Philosophy of Imagination*Forty Two

I've already talked about how I believe we all have an incredible Imagination from the time that we're born. Something has to keep a child entertained when it's in utero. The mind can't live in darkness. It would drive anyone mad. So, we're born with our fantastic Imagination. There's nothing you can't do when you're a child. 

My theory on this next thing is hard to discuss, because it's so personal, but I think it's worth looking at. It has helped me to understand and heal. I was sexually abused when I was a kid. I'm not sure by whom or how often. My whole life it's something I had always thought may have happened, but I wasn't able to accept it as fact until recently. Medication for depression, therapy and the love of my wife and family helped get me there. But the initial impetus was my thinking on Imagination and how it works. How is my mind/Imagination so strong that it can block entire pieces of time in my life? That blows my mind.

Could the people who suffer severe mental and physical abuse go somewhere safe, until the abuse is over. 

As I've thought over my past, my Imagination helped make clear to me that the past is the past and it could be replayed a million times, a trillion times over and the outcome would always be the same. That there was nothing that I could do to stop the abuse. That the abuse was not my fault. That I am not damaged. That I have the confidence to tell people and not feel judged. That I am exactly me and don't have to be anything more than that. That I accept and love myself, every part and forgive myself for any past moments of weakness. 

Once you're able to forgive yourself, forgive yourself for everything, a magical thing happens. You're able to forgive everyone else for their shortcomings. It's beautiful. Nearly indescribable. 

I have forgiven my abuser/abusers, whomever they may be. I am by no means thankful for being abused, but I am very thankful for what it has made me. I wouldn't change a moment of my life. Even the awful shit. There is no shame or guilt if you have been abused. None. And I know it's hard to think about and face, but if you can see how bright the light is on the other side, it is worth it. But everyone in their time. It took me forty years of life to be able o accept and admit to myself what had happened when I was a kid. Love you all! We're all in this together and we need to help each other. Don't stay in that darkness alone. Come into the light and beauty where everyone will welcome you with open arms. Like Q-Tip said, 'Come spread your arms if you really need a hug.'

Philosophy of Imagination*Thirty Eight

I have spent most of my forty years trying to make sure my Imagination was always growing. But like everyone, I am full of contradictions and as I was working on growth and learning with my Imagination, I was also trying to kill it. Had a twenty year uncivil war with alcohol. Forty year struggle with societal norms trying to oppress and crush my individuality and self. And 22 years battling depression and sedentariness. All fights that are hard to win and my Imagination emerged victorious every time, always stronger on the other side. Not that any of those battles are over, they rage on every day, but most days it's a skirmish or propaganda, nothing that can't be subdued quickly and with little to no collateral damage. My Imagination has it handled and grows more powerful each day. It's bursting and exploding like a piñata of light and I'm trying to catch every last drop of it on to paper or any surface, making it shine.

Make sure you're catching everything your Imagination is throwing into reality, create and share it with the World! Everyday! Even if it's a doodle or a journal entry or a hug. Make it count!

Art comes in many forms and all you need is one fan of your work. It's best if you are the first most avid one. Love yourself! Love everyone! Love shortcomings more than assets, they're far more interesting and universal.

Philosophy of Imagination*Thirty Six

I struggle with a lot. A lot. But one of my biggest issues is listening. I am so packed full of opinions, I can't wait to interject or give advice, pushing my agenda. Problem is, no one gives a shit, besides me. Why do you think I'm writing these posts? I justify this, because it's written and people can come to my website to read it only if they want to. Otherwise they can ignore me. I'm fine with that. 

I'm certainly not alone in my deficiency. Most of us suck at listening. It really does take practice. A lot of it. I'm good at being quiet while people talk, looking on, attentive, sometimes with my brow knitted or the slow head nod in agreement with what is being spoken, but am I really listening? No. I'm taking it in, but I'm urgent to use my modicum of wisdom to help them solve their problem. 'Here's what you should do...' Bullshit. I'm making them my audience.

