Thread: A teeny little thing called imagination

This is essay-esque. I've no idea where it should really be posted. But I just wrote it. Thought I would share.

Man, what a wonderful thing imagination is. I work with children daily, and I'm constantly amazed at the gigantic imaginations that are stuffed into their little heads. When you're a child, there are no limits. The possibilities are endless. Anything can be done. When do we lose that?

I was raised in a fun, silly, funny family where it was always ok to think anything. Thank God. So, I have a fairly colorful imagination. But there are times when I find myself getting lost in my own trivial 'grown up' world. I literally have to force myself into that child like wonder sometimes. And it's really sad. I can remember being a child and being amazed by absolutely everything. Now I'm probably amazed by 80% of things, 85% of the time.

It's sad.

I've made a pact with myself to think in the abstract every day. To wonder about what motivates a centipede...or if the back yard is really like a giant forest to the insects that live there. To see the world from other perspectives. I think my sense of wonder is what made me a good writer. And this is what I have to do to get that back.

It's all around us. We just have to see it.

I'd say this belongs in non-fiction.

essays are non-fiction... so, yes, it belongs here...

i can't agree with that 'teeny' in your title, though... nor understand why you used it... not only is it redundant, it relegates imagination to near-insignificant status, which you then proceed to contradict in the text......

I used the word teeny because that is often the way I speak, and that bit of writing was intended to be journal/essay-esque. not literary genius.

Children are overrated. They may have good imaginations, but they are mostly useless. (until they grow older that is)

You wanna know why? Cuz children...gasp...don't write! Well some might but it never turns out very good. Adults write, and adults have just as good an imagination as children. It's the truth.

Our imagination just veers off in a logical direction.

Originally Posted by penforhire

Children are overrated. They may have good imaginations, but they are mostly useless. (until they grow older that is)

You wanna know why? Cuz children...gasp...don't write! Well some might but it never turns out very good. Adults write, and adults have just as good an imagination as children. It's the truth.

Our imagination just veers off in a logical direction.

I'm sorry you feel that way about children. I happen to be a nanny, so I am around them for 45 hours out of my week. Children ask the most frank questions, and they also give the most frank answers when they are questioned. Some of the things that come out of the mouth of a child are inspiring. Some of it is gibberish, but a lot of it is inspiring. They may not be able to write yet, but they can still think. I can remember being 5 and having ideas, but not yet being able to write them down for myself. All I wanted was for someone to listen. They still maintain an awe with the world around them that most of us lose along the way. I envy that.

Penforhire, that's quite a close-minded opinion there. Children certainly do have the best imaginations yet there is a catch 22. They are at an age where they are unable to articulate themselves, so must grow before they can write stories. As they grow and learn to articulate, they also begin to think more logically and shut off their fantastic side. That's why films such as Amelie and Pan's Labyrinth are so exceptional because they revert back to childhood, and think outsid eof the box, bringing childhood to the fore in an often hostile and jaded adult world.

Good call, short tooth!

Children, before they get exposed to the standardization process by the educational system, generally engage in a creative mode of writing. It transgresses letters, drawings, pictograms, ideograms, and other established forms of expression. Children are very productive in terms of creating concepts, ideas and signs. Their use should not be measured by its contribution to the maintenance of normalcy, since their usefulness lies precisely in its "uselessness." The product of their imagination such as their distinct form of writing is charged with the power of affect, which is characteristically lacking in our nomal mode of writing.

Absolutely. Ask an adult or NASA technician why we can't fly to Mars, you'll get a string of logical boring facts and statistics. Ask a child, and you'll get a wonderful story, explaing exactly how we can. The adult thinks negatively the child thinks positively, and while the child may be unaware of the constraints, this isn't the issue. There ability to drea higher and aimr higher than us shines in their creativity. This is the reason why when children we dream of being these fantastic overblown characters, sports stars, movie stars, astronauts, then dream a little smaller as we age. Don't age, and don't get bogged down.

Nellieann80, I have been considering this aspect for a long time. I write about it and give my friends advice based on it. Wonder is what everyone needs.

Penforhire, I am sorry that you shelter that opinion. Children are, to me, in no way useless, and should be treated with the respect and intelligence they deserve. It is NOT true that they have nothing to write about/share with us.
I myself know a lot of good writers and/or thinkers who are children.
I think a good read for you would be the Little Prince. No disrespect, I am just stating my opinion.

Short Tooth- Nice line, "Children certainly do have the best imaginations yet there is a catch 22." The only thing I DONT agree with is that children can be inarticulate.

Penforhire- Just wondering, what do you see in a tree? You can PM me or whatever.

penforhire, think about what you post before you post unless you don't mind being beaten up brutally.
Children are not useless! Did you think you were useless when you were a child. Everything said about children on a positive side so far has been good, so I don't have much to say, but kids are able to look at things differently. They haven't been exposed much to the "ways" we are supposed to act and think inforced in school and society. Most of us on this forum are ego minded arrogant smart aleks that think we know everything (lol) But in truth, we grow up thinking this, our logic minded heads missing all of the things that really matter. Like short tooth said, they can think out side of the box, and that is one of the most important aspects of imagination.

Just my opinon...
Trevor