After a little bit of reflection, I have come to the (unresearched) conclusion that there are two major spheres of human existence.
The first, and most frequently traveled, realm of existence is the quotidian world of reality. We live, work, and interact within its physical parameters. This is the world that one can "see," "feel," "touch," "taste," and "smell;" in short, it is a world that can be empirically observed.
The other major realm of existence is the Realm of the Imagination. It is the opposite of reality; some may even brand it "unreality." Imaginary people, places, and objects cannot be empirically observed, thus, creations that are of the Imagination cannot be said to exist in the same sense that we exist within the world of Reality. The World of the Imaginary is considered by many to be of secondary importance to the realistic sphere. So while everybody must exist in a physical sense, not all human beings venture over the Imaginative Realm.
What is an Imagination?
Having imagination means more than simply being receptive to fictional tales; imagination is the force that propels human life forward. It is due to our collective imagination as a species that we harnessed fire back in the primordial ages and discovered its uses as a tool for protection and illumination. All important inventions such as language, the cotton gin, the steam engine, and scientific discoveries such as electricity and medicinal cures for various illnesses and diseases are products of the imagination. Having an imagination means that one is aware of the multitudes of potentiality and possibility that life offers.
I have concluded that in order for a human being to function at his or her own happiest and most fulfilling levels, he or she must hold both realms, the real and the imaginary, dear to heart. To live in a world that is not influenced by the imagination would be like living in a colorless world with no purpose. Imagination breathes life into reality; it inspires us, comforts us, and delights us.
Likewise, to live in a completely imaginary world serves no purpose; imagination exists for us to reconstruct reality in the way that we see fit. The imagination is the very highest human characteristic that has enabled us to perform (for good...AND ill) all of our deeds throughout our history. Imagination divorced from reality is just that...a dream. Dreams are tenuous and do not last. It is only through great effort that we can realize the products of our great imaginations in realty, be it a poem, a story, music, a new mathematical equation, or a "new" philosophical theory (hehehe).
Our human mind's need fuel for the imagination in order for us to grow as individuals as much as our bodies need food and oxygen to survive. Without the mind...without the imagination, a human being ceases to be a human being. A person with no imagination...with no mind, is no longer a human; he or she simply becomes a walking conglomeration of organs and bones that will drift about aimlessly in a depressing, bland, and oppressive world. Hopefully, such a person will discover that YES! he or she does have an imagination hidden somewhere down there, deeply, and that utilization of this most beautiful and wondrous of our human attributes will result in an exponential amelioration of life's quality.
Our Imagination, in short, is nothing other than our very soul. It is the defining characteristic of our species.
Last Note: Love as an Act of the Imagination
Think about it. If a sterile, unimaginative, and robotic mind analyzed a loving couple during the act of sexual intercourse, it would write, "0001100101011100001101010100011101010101010111001101010101011101010101010101010101010101010101010101."
Translated:
One human couple, comprised of one male and one female, is engaged in a mating session. Duration: 47 seconds. The female appears to be impregnated.
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HOW SOULESS IS THAT!?!?!
Yet, as soulless as the robot's description of sex was, it was a perfectly cromulent description! What did the robot describe? Two humans having sex. In a reality devoid of imagination, that's all it is and all it ever shall be!
But when one factors in the imaginative concept of "love," which is a feeling that the coldly logical mind of the robot could never understand, the sex becomes *much more* than two humans fulfilling their biological urges to procreate.
When the man looks into his woman's eyes, he sees not only her physical matter, but also the soul of this wonderful lady who has been his companion in life. During the sexual act, which the loving couple terms "lovemaking," the smell and feel of her soft skin and the mellifluous, soothing sound of her charming laugh triggers, in a flash, hundreds of pleasant memories that he associates with her. Indeed, not even Aphrodite herself could hope to compete in beauty with such a woman, in his mind. When she gazes lovingly into his eyes, she envisions him as a demigod; it is as though Apollo himself dismounted from his celestial chariot just to make love to her, a mortal woman, and the shirking of his chariot duty caused the sun to fly unfettered across the sky, sea, and land and burn everything in its path. But it doesn't matter, because Apollo and this mortal woman, with whom not even Aphrodite could compete in beauty, are making love, and that is more important than the whole world burning in flames. Indeed, they were so enjoying each other's pleasure during lovemaking so much that they did not even begin to notice that the whole wide world was burning around them; so intense was their love.
Now THAT'S imagination!
Furthermore, from this sexual encounter a child will be born; a child with whom both parents will grow to love more than anything in the world, a child that will provide endless laughter and beauty for the life of this couple.
Imagination is what makes love work.
So all, live life to the fullest, choose to endeavor on tasks that fuel and inspire the imagination, and let your imagination richly reward yourself in life. That is the Way of the Scott.
