Can We Imagine? Poem by Rosmin Elsa Mohan

Can we imagine?

Sometimes words can be louder than thoughts.
And I mean this literally, as words in ink are way louder.

I am wandering through a desert, a dozen things crossing my mind. I see a tree, dry and withered with the scorching heat. The desert looks as yellow as the sun overhead. What the mind does to us is sometimes surprising. Even though I am at my desk in my office; it really does seem for a moment I am in some desert.

Mind games are quite a thing!

Let me now try to imagine a visible horizon with green fields where cows are grazing. How about little bunnies hopping around with kids running along? Butterflies and dragon flies fluttering around white daisies and a lake filled with crystal blue water. Amazing, isn't it? You can actually imagine a green field, white bunnies, yellow butterflies and jersey cows (well the specifics can change based on perspective !)

I know for a fact that humans are imaginative beings. Sometimes we don't just allow our imagination to take control. Nowadays, this may be partly attributed to our lifestyle. Today, humans are glued to their screens- smart phones or tabs, or even laptops at work.The mind is constrained to possibly only move in a limited frame. We don't get lost in thought as we are always looking at our phones when we are bored. I remember those days as a student when I used to travel by bus and watch the countryside. Today as I look at my fellow passengers in bus, it really marks a difference. Moving to a city has had its toll too. No time to call mum, but loads of time to stare, simply stare at that screen.

Imagination is a gift that humans have. Wiki defines is as the faculty or action of forming new ideas, or images or concepts of external objects not present to the five senses. Now that also means imagination is a sense on its own. Can you relate that to sixth sense? How cool is that?

When was the last time that we imagined something? Being a student of physics, the latter part isn't new to me. We have been taught, literally to imagine things! Pursuing a PhD pushes you to become a dreamer. Now you have no choice in that matter, whatsoever!

Some of you might think that it's too hard to imagine. How can we imagine something that doesn't exist? A few others may think that it's partly a crazy idea. Well I do agree that like other senses, an imaginative sense varies with person. For some, it's as easy as breathing; for others they just don't get the logic behind it. It is important to understand that these things are fuel to your brain or these are ways in which your brain exercises. Just as a physical workout provides strength to your body, a mental exercise revitalises your mind. And what if it is crazy? Sometimes a little perturbation is necessary to put some order back in life.


It is also important that we develop this sense of imagination while not being engrossed or engaged in other activities. Like for example, you are working at your desk and suddenly it crosses your mind that you need to develop your sense of imagination. You try hard to imagine things, end up making castles in the air and lose focus.In this case, you could miss a deadline and daydreaming here makes no sense at all!

One of the foremost advantages of a fruitful imaginative session is that it is limitless without restrictions. Letting go of your mind is something very relaxing. This is what meditation and yoga focuses on. The secret weapon behind magic tricks and illusions. The imaginative power of the human mind is something extraordinary and it manifests in various degrees in various people. It improves focus and helps you to explore your brain like never before. Give it a go! And yes, you can be in two places at once!