When I say the word 'imagination' what comes to mind first? What age were you when you last used your imagination? I mean used it and then bragged about your skills to someone else? Were you a kid in school?
I think of SpongeBob, shaping his hands into a rainbow saying slowly, "Imagination!"
What if I told you it's not just the stuff of childhood? In fact, it may be a superpower. It is definitely a bridge between an idea and reality.
Let's get into it.
Imagination 101
Middle English: via Old French from Latin imaginatio(n- ), from the verb imaginari ‘picture to oneself’, it is the ability of the mind to be creative or resourceful. This root definition of the term indicates the self-reflexive property of imagination, emphasizing the imagination as a private sphere.
Google charts the use of the word 'imagination' and its low point, the time when it was least used? The early 1980s was the low point of the use of the word imagination, followed closely by 1944.
Wow.
Singularity Hub dot com asks this;
" You can easily picture yourself riding a bicycle across the sky even though that’s not something that can actually happen. You can envision yourself doing something you’ve never done before—like water skiing—and maybe even imagine a better way to do it than anyone else."
They continue, "Imagination involves creating a mental image of something that is not present for your senses to detect, or even something that isn’t out there in reality somewhere. Imagination is one of the key abilities that make us human. But where did it come from?"
Show Sources & Materials (Interesting stuff to read, listen or watch NEXT)
The Magic of Trees, Curious Cat Podcast, iHeart Radio
Dream! Dream! Dream! Curious Cat Podcast, Buzzsprout
New theory demystifies evolution of human imagination, News-Medical.net, Sally Robertson
Imagination as defined and described by University of Chicago
The FOUR Types of Imagination, NewScientist, Adam Zeman
I don't accept sponsors and paid advertisers. I choose people, podcasts and authors I believe in to highlight in the ad segment.
That's why I've been shining a spotlight on Derek Condit at Mystical Wares. He is both talented and generous with those gifts. Please give his books a look on the Mystical Wares website.
Curious Cat Crew on Socials:
Curious Cat on Twitter (X)
Curious Cat on Instagram
Curious Cat on TikTok
Art Director, Nora, has a handmade, ethically-sourced jewelry company!
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark
My Favorite Murder is a true crime comedy podcast hosted by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark. Each week, Karen and Georgia share compelling true crimes and hometown stories from friends and listeners. Since MFM launched in January of 2016, Karen and Georgia have shared their lifelong interest in true crime and have covered stories of infamous serial killers like the Night Stalker, mysterious cold cases, captivating cults, incredible survivor stories and important events from history like the Tulsa race massacre of 1921. My Favorite Murder is part of the Exactly Right podcast network that provides a platform for bold, creative voices to bring to life provocative, entertaining and relatable stories for audiences everywhere. The Exactly Right roster of podcasts covers a variety of topics including historic true crime, comedic interviews and news, science, pop culture and more. Podcasts on the network include Buried Bones with Kate Winkler Dawson and Paul Holes, That's Messed Up: An SVU Podcast, This Podcast Will Kill You, Bananas and more.