Imagination - Admission/Application Essay Example

of Affiliation THE POWER OF IMAGINATION Imagination refers to a where a person forms mental images of things orevents that cannot be perceived physically. It involves “refusing to let” go until one gets the very depth of a matter. Over the years, imagination has been regarded as a tool capable of transforming an obscurity into a reality. As a matter of fact, some most of inventions and innovations trace their roots to this concept. Albert Einstein is a renowned scientists and one of the greatest thinkers ever to exist.

In one of his famous quotes, he asserts that, “Logic will get you from A to Z; Imagination will take you everywhere (Heather 43).” Similarly, Jesuit universities insist that all its students explore on the power of imagination. The indispensability of imagination cannot be emphasized any further as Fr. Adolfo Nicolas, SJ, Superior General of the Jesuits, does. Unfortunately, the damning reality is that globalization, social media and the general instant communication have served much as a deterrent to reflection and critical thinking than benefit.

In this paper, I present some of the way in which information and technology have discourage imagination (National Research Council 15). The era of social media took preeminence in the late 20th century, hence making virtually every person to be a loyal subscriber to either Facebook or twitter, or both. The implication of this is that information is readily available at the press of a button or a tap on a touch screen of an internet enable gadget. If one is faced with a mind boggling concept, thousands of solutions are readily available in the internet.

All that is needed is typing “key terms” on a browser and wait for the results to display. As such, millions of brains are “saved” from the need of imagination (National Research Council 19). Practicing imagination demands for an environment that is both quiet and free from any sort of distraction. Unfortunately, the idea of being in possession of an internet-enabled device in one’s pocket is enough reason to hamper imagination process. Albert Einstein foresaw the impacts of technology and asserted that a time is coming when technology would surpass human understanding and make them idiots.

Probably, this is the era (Heather 43). Most people have become accustomed to their mobile devices such as they spend most of their time in the internet. A random check would certainly reveal that majority of them are either in twitter or Facebook. Little, if any, time is given to the process of self-reflection and imagination. Having said enough about the implications of “connected and instantaneous world” on imagination; the biggest question is whether or not the idea of imagination can be salvaged among college students.

Undoubtedly, there exists a list of measures that can be adopted to promote critical thinking and self-reflection. First, students should be subjected to random tests that are far removed from the coverage of their curriculum. In other words, getting student’s personal opinion regarding various subject matters should be emphasized; rather than asking them to conduct research on a given subject matter. Secondly, these students should be tasks relating to current issues and asked to come up with probable answers or solution to the task at hand (Gallas 76).

Basically, imagination is a powerful gift that every sane person possesses. Unfortunately, is remains one of the less used tools in this era of instant communication and social media. People prefer taking the easier way out instead of solely pursuing solution using one’s mind. It is critical for students to exploits strategies that promote imagination and self-reflection. Great achievements and innovations are a product of imagination.Works CitedGallas, Karen. Imagination and Literacy: A Teachers Search for the Heart of Literacy.

Boston: Teachers College Press, 2003. Print. Heather¸ Knowles, Jonathan Gross, Bonnie J. Krueger. The Einstein Code: Crack the Codes to Explore the Lives of Famous "Thinkers". New York, NY: Lorenz Educational Press, 2009. Print.National Research Council. Studying Media Effects on Children and Youth: Improving Methods and Measures, Workshop Summary. New York, NY: National Academies Press, 2006. Print.