Imagine That

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away . . . . . . . .

When I write that, what do you imagine? 

Can you hear the orchestra begin the famous overture?  Can you see the yellow letters begin to scroll up on the screen?  Can you see the small ship flying as fast as it can away from a much larger ship?

Of course you can (if you're cool).  And if you can't, you at least know that those ten words led to something extraordinary.  For me, when I was a kid, those were ten of the best words in the English language.  They meant space travel and good versus evil and fighting with friends over who got to play Han Solo.

But it wasn't just Star Wars that fueled my imagination.  It was everything that I was introduced to as a child - books, movies, television, games, toys . . . . everything.  Even simply hanging out with friends got my imagination going because it was trying to work with their imaginations.

In today's world of electronic media and smartphones and iPads and iPods and gaming consoles, I wonder what sort of imagination children have.

It sounds cliche, I know, but "when I was a kid" I didn't have the same kind of electronic toys that kids have today.  I had to learn to use my imagination in order to have fun.  My friends and I would use toys and create our own little worlds or movies and just have fun.  Now, you simply have to turn on an XBOX or PS3 and be immersed in a game.  And with Kinect for XBOX or the Wii gaming system, at least there's a semblance of movement, but since you're still in front of a television, how imaginative can that be?  Plus, these children are playing by themselves.  They're not even playing with a friend.  Granted, there are some games out there that can be played with a friend or against others online, but for the most part, these kids are gaming alone.

I was browsing the blog of Scott Adams (the Dilbert creator) and read a blog about imagination.  He has similar feelings as I do in regards to children these days having too little imagination and the need to constantly be using electronic media.  And while my child does watch television during the evening, her time at school consists of nothing but playtime and interactivity with other children.  Going outside is her favorite activity no matter what time of day.  This is good.  Kids need to not only move but find ways of engaging with the world instead of staring at it.

As much of a technophile that I am, I prefer to continue shaping Abby's imagination and not let her play with electronic media too much.  Her imagination is still growing and if I can keep planting seeds that will encourage her to entertain herself, it will help her in the long run.  She will be able to read books and simply "see" the world that has been created and enjoy it and compare it to a movie if necessary after the fact.  People with strong imaginations are also be very creative in the Arts and sometimes in the Sciences as well.  Of course I would like Abby to follow her own dreams whatever those become but I also know that as she grows older, I'm going to do what I can to encourage her imagination.

Who knows, she might even have a bigger imagination than I do.



Until next time.