Have you ever cleared your mind, leaned in and only, really, truly just listened? Until a week ago, my answer was 'no'. Big, granite sculpted 'no'. But I've been trying to be aware. Cognizant. Clear-mind. No retorts or opinions on deck. Listening. It is crazy how much more you can absorb. It lands and feels different. So weird! But it is hard to remember to do all the time. I'm gonna keep working on it.

Listening is another key to growing your Imagination. Listening, empathy and Imagination are aligned. To really know people, to Imagine yourself in their shoes, to empathize, you have to listen like that. Forget yourself for a few minutes and listen. You're with yourself all the time. You have the floor for 24 hours out of the 24 hour day. You can handle sharing it for an hour or so every day. 

One of my favorite quotes ever is;
'You can't say anything you don't already know.' -- Unknown

Listen. Be curious. Expand your mind and Imagination. We are pliable. Nothing is certain, it's our best guess. Take in all the information you can, from both sides and think about it. Turn it over, look at it from every angle. We should be proud that we change our minds. That's evolution. Growing and maturing. Those are the people that survive. People who are stuck in their ways, will stay stuck, like mammoths in the tar. Not many mammoths around any more.

Truly listen. Erase you for a minute and listen. 

Philosophy of Imagination*Twenty Nine

I am an Imagination Salesman.

I sell the greatest and most powerful thing in the Universe. It's beautiful and sexy and exciting and I love sharing it with the World. I will be a great Imagination Salesman, one of the best ever. I'll sell happiness, empathy and oneness. 

I am not afraid of showing the Universe exactly who I am. I am not afraid of being told no. I am not afraid of rejection. I am not afraid to jump. I am not afraid to fall. I am not afraid of the unknown. I am not afraid to look silly. I am not afraid to chase. I am not afraid of being obnoxious. I am not afraid of money. I am not afraid of success. I am not afraid to work hard. I am not afraid to have a lotta people counting on me. I am not afraid of failure, because it doesn't exist if I keep trying. I am not afraid of fame and all of its trappings. I'm not afraid to be persistent. I'm not afraid to talk to anyone. I am not afraid to walk away if they're fucking with my vision. I am not afraid to walk away if they wanna go against my morals and values and life philosophy. I am not afraid to make people upset and angry. I am not afraid to have people hate me. I am not afraid to ask for help. I am not afraid to give much of myself to help the World. I am not afraid of pressure. I am not afraid to be broke in pursuit of writing and filmmaking. I am not afraid of pain. I am not afraid of darkness. I am not afraid of evil. I am not afraid of secrets. I am not afraid of power. I am not afraid of being super weird. I am not afraid to be ME!!!

I am an Imagination Salesman!!!

Philosophy of Imagination*Twenty Seven

You're amazing. We know that. Sure, you can occasionally be rude, dismissive, judgmental, petty, caddy, fussy, whiny, obsessive, manipulative, cold, bitchy, an asshole, lame, dumb, unpleasant, smelly, old, loud, annoying, obnoxious, stupid, moronic, unrealistic, vapid, vitriolic, bombastic, quiet, self-centered, egotistical, narcissistic, clumsy, hacky, copy cat, clingy, needy, co-dependent, angry, violent, racist, stereotyper, ugly, gross, greasy, unctuous, overbearing, hamfisted, pussy-footed, scared, frightened, cloying, mendacious, dick, pussy, fuckhead, fuckwad, prick, prat, dipshit, cock, bollocks, hermit, non-communicative, introvert, extrovert, slow, too fast, insufferable and a nincompoop. You're never these things for long. Fleeting bursts of obnoxious. Usually, you're a beautiful human being.

