The Importance Of Imagination

Most people tend to get the wrong impression when they think of “Imagination overcoming reason.” They believe that the only people that fall under this category are those with extreme fears or those who are borderline insane. Although this

In the article “Monsters and the Moral Imagination,” Stephen Asma, a professor of Philosophy and Distinguished Scholar at Columbia College Chicago, argues that the existence of monsters have a purpose in our lives. It is not only to reveal our deepest fears, but to question our moral instincts. Being attacked by fictional monsters seems impractical, however, chaos and disasters do happen and exist in the real world. The creation of monsters is due to our reaction of our fears and the inability to control the world we live in.

These altered states of consciousness enabled our ancestors to “unlock the doors” to the unconscious and to access its “unlimited reservoir of fantasia, hypnagogic imagery, day-dreaming, and creative ideation” (par. 14). Trout explains that having dreams about monsters were not stored as factual memories of the monsters but they turned out to be distorted. This helps illustrate on how our ancestors shaped and viewed monsters. Trout points out that maybe monsters have always been in

The more we begin to understand a monstrosity, the less we fear the monster itself, however, we fear the actions of the creature itself. Perhaps it is this fear that draws us closer to the unknown and the monsters thrive upon this fear we have. Asma discusses how this fear allows for individuals to play out scenarios in their minds; we then use the events to ultimately ask ourselves, “what will I do in a situation like that (Asma)?” Dating back to the early days of Christ in a biblical era, we see monsters have always been on the rise.

Another reason imagination takes over has something to do with experience and maturity. Many people believe that, “...if you’re too young to know monsters are fake, it can be quite traumatic..” (Ringo 92). This is more logical because many children don’t know when something is real or fake just for the simple fact that they’ve never been in that situation. When people experience something that they don’t understand, we imagine that there’s no other way the situation can go but bad instead of thinking it through.

Inside us all there is a deep dark fear this is what grabs us by the thresh hold of life. It controls the most important aspects of our lives. This is found within the deepest and darkest chasms of our souls. The very creature that wreaks havoc in our minds we cage and never confront we lock this beast away to afraid to overcome it. If the beast is not confronted it begins to contort and change who we are as a person and how we interact with others. Even the very decisions we make as a person to affect those around us and are loved ones to also suffer the consequences of our actions. Such as the crucible and how each person was warped into their own monster by greed.

Just as Frankenstein witnessed a natural phenomenon that generates fear, he had to face his own fear in a similar setting (Shelley).

Deception is everywhere. It is in the shows we watch, the books we read and the stories we tell. It is unescapable. Unfortunately, it has caused many misconceptions throughout society. One of those misconceptions relates to the definition of a monster. When the word monster is said, the majority of people refer to the appearance of someone or something. A monster is often described as hideous, massive, discolored, and frightening These are physical attributes that can be seen in the light of day. However, a true monster is not defined by its appearance, but rather its actions and thoughts. These actions and behavioral choices may not be seen at first, but do appear when one analyzes the character’s actions. In addition, they are not things that require actually light but rather require the attention of the character when no one is around or, in other words, in the dark. In the famous book,

In the article “Why do we Read Scary Books?”, by Lou Morgan, the main argument made is that, by reading these fictionalized versions of fear, we are controlling it. Morgan states, “The difference is that if you're faced with a sabertooth tiger, a spear is going to make you feel a lot better about your odds of survival.” Morgan is basically saying that when you read these scary stories, you a have different hypotheticals for the situation. She goes on to write, “We seek out stories; stories which give us a place to put our fears.” Again, she is saying that we are in control of our emotions when we read these frightening tales. Another point made by Morgan is that “we’re curious about fear.” Most people, she says, aren't very interested in sharing

As a child, one is, at one point or another, afraid of monsters. This is an indisputable and incredibly formative truth that applies to almost everyone one can think of. Yet, their existence is a terrifying prospect to various children and people around the world for a myriad of reasons. It is this motley assortment of ideas and attitudes from different people towards the topic of monstrosities that makes discussing and studying it such a thought-provoking and informative exercise. Literature is one such way to further discuss and explore one’s feelings about that aforementioned topic and become further enlightened as to its complexities and minutia. My own interpretation of the word monstrosity has evolved and morphed as a result of my readings

“ People fear what they do not understand. ” In the original 1888 edition of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, this saying is excessively shown throughout the journey of Frankenstein himself and his creation known as “ the creature.” Fear is spreaded in this famous, gothic novel because the epitome of society is lacked by both the creator and the creation, leading to much misunderstanding with who is the real monster. In this novel, the true monster is society because the ideals indirectly presented led Frankenstein to abhor and abandon the creature, the ultimate isolation of both, and the delirious vengeance developed by the two.

Monsters have proven to be more than just the fiendish appearance or the evil within such creatures – their monstrosity symbolizes, more or less, the characteristics that define mankind and/or our innermost fears. Prior to this Exploration of the Humanities course, I have interpreted monsters for what they are: heartless and destructive creatures that generate fear. However, I never bothered what the true cause of such fear is – only associating the gruesome presence with a psychological reaction of horror. But taking this class allowed me to broaden my perspective on monsters and monstrosity: humans fear the “Other” because we as individuals have an “Other” within us (subconsciously) that we are not willing to show to those in our

imagination. It exists in the mind in virtue of the nature of the human mind.

Change, creativity and innovation are essential elements for survival and growth of an organization. Creativity is vital for the birth of fresh and beneficial ideas. Creative thinking allows groups and individuals to solve problems or stimulate to think differently in order to bring forth fruitful ideas. The above mentioned creative thinking enabled our team of six different personalities to come together and implement a plan to solve a complex problem in a hospital. Our assigned task was to recommend a plan in order to alleviate hospital readmission among elderly population within thirty days of discharge. In this paper the author is narrating the team dynamics, functionalities and personal competencies in the process of recommending a change in the system. As a member in the innovation leadership team the author is also reflecting on the assessment, capacity for innovation in the organization which is the hospital where the team is assigned.