Some thoughts on imagination...

There is something I am noticing and this is children rapidly losing their imaginative thoughts and creativity. As some of you know, I work as a volunteer-scout supervisor, so I am surrounded with kids on a weekly basis.

In those past 8 years of working with children, I have seen a decrease of willingness to just imagine. When I was a wee scout, me and my fellow group members were indulging in plays, as if it was real. And at that moment it was: we were the brave knights strolling through the forest, hiding from the evil scouts of the enemy (= our scout leaders - oh how delightfully scared we were!) and rivaling groups of other knights who were on the same quest...
I have always loved the scouting games, you could say it was almost like a weapon-less LARP for children.
Most people lose the ability to play when they get older and not rarely they also look down upon those, who still dare to imagine.

 

Living in a fantasy world. Not every day, but when I do, I do it with all my passion.

I can tell that over the years, more and more wee ones keep asking their parents if "the pointy ears are real" or even if  "the ears have been surgically added". A few years back even children at the age of 11 would still be fascinated (although my latex ears from back then were so bad that it was almost impossible to hide the rim) and believing and now even the wee ones sometimes start to doubt.

It saddens me to see even very young children just not believing in magic anymore.

And I don't think the children are to be blamed for it.

About three years ago I heard one mother crushing her excited four year old daughter's beliefs by saying "no it's not a real Elf, she must have glued her ears on.", when the little girl started shrieking "Look mum look, an Elf!" I can still see that little excited face turn to disappoint and it truly broke my heart. This is how the idea with the magical stones was born. 

Everytime I walk around as an elven or fae creature, I carry a small leather pouch filled with blue stones that I pass to curious or glaring children and especially to those whose eyes start to sparkle at the sight of a "real Elf". It is so lovely to give them something to remember, to fuel their imagination because imagination seems to become a more rare gift each day.

I tell them that they are magical elven stones that possess the power to imagine anything, travel every plave possible or impossible with one's mind and maybe even bring some good luck to their bearer. When the stone is held and the young magic apprentice concentrates enough, it will become warm in one's palm and maybe, if one is truly talented, the soft pulsing of magic itself can be felt.
And you would be surprised by how fascinated most kids can become - they start asking questions about those stones, where they are from, how to properly use them and when this happens I know that it worked. What is more beautiful than making a child happy with something as simple as that?

From my own experiences I can say that it was my imagination and creativity only, that has brought me safely through the many obstacles I had to face. I could seek refuge in books and my mind when I was feeling overwhelmed with something and heal my soul with the refreshing breeze from my very own little fantasy world.

And what else was it good for, might a doubting realist ask.
For instance, that I had the least stressful time writing my scientific analysis for my finals because I didn't have to do any research whatsoever - I already knew most and the little bit that I did have to look up was great fun. I graduated with an analysis of Tolkien's work for English and a scientific research on the representation of Elves in German literature in German. My teachers still have those works framed in their offices because they were amazed by the passion and knowledge they were written with.

Of course it is none of my business how other people decide to raise their children and I am no way judging, but as a creative person with a lot of imagination, it is making me feel a wee bit sad.

Will a little magic here and there make the children grow up to be with their heads in the clouds without a sense for real-world problems? Definitely not. But there is one thing, they will be missing out and this is being a child.

And a little bit of imagination never hurts.~