All other people are occasionally rude, dismissive, judgmental, petty, caddy, fussy, whiny, obsessive, manipulative, cold, bitchy, an asshole, lame, dumb, unpleasant, smelly, old, loud, annoying, obnoxious, stupid, moronic, unrealistic, vapid, vitriolic, bombastic, quiet, self-centered, egotistical, narcissistic, clumsy, hacky, copy cat, clingy, needy, co-dependent, angry, violent, racist, stereotyper, ugly, gross, greasy, unctuous, overbearing, hamfisted, pussy-footed, scared, frightened, cloying, mendacious, dick, pussy, fuckhead, fuckwad, prick, prat, dipshit, cock, bollocks, hermit, non-communicative, introvert, extrovert, slow, fast, insufferable and a nincompoop. Other people are never these things for long. Fleeting bursts of obnoxious. Usually, they're beautiful human beings.

If we can recognize this and forgive ourselves and others for their foibles and missteps, then we can know true empathy. If we can learn to see it all the time, then we won't get angry at ourselves or others, because they (and you) are doing the best that they can.

If we can do that, Imagine ourselves in all people and things, see you in them, then our World will immediately become more beautiful. Empathy needs a great Imagination. Practice Imagining. Practice always and like  magic, everything is you -- Amazing!!!

Philosophy of Imagination*Twenty Four

Let us Imagine that all particles, even the smallest tiny ones (Higgs-Boson, Neutrino, Tachyon and so many others that we haven't found or perceived of yet) all have memory. They all know where they are now and where they have been, but like us, have no idea where they're going. If they have memory, then they also have Imagination and so at some level, conscious, subconscious or something else, they have a desire to be somewhere desirable in their future. With memory and Imagination, even a single particle, the smallest we can conceive of, has dreams.

Like people and everything else in the Universe, it has dark and light, the two forces wrestling for dominance in any Universal body, from macro to quantum. The particles memory keeps track of this ebb and flow and is drawn to other like particles. That is the Imagination/gravity of the particle at work. They don't have complete control and so there is plenty of randomness and particles hitting everything that comes in their way, even if that particle wanted to run into other light-dominated particles, often it runs into a dark body of particles and it will do its best to turn the others it runs afoul of, into light. Same goes for the dark particles. It's the back and forth, the yin and yang, the good and the bad, the ebb and flow, the highs and lows that make up life and the Universe. 

All of these particles are flying around in every direction in our Universe. Running in to each other, some times bouncing off, sometimes being absorbed by a large body of particles, sometimes being broken apart into smaller particles. They are always moving, always flowing and always becoming part of something else. 

One day a particle may be part of a camel, the next day it's sand, the next day it's more sand -- there's a lotta sand in deserts -- then two years from then it's a man in China, then ten years from then it's a fish in the Atlantic, then a 100 years from then it's rock in Amsterdam, then six days from then it's a spoon in Luxembourg and on and on and on into the Infinite.

Eventually, all particles become everyone and everything else and everything is connected. We are the Universe. We are Imagination. We are a camel. Everything we do, does effect everything else in the Universe. You matter very much. You have a hand in everything, whether you like it or not.

This does not mean you have to be an amalgam lump. Or that you have to do what others are doing, or believing or saying. Be yourself. That is very important. Your unique Imagination is what will continue to make the World great! Do whatever you want, as long as it doesn't hurt anyone else, or impede with someone else's self being. Keep yourself light. Don't let the darkness extinguish your beauty. Do that and you will help the Universe survive. Live a good life and you will make the entire Universe a better place for everyone, now and for Infinity. 

Particles are swirling and flowing and smashing into each other always, they become you and me and oceans and your friends and your enemies and then you again. Send as many particles back out into the Universe with as much light and Imagination as you can pack into them!

Philosophy of Imagination*Twenty Two

When we are kids, even too young to talk, we begin to express ourselves with art. We draw. We color. We paint. We make crafts. We cut shapes. We make music with pans and sticks. We build with blocks and legos. We use anything at the disposal of our little hands to let the World (but mostly our parents) know what we are all about. Besides crying, it is our first form of communication. Not only does it help us communicate, we also use it to learn about what we don't understand. Expression in its most simple form. These are our Imaginations at work! And as kids, our Imaginations are humming.

