Of Imagination and Light
What are those defining moments of our lives? Those that would pull us in a direction never seen before. Those moments when something strange happens that makes a switch flip inside your head. The moment a singular purpose, an interest beyond one self occurs. Thinking back at those, it’s almost unbelievable that these moments were small in scale. Almost unnoticeable to an outside observer. Not so grand big events, but, small everyday events. With a small change in circumstance or break in routine.
Imagination burns not like a short lived spark, but, as a raging flame, eventually settling into embers that slowly drive us to action. Waking us up to possibilities or unnoticed choices. When I was a child, looking up at the night sky has always been a past time. Specially on full moon days! Gawking and constantly shouting about the rabbit on the moon. These were but natural and habitual actions. One day though this simple action changed my world view forever.
Regional power cuts were common when I was growing up. So even when at night power went out in our neighbourhood, the faint yellow glow from the city persisted in the sky. Yet, for a very uncomfortable but glorious couple of hours one night the entire island was plunged to darkness, on a moonless night. That day when I looked up in the sky, the shock simply rooted me to the spot. The usual night sky with its few pin prick lights suddenly seemed punctured by millions of arrows. The explosion of stars was overwhelming for my younger self. My father noticed the frozen gaze at the sky and calmly pointed to me planets and stars. Out of the diamond studded tapestry that almost felt static, I suddenly noticed a fast moving tiny star crossing the sky. I asked my father what kind of star that was to only learn it was no star but a man made satellite traveling in space. Something so obvious and mundane to probably other children then, was not so for me on that day. The effect of that night’ left me wanting to know more. Know more and more of what is happening up there. To understand how something we build was up there. It was without a doubt a pivotal point, something for some other person must have been an uninteresting sight.
My imagination raged on for years! Building satellites, floating in a space shuttle and meeting visitors from space. All that just kept me driving more and more to understand the world around me. As imagination faded away to reality of my ability and circumstances, the initial push nevertheless had created enough momentum to last a life time. From a child who was ignorant and wanted to watch cartoons to more of an inquisitive creature happened without much fan fare.
I share this only because there is a strange phenomena occurring in this world. We are connected like never before. Previously inaccessible knowledge and the ability to share has increased exponentially. So much so, the inter-connectivity it self is creating so much distractions. Now, I am in no way an advocate of something silly like “disconnect to connect”. I just wonder what kind of experiences could drive this young generation to imagine greater things?
Imagination is the womb from which stories, theories, adventures and ultimate social revolutions begin. The ancient mythological fantasies rely both in the power of imagination of the authors and their avid readers/listeners. From them have sprung countless variations, dances, songs and plays. All with people closing their eyes and sawing those seeds of creativity.
I feel like some of those stories sprung from the tall tales of ancient travelers and mystics. I like to imagine an ancient market place or a pub. People surrounding a traveler who with wild eyes and gestures relay to them something strange and exciting. Or, better talking about legends they have heard from far away lands from fellow travelers putting their own spins. I imagine hired adventurers boasting of strange monsters they have slayed to the sad but heroic demise of their fellow adventurers. Word spreading like wildfire, from township to township adding and subtracting along the way. That is something I imagine to happen. I revel in my own imagination sometimes coming up with stories these people might have said.
Sharing your travels with friends..
When I was traveling in Laos with my father we ended up in Luang Prabang. The old capital of the kingdom. In the palace grounds they put up a brilliant show depicting Hanuman creating the crossing over to Lanka. It is a singular episode of the epic Ramayana transformed into a beautiful dance and stagecraft. Again reimagined to the cultural context of Laos. It is so mesmerising .. My father obviously excited to share with his friends were nudging me to capture it on my phone. To the annoyance of my father, I flatly refused. The last thing I wanted to do was see that brilliant performance happening right in front of me in all its glory through a smart phone screen. I satisfied him by only capturing the dancers at the end of the show.
For me Laos was one of the most disconnected travel experience. It really allowed me to take in the views. Taking out my Sony point and shoot to take some pictures than my phone.
Thankfully my father despite his urge to document was more about connecting with the locals. We took any opportunity to talk with the locals, my fathers faint grasp of the language helped a lot too. It may be my earlier imaginations, but it feels so much better sharing some of the sights and sounds, stories by the locals to friends by talking over coffee or booze than over an instagram story. This is what maybe is the greatest tragedy. Trust me I love instagram stories and a frequent user of it, but its just not the same as sitting down and orating that experience to your fellow human being. Sure do your instagram stories, but leave the best to be said in person. To the wide eyed children listening to you, to the friends who love you and the colleagues that envy you.
Imagination is a universe in itself
We are told that the fastest anything can travel in the universe is the speed of light. The universe which our physical bodies inhibit. Yet, the truth is, in our minds there exists a pocket universe. A universe with its own physical rules. A universe that may or may not have a speed of light limiter. Imagination is something we can mold and experiment with. Truly be “out of the box” or even negate the whole relative position of one self with “the box” by making it disappear and irrelevant.
For one thing, this physical universe we inhabit, that has space time (time cannot exists without space, and space makes time exists) is limiting by itself. It has physical laws, limitations on how our physical bodies can move. A grand prison! However, we already have a glimpse within this universe how it might be if we could break away from this physical prison. The realm of quantum physics has shown us stranger things when space and time collapses.. singe out of existence but without going into nothing. Just like that, we can let our imagination wonder into areas in our realm where space and time cease to exists, to bring about limits. So let those imagination light up in you and others! Those ambers will someday keep you warm on cold night.
