One of my favourite quotes is Einstein's "Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world."
The dichotomy of this thought is not lost on me, since as an educator,my primary focus is knowledge, both acquiring and imparting it. Like the new Kaun Banega Crorepati ads, I have always propounded at knowledge being all-encompassing. And yet, knowledge seeks the help of imagination every now and then to make matters more interesting, to say the least. How otherwise, would be transport ourselves into the 16th century when reciting Julius Caesar, or want to eat the house made of sweet treats in Hansel and Gretel?
Last week, the students of one of my classes left me completely aghast at their inability to imagine. I had announced their assignment for the week, and asked them to make up some of the details, which somehow steered the discussion to imagination. As is the case usually in asking them questions that get them out of their comfort zone, I asked one of them to imagine he could fly and describe how that felt. My statement drew blank stares, not only from him but from a majority of the class. He parted his lips several times as if about to say something, and then locked them, fumbled a few times, and after a few minutes of awkward silence, said, "I'm sorry, I cannot."
So I left it at that and turned to anther student. I had mentioned Alice in Wonderland several times in this class, so as a flash of lightning, my mind went to it. "Imagine you were becoming shorter. What would that experience be like?" I'm sure he did not know the book, but once again, all I got was an awkward stare. This guy, however to his credit, could at least churn out a couple of sentences in justifying why he became shorter - like he ate something or for a scientific reason. I told him, that is not imagining that he became shorter. It is just a reason. He needs to tell us how it would feel. All he could say was, "Or I just go to an island where everyone else is a dwarf so that I do not look abnormal." I was at a loss, and when I was about to give up, a student volunteered, "I can imagine a big house, cars, girls, money, but not what you just asked."
I let out a sigh to wonder why a bunch of 20-somethings have no imagination. Why? Isn't it, like what Einstein said, the basis of anything new? Doesn't it encircle the world? How can they reach the dizzying heights they want to without imagination? Or do these heights end at the cars, house, money and girls? Where have things gone wrong? Or have they? I let these questions aside, and went on to give students the example of Harry Potter and that his existence and popularity depended totally on the imaginations of the writer and the readers.
Coincidentally, that evening I happened to come across the link to J K Rowling's Commencement Address at Harvard University. Though it was delivered in 2008, when I was but four hours away from where she was speaking, I chanced upon it only this week. It was apt, since the power of imagination was one of the key topics of her address. She clarified that she isn't basing it merely on Harry Potter, but many other experiences before Harry. "Imagination is not only the uniquely human capacity to envision that which is not, and therefore the fount of all invention and innovation. In its arguably most transformative and revelatory capacity, it is the power that enables us to empathise with humans whose experiences we have never shared."
For those interested, the transcript of the commencement address is available here.
Rowling ends with: "We do not need magic to change the world, we carry all the power we need inside ourselves already: we have the power to imagine better." There is no doubt that it was a moving address. What was more important, it was based on life truths that made the delivery thoroughly moving. Somewhere in the middle of listening to her, my mind as always, started chasing thoughts and it paused a moment to think about Celine Dion's Power of the Dream.
"Teaching lessons we must learn
To bring us closer to the power of the dream."
And that's when I had it. Teaching those lessons.
The dichotomy of this thought is not lost on me, since as an educator,my primary focus is knowledge, both acquiring and imparting it. Like the new Kaun Banega Crorepati ads, I have always propounded at knowledge being all-encompassing. And yet, knowledge seeks the help of imagination every now and then to make matters more interesting, to say the least. How otherwise, would be transport ourselves into the 16th century when reciting Julius Caesar, or want to eat the house made of sweet treats in Hansel and Gretel?
Last week, the students of one of my classes left me completely aghast at their inability to imagine. I had announced their assignment for the week, and asked them to make up some of the details, which somehow steered the discussion to imagination. As is the case usually in asking them questions that get them out of their comfort zone, I asked one of them to imagine he could fly and describe how that felt. My statement drew blank stares, not only from him but from a majority of the class. He parted his lips several times as if about to say something, and then locked them, fumbled a few times, and after a few minutes of awkward silence, said, "I'm sorry, I cannot."
So I left it at that and turned to anther student. I had mentioned Alice in Wonderland several times in this class, so as a flash of lightning, my mind went to it. "Imagine you were becoming shorter. What would that experience be like?" I'm sure he did not know the book, but once again, all I got was an awkward stare. This guy, however to his credit, could at least churn out a couple of sentences in justifying why he became shorter - like he ate something or for a scientific reason. I told him, that is not imagining that he became shorter. It is just a reason. He needs to tell us how it would feel. All he could say was, "Or I just go to an island where everyone else is a dwarf so that I do not look abnormal." I was at a loss, and when I was about to give up, a student volunteered, "I can imagine a big house, cars, girls, money, but not what you just asked."
I let out a sigh to wonder why a bunch of 20-somethings have no imagination. Why? Isn't it, like what Einstein said, the basis of anything new? Doesn't it encircle the world? How can they reach the dizzying heights they want to without imagination? Or do these heights end at the cars, house, money and girls? Where have things gone wrong? Or have they? I let these questions aside, and went on to give students the example of Harry Potter and that his existence and popularity depended totally on the imaginations of the writer and the readers.
Coincidentally, that evening I happened to come across the link to J K Rowling's Commencement Address at Harvard University. Though it was delivered in 2008, when I was but four hours away from where she was speaking, I chanced upon it only this week. It was apt, since the power of imagination was one of the key topics of her address. She clarified that she isn't basing it merely on Harry Potter, but many other experiences before Harry. "Imagination is not only the uniquely human capacity to envision that which is not, and therefore the fount of all invention and innovation. In its arguably most transformative and revelatory capacity, it is the power that enables us to empathise with humans whose experiences we have never shared."
For those interested, the transcript of the commencement address is available here.
Rowling ends with: "We do not need magic to change the world, we carry all the power we need inside ourselves already: we have the power to imagine better." There is no doubt that it was a moving address. What was more important, it was based on life truths that made the delivery thoroughly moving. Somewhere in the middle of listening to her, my mind as always, started chasing thoughts and it paused a moment to think about Celine Dion's Power of the Dream.
"Teaching lessons we must learn
To bring us closer to the power of the dream."
And that's when I had it. Teaching those lessons.
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