Then we begin to grow up. We watch more TV/films/internet videos, play video games and we use our Imaginations less and less. The art continues through grade school, but when we get to junior high, it's an elective. By the time we get to high school, only about 35% of kids are taking any type of artistic class, which includes art, wood shop, playing an instrument, singing in the choir and writing for the school paper. After high school, it drops to less than 10%. Funding for these endeavors is always the first to go. Most don't give a shit that they're taking away one of our most important assets for communication.

Studies have shown that when Imagination and creativity is used often in schools and classrooms, everything gets better. Literally everything! Grades in all subjects. Test scores in all subjects. Attendance. Attention. Behavior. Everything! Art should be the last to go. It's salt! It makes everything better! You would never make food without salt. Everything has salt in it. Even the sweets.

Quitting Imaginative/creative/artistic endeavors is debilitating for everyone. It extends to everything beyond school, too. When we are artistic, everything in life gets better. It's exercising our Imaginations. It's the salt. The elixir for all that ails us, but we use it so infrequently. Most often, we let others entertain us with their Imaginations, which is important, too, but we'll never recognize the importance of it until we do it ourselves. We're losing one of the most important aspects of communication, a highway into the individual Imagination, the greatest destination one can visit.

You wouldn't sew your mouth shut or paint your eyeballs black or stuff your ears with cotton, but that's what we're doing when we don't do anything artistic. We're ignoring one of our senses. The salt! The most sophisticated and complex of all the senses. Where all the other senses come to be made sense of. 

Use your Imagination! Write! Draw! Paint! Play music! Write music! Make films! Sculpt! Cook!(with salt). One of our first and most important forms of communication is being forgotten. Go back down the road to where you through it out, dust it off and make it new again. We're all artists. We just have to do art. It will make everything better!

Philosophy of Imagination*Twenty

We spend a lot of time, most of our time, thinking about what other people are Imagining about us. How we dress. How we look. What job we have. Who are friends are. Where we live. What movies we like. There are no shortage of opinions out there. You could probably call the internet 'Opinion' instead and it would make more logical sense. All this that I'm writing is my opinion on life. It's good in small doses, but almost none of us consume it in small doses. We grow up with social norms that we follow. Our parents have ideas on how we should look, act and behave. Our friends, too. And then we get roped into it, almost from the time we're able to understand the World around us.

All of us have a beautiful, infinite Imagination. One of the only things that's hard for us to imagine is what other people are thinking and Imagining. We can't see their Imagination and never will (we try and give people the best representation through art and action). So why do we spend most of our lives trying to figure it out, when we have our own brilliant Imagination that is aching to be explored. Explore it!

Your reality and how you view the World is different from everyone else's. So quit following their rules and follow your own. Learn about you. Think about you. Be you. And this is not a conceit or egotistical. It doesn't mean you stop helping people or think yourself to be better than those around you. It is simply taking the time to get to know yourself. You'll never understand a fucking thing until you really know and love yourself. Until you set others reality aside and live yours, with no apologies.

I know you're amazing and I've never met you. Now it's your turn to find your own reality and see the amazing light inside of yourself!

Philosophy of Imagination*Eighteen

Where's happy?

Hopefully all of them. Throw a rock and you'll hit happy. Have you ever been to an amazing concert? The band is playing the best song they've ever written, an energy and vitality like it was the first time they played it and crowd is going apeshit like it's the first time they've heard this musical genius!

What is that special feeling that everyone (except maybe the drunk people barfing in the port-potties) is experiencing? That euphoric happiness that is so strong, if a bomb was dropped on top of all of you, everyone would be fine with it. What is that connectedness that makes you lock eyes with a total sweaty stranger three rows down, while you dance and sing the lyrics to each other? Invisible, but palpable. Free, but invaluable. Strong, but fleeting. What makes this happen?

