Imagination Is

"Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world." - Albert Einstein

Too much pressure is put upon those from the ages of elementary school through college to be "smart." You cannot argue that some of the only things gained from school are fleeting, random pieces of knowledge. In school, you memorize formulas or learn how to write, but you never learn why the formula is there or what to write. Knowledge only goes so far, and most of the criteria learned in school is simply that: knowledge.

However, while knowledge is taught, imagination is not. It is instinctive; you just do it. It is a gift every person bears, but it is never honed, sharpened. On the contrary, imagination withers when essays have to be structured exactly like this, the formula cannot be any other way, etc. There is no room for creativity anymore. Instead of praising a creative effort, a student who decides to be different from the rest is failed.

But was it not imagination that gave us the very practical things enjoyed today like electricity or computers? Imagination is not a passive idea but the very blood of innovation. It is active, and the more you strengthen that muscle of your brain, the more your imagination will grow beyond even your wildest imagination.

This is not a call to arms against school but rather a plea to bring the curriculum of imagination into schools. Teach students how to better express their emotions onto the page, guide them through the practical discernment of when best to utilize imagination in everyday life, and allow them the opportunity to realize that the left brain and the right brain were meant to go hand in hand. Imagination and Knowledge are not enemies but brothers. Without knowledge, imagination is nonsense; without imagination, knowledge is crippled.

Even Einstein, a world famous scientist understood how important imagination is. Yes, knowledge is good, but knowledge is limited. Knowledge is the facts. Knowledge is the what. Imagination is the how, the why. Imagination is every dream. Imagination is every possibility. Imagination is absolutely endless. Imagination encircles the world.

If a person empowers his imagination, there is no stopping them. When we were kids, we believed we could fly. We believed we could do anything. We can return to that once again.

Dream impossible dreams. Reach for impossible heights. It's time to start believing again.

Do you believe you can do anything?

I believe I can, but maybe that's just my imagination.