Les Bloch says a better future can only be built if it can be imagined.

Imagine.  Just imagine.  It’s something that envelopes and rewards us, something that has gotten us humans to the moon, something that stretches our brains like hamstrings in yoga class.  It started with language 40,000 years ago.  Before the written word, Homo sapiens carved statues from mammoth tusks and told stories of the hunt.  Imagined details and embellishments were added to paint a more vivid picture in the mind’s eye.  Our ancestors’ first frontier was this vision in their larger, more capable brains.

Albert Einstein famously stated that “Imagination is more important than knowledge”. It makes sense that one of the most celebrated minds in history believed that those who could activate their imagination should be valued.  Every human construct has relied on imagination—our forefathers imagined a government different than any other in the world.  Imagined ideas become reality, from governments to religion, from the bow and arrow to the iPhone. Every innovation, every inspiration has its roots in imagining. Art, music, literature, sports, and all the sciences.  By activating our brains to imagine what could be, we work towards seeing our visions become reality.  All human history first took place inside our heads, a dreamt yet unrealized solution to a problem– or unintended and terrifying guess gone wrong.

We take imagination for granted.  North Korean citizens suffer from a single dictated story designed to crush any thoughts of reality.  For governments like Saudi Arabia and China, unchecked imagination is a threat.  The Thought Police are real.

In a quiet moment, imagination projected the Theory of Relativity behind Einstein’s wise eyes. Appreciate your brainstorm.  See the future.  Imagine what can happen if you let your mind explore things yet to be.

With a Perspective, I’m Les Bloch.

Les Bloch is a project manager in the East Bay.