This can be said of all events where groups of people come together to share a joyous experience. Sports, movies, parades. It can also evaporate quickly and leave sad, anxious, angry feelings if something goes wrong. Like when your football team is winning big and the other team slowly comes back and that moment when they take the lead, its as if everyone was struck with depression and insecurities. They always use the term 'the air got sucked out of the stadium'. What is that? What sucks the collective exuberance out of a crowd? 

Imagination. Our Collective Imagination gets condensed, concentrated when we're all together, sharing an experience. Our Imaginations are working together toward a common idea -- how awesome this concert/game is going to continue to be. The best fucking concert ever! That's what the Collective Imagination is doing and it's so powerful, it can suck in everyone. 

If something goes wrong, someone gets hurt, the music stops, your team goes down late in the game, the same Collective Imagination that created the happiness hysteria, turns to Imagining the worst. The ripples encompassing everyone. Is the person gonna die? That might have been the last note my favorite band ever plays? Our season is over.

Overwhelmingly these events stay positive, fueling our happiness and love for each other without a word being spoken. How can we create more events and coming together moments where we tap into the beauty and power of our Collective Imagination? We should have huge coming togethers for no other reason than coming together.

For love alone.

Philosophy of Imagination*Seventeen

I was reading a philosophy article that was making the argument for 'God'. He made some interesting points, but the foundation of his argument is the same one that religious people make again and again. Who created the Universe? There has to be a 'God', because someone created the Universe, or the matter that grew into the Universe. But the same argument can be made about 'God'.

If 'God created the Universe, who created God? It's a circular argument, that like all great philosophical discussions has no answer. Yet. 

My goal is to not impugn on anyone's beliefs, or morals or values or interests. Let people do anything they want, is what I believe, as long as they're not hurting anyone else, physically or emotionally. That's the only time I'll stand up and say 'hold the fuck on'. If people believe in God, great, believe in God and Jesus and the Holy Ghost. Or Muhammed. Or Ganesh. Or math and science. Or Mother Earth. Or Zeus. Vindictive creators are particularly interesting. Believe what you want and leave others to do the same. Where we run into problems is when we admonish and vilify those who believe differently from ourselves. If someone wants to believe 'flying spaghetti' (a real religion) to be the 'god', then let them. How is that hurting you? Let people be. 

I believe Imagination is the Creator. That it can exist with your other beliefs and ideas. Your Imagination is what allows you to believe in a 'God' of your choosing. Imagination allows you to close your eyes and see that 'God' if you want. Your Imagination knows right and wrong and helps you create your morals and values -- perhaps with the aid of your 'God'. And you live your life by these morals and values, or by a lack of them. Do what you want (as long as you're not hurting anyone).

We can all believe in Imagination. If I say 'star chasing cowboy pickle', something pops in to your head, an image. And everyone's image is different. 7.5 billion different images. So 7.5 billion different images of 'God'.

We all have our own 'God'. Created by our unique Imaginations. Let people be*.

*Unless they're hurting someone or something.

Philosophy of Imagination*Fifteen

The dreams you create for yourself with your Imagination are the most precious resource in this World. They are what keeps our Earth spinning and the Universe Universing (it's so grandiose and awe inspiring, it's hard to distill exactly what it's doing -- because it's everything really). Your dreams need to be kept safe, nurtured and growing. Your dreams will always be in your head. Always. When they first emerge, they are so big and sublime that they could fill every last corner of the Universe. They are born from so many different places. Perhaps it's a film that you see (that's my favorite one -- mine was Fargo), or a parent that is great at their dream/profession or seeing deficiency in the World. Whatever exterior things your dreams are born from, you're Imagination takes it and turns it in to palpable inspiration and it grows almost too big to fathom.

