Imagine If . . .

1

 

The Human Advantage

 

Imagination is what separates us from the

rest of life on Earth. It is through imagination that

we create the worlds in which we live.

We can also re-create them.

 

In many respects, we humans are like most of the rest of life on Earth. We are made of flesh and blood, and ultimately our lives depend on what the Earth provides. If all goes well, we grow from tiny seeds, through infancy and maturity, to old age, and ultimately we die. Like all living things, we rely on the bounty of the Earth to live at all, and we survive and flourish in certain conditions and wither and fade in others. There is one way, however, in which we are remarkably different from the rest of life around us, and that is our unique powers of imagination. It is because of our ability to imagine that we don't live in the world as other creatures do, we create the worlds in which we live.

 

This is not to say that no other creature on Earth is capable of imagination or has any form of imaginative ability, but certainly none comes close to showing the complex abilities of imagination that humans have. While other creatures communicate in their own distinct ways, none comes close to the virtuosity of human speech. Some may sing and dance, but they don't perform spoken-word poetry or multi-act ballets, or coordinate flash mobs. They may gaze at the night sky, but they don't estimate the negative energy of black holes or build miraculous craft to travel in space. We do. So far as we know, we are the most inventive creatures ever to walk the Earth. In cosmic time, our lives are as brief as the beat of a wing. Yet we are endowed with immense powers of imagination, through which we can transcend the limits of space and time.

 

Imagination is the ability to bring to mind things that are not immediately present to our senses. With our

Sir Ken Robinson, Ph.D, was an internationally recognized leader in the development of creativity, innovation, and human potential. For twelve years, he was professor of education at the University of Warwick in the UK. He advised governments, corporations, education systems, and some of the world's leading cultural organizations. His bestselling book The Element has been translated into twenty-three languages. He died in 2020.
 
Kate Robinson is an international consultant in creativity and innovation in education. Her expertise lies in raising the profile of inspiring initiatives, with a particular focus on start-ups and building strong partnerships with a social purpose. Her passion lies in engaging youth voice, and through this work has been awarded for Outstanding Contribution to Education Empowerment.

An impassioned plea for inspiring education. It s up to educators to act.
Kirkus