Imagine the Divine

One thing that the Stranger in A Strange Land recognized a long time ago is how our culture substitutes cheap imitations of things for the real thing. As this post progresses it is probable that I may rant about several different areas where this is occurring. I want to stick to the subject of imagination. There has sprung up an entire industry of what I call imagination products. The theory as it is explained is that this gizmo/product will enable a child to use their imagination by either triggering something or guiding them with images or whatever. They are suppose to unlock a child's imagination. Well I'm here to tell you that idea is pure nonsense. In fact what most of these products do is stifle the imagination by presenting the stuff you should be imagining. No child needs to have his or her imagination unlocked, what they really need is to have the freedom to use it and not be stifled. Why is there a problem today? Let's go back to the 1950's....when I was a little tike we played every single kind of make up game you could imagine (you can still imagine can't you?) We used sticks to be swordsmen or soldiers. We borrowed our parents clothes and became knights and princesses. The fields surrounding our house became whatever we wanted them to be, a different landscape every day. We could be on the moon or hiding from enemy attacks. It was thrilling and consumed our every thought. We would break from it only when called home for lunch or dinner, or to go somewhere. We played, honest to God played. Today children are given so many toys, games, gadgets, out and out junk that there is no room for imagination. Today, since our wonderful culture has improved so much it may not be suitable to allow children to play by themselves. Today, since our cultures has matured and is so more intelligent then in past years, you can't go to school yards after hours and use the playground. No, there are gates with locks on them to keep the vandals out and to insure that some lawyer won't have a liability case to work on. Today, since our cultured has improved we have every kind of video, television, and computer game under the sun, no need to read a good book. Books are boring, too taxing for the young mind. We had the public library back then and it was a marvelous place. I remember at school when one of the nuns explained that the word library comes from the same Latin word as free. That you and I could have the thoughts and ideas of countless others free for the taking at the library. Last, but by no means least, are the thoughts and ideas of who God is. We were taught from day one that our sole purpose on this planet was to know, love, and serve God. Getting to know God has proven to be a lifelong task. God is more than your imagination can come up with. And when we finally get to meet Him as Paul says in his letter to the Corinthians we won't be disappointed , For eye has not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God has prepared for those who love him. We can try to imagine it can't we? God has been eliminated from little peoples lives, the unfathomable has been removed, the ultimate Creator has been put up in a box and replaced by a gizmo. Imagine the Divine....