Then, it's time for you to start turning those massive dreams into reality! What we call the 'work' or the 'hard part'. We get moving and immediately begin to face resistance, from every direction. The work is hard and time consuming. You begin to get tired. The realization of the dream seems so far off, that apathy and despair set in. You must believe in yourself, your Imagination and your dreams and keep moving ahead. You will be the biggest thing you have to overcome, but the outside World is great at reiterating your doubt. Almost everyone, and there is no hyperbole in that statement, nearly 99% of people will tell you that your entire dream or part of your dream are unattainable, that you should give up. Most of this isn't from malice or anger or jealousy, it's from their perception of reality and how the World works. As soon as we're born, the World begins to atrophy your Imagination. The hard work and the people and the obstacles you encounter tell you 'No' with such frequency, that it is hard to keep your Imagination from shrinking, forget not growing, it disintegrates fast.

You will have to be your teacher, your cheerleader, your guru. Sure you will meet a few people along the way who say 'yes you can' and some who will put you on their shoulders for a while and make sure you stay as close to those people as you can. That you reciprocate their kindness and optimism and remain loyal and true, but most of the work will have to come from within. From your Imagination, even while it is facing a constant barrage of naysayers and pessimists. One of the hardest parts about this is that much of your Imagination has been decimated by the time you reach school age, before you have a real grasp on who you are and what you want. So while your battling the outside forces that want to to disable your Imagination, you will also have to be rebuilding it. It's like trying to build your castle in the middle of an enemy attack. Trying to build a house while the rain pummels you. That's the hard work. 

So many give up. It's fucking really hard and the path to 'no' is easier. We can easily exist in this World even if we're not doing what we want. Lives can be lived and even be fulfilling in other ways. But there will always be that huge emptiness, that empty space (darkness, ether, dark energy, vacuum) in the Universe of your Imagination that can never be filled*.

You can realize everything you can Imagine. Fuck the people who say no. Fuck the people who say you'll never make it. Fuck the people who say you're crazy and are suffering from grandiose delusions. If everyone listened to it, we will still be pounding rocks and living in caves. I don't give a shit who you are and where you came from, you can realize your dream if you continually tell yourself yes in the face of all diversity, if you're willing to keep moving ahead when most sane people would turn back (You can't kill that dragon! Are you fucking crazy!). Greatness lives at the edge of crazy (Stay true to yourself and never hurt anyone and you'll never fall over the edge).

Also, make sure to realize that as you make this epic journey to wrangle your dreams, you're not doing it alone. Your inspirations, all the people that came before you that didn't listen to the 'no's' or the pain in their bodies. We are beholden to them and their Imaginations and the Universe. Without them, you wouldn't be able to live your dreams. And the people that come after you will owe you a tremendous debt of gratitude. Imagine if no one said no? If the World didn't inadvertently destroy our Imagination? If the hard work became a little easier, because everyone else believed in you and you believed in them and everyone helped everyone else on their quest for ultimate fulfillment? If we believed that everyone deserves something, instead of believing we deserve everything for our hard work? Imaginations. The most powerful forces in the Universe, working together for goodness and light? How many questions could we answer? How many lives could we save? How much pain could we alleviate? What if we all asked ourselves these questions daily? If we believed in ourselves and each other?

Keep running. Fuel your Imagination. And help everyone you can to do the same. What a beautiful Light we will make!!!

*If our Imagination is infinite, like the Universe, like time and space, will we begin to understand everything around us better as we grow our Imagination? Will those dark spaces and vacuums and things unknown start to make sense if we believe in ourselves and our Imaginations? That they truly can accomplish anything if we're willing to work hard and maintain our morals and values? Will the mysteries be solved? What is empty space? What is dark matter? What is the dark force? Can we catch light? Do we have to Imagine a solution first before we can prove the theory through math and science? Does something exist before we are able to prove it? Does proving it finally bring the theory into reality? If we all make our Imaginations stronger through hard work and belief in ourselves, will the great mysteries come more readily? Through the strengthening of the collective conscious? Does the collective conscious exist? Certainly there will always be more mysteries to solve, as the Universe/Time/Space is infinite. Surely more questions will arise? Without mystery, without the unknown, how will our Imaginations continue to grow? Knowing everything is fucking boring.

