On Imagination and Creativity

It's the last day of school and since I have taken a couple of vacation days, I had the rare privilege of taking the children to school.

We have a fairly long driveway and yesterday evening in a fit of spontaneous creativity I had composed on its surface, a progressive "no more school" message in chalk. It was something like the old Burma-Shave ads that once graced the countryside along major thoroughfares. Anyway, my hope was that they would notice the message with no prompting - they would be enthralled with the mystery of how the message would end, they'd laugh and say "aw, Dad - did you do that?" and I'd grin and chuckle...

They didn't notice the message.

So I prompted them.

AB -who sits in the front seat and had a better perspective than AA-then noticed something... "oh, chalk' ... I stopped; backed up a little and started again down the driveway allowing the message to roll by- "oh, it's writing-".

We backed up again, all the way back, far enough so they could see the beginning of the message.

Mom - having been awarded the rare prize of not taking the kids to school - was also on the driveway feeding our dog. She proceeded toward the car to ask what I was doing? (being such a novice at delivering the children to their appointed academic destinations in a timely fashion - it was obvious that I need assistance!).
Like a good joke, a clever surprise is ruined when it has to be explained, so I answered vaguely and again prompted the kids to look at the message. AA in the back seat made the physical effort of hunching forward slightly to see.

I gave up on the first couple of words ever registering with them and just proceed down the driveway.

"Oh, there's the word 'on' " AB reported and returned her attention to her NintendoDS.

And therein lies the focus of my rant for today: electronic gaming devices.

I have probably just lost a majority of the two or three people actually reading this blog, but I will take that risk.

Some time back, I reluctantly consented to the kids' getting their own Nintendo DS handheld device. I have begrudged those devices ever since.

The devices are entertaining and are excellent "pacifiers" for long trips or any other activity that requires a child to sit and wait. But I believe that too much reliance on these and other similar activities can rob of children of innumerable experiences.

Take this morning for instance, my kids had to pause their games so we could pray over them before leaving the house. Then they found it extremely difficult to pry their collective attentions away from the little animated activities going on in that little plastic world, long enough to view a hokey message on the driveway.

The Wii technologies have taken this mode of entertainment to amazing levels. Players can now participate in a physical way in major virtual events: professional sports, musical extravaganzas, military exploits. They can swing their virtual bats just right and hear the roar of the crowd as they shuffle their feet to run the bases -- all in the comfort of their living room.

Not too many generations ago, kids did the same things only without the aid of electronics; and not in some world with silicone boundaries inside a carpeted living room. They used a universal muscle - given by the Creator and reflecting His own ability to create; it's a muscle that has been allowed by too many to dissipate into mush; it is the imagination.

Given its proper place, one's imagination can lead to realistic dreams and it can provide creative paths toward achieving those dreams. In short, imagination can take you places!

How many boys have stood on some desolate sandlot or on a vacant lot behind their house, donning an imaginary jersey bearing the number of some iconoclastic hero of the big leagues. They can hear the imaginary crowd hum with anticipation as they step to the plate. They swing a very real bat at a real ball and connect! The fans go wild! - you know this because the player is also providing commentary on the game as he rounds the bases made of slightly used paper plates. There is a play at home plate but thanks to tremendous speed and a tricky slide, he beats the throw and scores the go-ahead run. Being so caught up in the magic and the adoration of the fans - he provides his own "replay" of the event, adding nuances to his slide with each re-enactment.

Kids in that world were outside, they got dirty and they got bumped and bruised, and their games sometimes led to conflict. But at the end of the day they were tired - wonderfully tired!

Unfortunately there are few athletic heroes for kids to attach their dreams to these days. Professional athletes in general relinquished that role years ago when they did not want to be tied to someones standards. The "heroes" of old weren't perfect, they were human and flawed but they saw their position as a means to instruct others; and saw achievement as a way to promote a greater good.

So what is my point? Am I suggesting we hold "device-burning" ceremonies (although we could do that and call it "recycling" - who knows, we might even get Al Gore to award us some carbon trading points)?

No, but I am reminding myself (and anyone else that will listen) that despite the virtues of these techno-babysitters, there must be balance. And there is an untapped resource inside the heart and head of every child that is just yearning to be released: again, its called the imagination.

It is, however, an uphill battle that we face. But resurrecting the imagination is a worthy goal, so we must become the loyal opposition!

In the early 80's, I went to work as a case-packer in a yarn mill. My job was to pack big spools of carpet yarn into boxes for shipping. The first few weeks of that physical work were difficult. My knuckles swelled beyond recognition, my arms ached and I bore numerous nicks, scratches, and fiber burns on my body. But eventually, through constant use, my muscles and coordination developed properly such that I could perform at a decent level.

Finding and developing more fully the imagination muscle in our children will be no less difficult or painful. There will be resistance, and you and I will have to call upon the dormant resources of our own imaginations at times. We will have to respond properly to the cries of "I'm bored!" and "please let me play my Nintendo DS - PLEASE!". And we may have to leave some housework or yard work undone for a while so we can participate in a little backyard kickball.
If we maintain our diligence and constantly remind ourselves and our children of the virtues of creativity and imagination, in time we might just see a change.

Who knows - someday I may find myself driving down my driveway with kids in tow and perhaps they will notice and point out the wonders in the world around them - the birds, the trees, the squirrels ..... and maybe even those mysterious chalk writings on the driveway...