I hope this is not my legacy

I just saw this article on LifeHacker describing how (in a typically LifeHacker vague way) “daydreaming can actually encourage better thought process”. This kind of corroborates what I was trying to explain in yesterday’s post; that imagination is something valuable, and exercising it is important.

I had a conversation with a colleague today about whether or not imagination is a skill, something you can learn or something you are born with? It seems that like many things such as athletics, that whilst everyone has differing degrees of natural ability, most people fail to reach this limitation, instead being held back by only their personal circumstances, be it lack of desire, motivation, or time. This would indicate that the more one imagines things, the better one gets. This is obvious when you think about it- the more you read and write creatively, the better you will get.

As I mentioned in the first paragraph, I think the ability to think freely without constraints is important, and it is easy to overlook it with so much activity going on around us 24 hours a day. I have been thinking about ways to find time to really work the right side of the brain.

One interesting point that I considered, which links back to yesterdays post, is that when walking I really feel like I can think. I suppose it is just that a small amount of your brain is occupied with the motion and senses preventing boredom or distraction, whilst the majority is still free to do other things. For me, it seems that driving is a little too far the other side of the line, I have to concentrate too much to think completely freely, and conversely sitting quietly is not enough, I generally fall asleep and get sidetracked and procrastinate in some way.

I wonder if the state I am talking about getting into, where your mind is free to explore and imagine, is actually what people call meditation. I know I have this stereotypical image of hippies sitting in the Lotus position for hours humming to themselves, but I’m sure that is completely wrong. From what I know about meditation, there are many different methods and forms for achieving focus, but the point, as far as I can see, is to allow the brain time to do something which it cannot during the rest of the day- to reflect, to explore ideas, and to unwind things that have been experienced.

I imagine that everyone has a different level of activity at which point their brain is free to wander, mine happens to be when I am walking, someone else’s may be when sitting on a train or when climbing a mountain. I wonder whether it is possible to move this point, with practice, so that it is easier to get into this state when required. Going for a walk to have a think is fairly convenient, but I would love to be able to just be able to sit and get into the same state, even if it were just because I would like to be the master of my own brain. Something I think, to work on.