Philosophy of Imagination*Thirteen

I got looking back at my posts so far. I sound like I've never had a problem in the World. That my life has been sunshine, popsicles and rainbows. Like everyone else on this planet, that can't be further from the truth. Happiness is something that has to be worked at and I have worked hard to get happy. Although the gush of good vibes and positivity can seem cloying and obnoxious in abundance, I will make no apologies of it. I am not always happy. Sometimes I'm fucking pissed and sad and lost. My work to make happiness the largest part of my 'Feelings Pie' is what I'm celebrating. Imagination has got me here. No apologies.

Why do we want to be happy? Why is that the feeling that we're all chasing? How do we stay happy? These are questions that we need to answer for ourselves, I'm only hoping to spur thought, to awaken the conscious to think about such things. 

Everyone should be free to do whatever they want -- *as long as it's not hurting anyone else. ANYONE ELSE. The only rule, The Golden Rule. However, if you have never taken a deep dive into yourself and asked yourself a few of the existential questions, you should try it. A deep dive. Deep. A dive where shit starts to get scary and dark, but you don't turn back. I promise, as dark as it may seem, if you keep on diving, it will begin to get light again. More light than you've ever seen. It's beautiful -- there goes my inexhaustible happiness rearing it's smiling head. No apologies.

I hate rules. More than anything. I came up with the three. The only three that I follow. You are free to adopt them, hate them, be ambivalent toward them. That's up to you. I will never stand in the way of what you want to do and neither should anyone else (*as long as you're not hurting anyone). I wanted to share, though. They're pretty awesome.

1. Be good to everyone and everything.       

2. Always be in the now with an eye on the future.

3. Imagine always! Have fun! Create!

That last one kind of sounds like three, but I assure you, Imagination begets fun, which begets creativity. If you've got one you think I've missed, I'd love to hear it and why you think it's important?

Give it a shot. Apply these to all that you do. Be conscious. Dive deep. Unapologetic happiness may start to feel less cloying and obnoxious. Love you all!

Philosophy of Imagination*Eleven

Imagine every day.

Dream every day.

Love everyone every day.

Give every day.

Be you every day.

Imagine how good that will be every day.

Philosophy of Imagination*Eight

Cinco de Mayo celebrates the Battle of Puebla, when Napoleon's enormous army tried to invade and were pushed back and defeated by a much smaller, mostly untrained peasant force that was defending their own land and homes. The French had their lives on the line, but the Mexicans had their lives and the lives of their children and their children's children and so on and so on. Not to mention the future of their culture and traditions. Imagining the decimation of their future existence gave these humble people the power to destroy an army that had them outmatched in every capacity, save the size of their Imagination and will. That's fucking beautiful!

Imagination can be the darkness and the light. Most often, the light is where we want to reside, positive Imagination and vision drives us to better place, but Imagining a dark, hateful future can help people see a World in which they are unwilling to live and endure. Imagining that hell, juxtaposed with the bright, happy future that they also Imagined for themselves, gave them the will and the power to win.

Imagining and working and fighting together (like the evolving cyanobacteria) to see and create a better future for all. I'm sure the French were pretty fucking happy to be heading back to their families on the fleeing boats.

You don't need destruction for growth and new life. You don't send out armies to take what you want. You ask people to help. And then you ask them what you can do to help them. That's how the cyanobacteria became a multicellular organism, by working as a collective. As one. And if we ever hope to mature and evolve into something better than we are, then we must do the same.

Cowards create wars and destruction. Heroes end them. Like the amazing people of Puebla!

