Imagination
22 July 2005 @ 11:46 pm
Albert Einstein once said, “Imagination is more powerful than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.” I read these words at the Science Centre the other day when I went to pick up a Lego Mindstorms Brain. I’ve been “nominated” to give the Robotics crew here a short workshop on Programming. Hmm. I’m not sure if I can remember the fundamentals that well. But that is the challenge isn’t it? To remember the fundamentals even after we’ve been used to the more advanced techniques and knowledge.
I just had a similar conversation with N, a new client and friend this last Friday. We spoke about how I view life, having lived in the Rockies (read out in the boonies) for a while, having had to be detained for 21 days, I realised that Life indeed about Freedom. But this Freedom doesn’t simply encompass being able to do what we want, when we want regardless of the people around us. In this sense freedom is selfish, but what I like to believe in is that Freedom is merely living. Simply put, the absolute Fundamental of Freedom is living. To Live Life as it were, really live life to it’s fullest. Not just the mere dollar chase but the Experience of living Life, ups, downs, curve balls and everything negative included. It seems quite self evident to me that the negatives only serve to form one polarity, so that we can understand the other polar extreme — the Positives. Surely the pluses must outweigh the Negatives, one thinks. Again, not necessarily true, in fact I tend to think that the opposite is true, however can we completely eradicate the Negative? I doubt it, what we can do is to believe in what’s in the middle, the gray areas between the polarities of plus and minus, these indeed far outweigh either polarities. So why are we always so enamoured, so fixated on having or being in either polar states? Coz we’re inherently selfish bastards at heart… we are after all merely human.
I read the following in (of all places Men’s Health”), “Be yourself. You don’t need to act as I’d you’re someone when you’re not…. I’d just go along with doing my own thing and being true to me.” I say, Right on Brother! The only problem is that there will be those detractors who’d think that what the individual does is “acting” and not being himself. Now how is that? Why do we constantly judge others based on our own benchmarks? Selfish isn’t it? So am I wrong to say that human BEANs are inherently selfish BEANS? 
Deep? I dunno, I really tend to believe in these things that I’ve said. We have to understand the fundamentals before we try to understand anything else that’s more advanced. And in my opinion, these fundamentals include and start with the Self. Self awareness, I believe is the key to Understanding. It’s kind of paradoxical yet wry, that self awareness is somewhat an act of Selfishness! Talk about a catch-22 situation! I’ve just created my very own brand of circular logic!
[Posted with hblogger 2.0 http://www.hexlet.com/]
