves to other places and times where we live an adventure. In our technology driven world we call this going to the movies. We enjoy movies so much because they allow us to give expression to the imagination we domesticated. When a movie is done well we have a hard time remembering it is not real, why? It taps into our imagination.

In the concrete world of either/or thinking imagination is tamed or made to be civilized. This great tragedy is plaguing our lives. I wonderwhat would happen if we recaptured our imagination. Is it possible for our domesticated imaginations to be made barbarian once again? How would we go about funding our imagination once again? Read books that transport us beyond the known and defined. C.S. Lewis, J.R.R Tolkien, Charles Williams and Flannery O’Connor are just a few. There are thousands of writers who with excellence transport us to other dimensions. Go to the movies, rent movies. Simply invest time in allowing you mind to go to place not even on the maps.

What will happen when we allow imagination a place in our lives? We experience joy again. We experience wonder and awe. A part of us that we thought died with third grade is awaken and given a place to thrive. Our creativity is unleashed and live takes on new meaning. I want to end with a challenge. Go out and see or rent a movie today that funds your imagination. Allow yourself to be swept up into a place of awe and wonder. Let your imagination run wild.

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