Philosophy of Imagination*Seven

Cells begin to change and form more complex organisms. Evolution is the mutation of pieces of DNA, which over thousands of generations, beget a new organism/species. The traits that the mutations create that are most suited for the organisms environment proliferate. These are the good mutations. The mutations of Life. The mutations of Light. Like The Force!

Could The Force be Imagination? 'The Force is what gives a Jedi(You) their power.  It is an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us and penetrates us; it binds the galaxy together.' That sounds a lot like Imagination. 

Could Imagination be a particle as yet discovered? Gravity? A glue particle that is too tiny for us to find(so far)? We still don't know what the fuck gravity is, why couldn't it be Imagination? We always speak of Imagination as if it's this ethereal thing, an idea about how are brain works, but what if Imagination does have a physical form? A tiny particle that envelops all other particles, that dead space in an atom between the neutrons and electrons? That would be a Galaxy/Universe binder. The eggs of the Universe. 

The Force is Imagination and we all have it! And just like The Force, through time and practice and study, you can strengthen your Imagination to do anything! Anything.

Get out their and practice your Force/Imagination!!!

Philosophy of Imagination*Five

When last we spoke, we were talking about cyanobacteria (pictured above -- beautiful yeah?). The first single-celled organism. Life! How did it become an organism? How did it decide to change? How did it change? Why did it change? To survive? It was the only organism, so it didn't have any predators. The elements. The atmosphere and liquids and solids that also existed. It asked the question, in some abstract way, 'how do I make this Earth a better place?' What made that happen? Pure chemistry? Imagination? Can Imagination exist outside of an organism? I think yes. It could be a particle we haven't discovered yet? Could it be gravity? Perhaps. Dark matter? Perhaps. Something makes cells and living things change, so they can go on living and make the World a better place.

Why not Imagination? 

Philosophy of Imagination*Three

I wish I had a deeper knowledge of Philosophy and its history sooner than two years ago. I've been writing for 22 years now, short fiction and screenplays mostly and Philosophy would have helped a lot over its 20 year absence from my Imagination scope. But, we should heed the words of Bob Dylan -- 'Don't look back.' He was a smart motherfucker. To the now and the future. The past can only be remembered. 

I find comfort and solace in the knowledge that writing and philosophy are very similar. Writing is putting your thought/Imagination to paper. Philosophy is thought/Imagination. Put it to paper, boom, same same. I write, so I am a Writer. I think and write about it, so I am a Philosopher. I guess I've been a Philosopher this whole time, it just wasn't defined in my mind.

If you want to be something, do what that something does and you will be it. If you want to be great at something, repeat the first step a lot. Persist and you will become the great something that you wanted to be. Listen to your heart and guts. They'll show you the way.

Now, I return to our discussion on the Philosophy of the Imagination as a proper Philosopher. Let's provoke thought and mine for the profound. Philosophy kicks fucking ass!

Philosophy of Imagination *Two

I am going to keep writing posts (I don't care for the word 'blog', it sounds like a racial slur, or a boring game, or a place you get stuck.) about the Philosophy of Imagination. I'll try to have beginnings and ends, but one will probably bleed into the next, with no discernible segue. In addition to being a writer and filmmaker, my third career passion is philosophy. Didn't know it until about two years ago. Arizona isn't the most enlightened place and I always saw philosophy as the 'tree falls in the woods' shit. But it is the history of thought and thought is the tree born of the Imagination seed. So philosophy comes from Imagination. Which now begets this blah-gag post (see, that word sucks nuts -- 'Im a blah-gagger!'). And now the whole web page.

Philosophy of Imagination!!!

The two things in this World that fascinate me the most. Together! In one place (that we're not calling a blog for creative and Imaginative reasons.) We will continue to discuss Imagination henceforth and as our Imagination grows, we will come up with a way cooler word than blah-gag.

We will continue to grow our Imaginations, because we are the dreamers and the storytellers.

The best fiction is about truth that hasn't been been proven or discovered yet. We blaze the trail of the rainbow and light, leaving behind a trail of Imagination for others to follow.