Imagination

Imagine one day you reached into your bag, and happened to pulled out a tiny green, scaly creature you believe and know to be a dinosaur. What next? You’d have to actually ‘imagine’ wouldn’t you? So what exactly is this ability of imagination.. Some of you may have started thinking: “well that’s for kids”. But changing that manner of thinking is my goal here, so I hope you’ll bear with me.

If I may be so bold, I define imagination as the ability to travel to another world, complete with its own set of principles and possibilities, so uniquely ours to borrow ideas of creativity that adds not only a whole new dimension to the world we live in but also dares us to venture past any sense of hopelessness.

Relive with me our childhood; the days we spent occupying ourselves with only our hands for guns, or sticks for swords, and a mind full of infinite leisure. When anyone our age no matter the socio-economic status, religion or language became our best friend, or partner in crime. And then we grew up to a world of books (unless you had cable) where we cherished the scent of the pages of a new book, when we eagerly and secretly read through the night under a blanket with a torchlight, and wished (oh how much we wished!) we were one of the characters in the story. Just to get a glimpse of this world that the author had painted so wonderfully in our mind, where dreams do come true and rabbits wear waistcoats.

How we so deeply immersed ourselves with wanting to be one of the famous five, or have a magical finger, or couldn’t sleep for a whole night because R.L Stine petrified us with ‘the headless ghost’, how we longed to find a magical rabbit hole in the forest, to chill out with archie and the gang, or to fly on buckbeak’s back above Hogwarts…

Unfortunately, such thinking is not encouraged in most schools in India. But I will not dwell further on that as it would be article of its own.

I must say I find it very annoying when I walk into a bookstore and all the authors I admire for their ability to stretch their imagination as vast as an ocean are neatly fitted into the kids section.

But tell me what would science be without imagination? Most of physics only makes sense if we imagine. If you look back at most of the greatest scientific discoveries, they came either out of a ridiculous, spontaneous thought or because people dared to ask ‘what if?’

Take a look at medical- related discoveries. Tetralogy of fallot was a hopeless condition before 1944 until two surgeons dared to try out an anastomosis between the subclavian and pulmonary artery.

This is the core of my debate: to suppress the will to imagine is suicide to any hope of creative progress; and without that we could never hope of making a difference in this world.

So take a leap back in time, and go back to the days when our only responsibility was saying bye to our parents before leaving the house to play.. Encourage your mind to see what fascinated you as a child, and it would enable you to not only look past problems you thought were big but realize that you can do so much more to sever the problems of people around you.

Perhaps that why progress in all streams of life have come to a stagnant phase for a while.. at least, that’s what I’ve inferred from the songs and movies that come out these days. Except technology of course. My theory is that this one field which strives to make our lives more comfortable and longer only to replace the necessity and passion for hard work thereby ironically actually shortening life (based on the fact that non communicable diseases are almost the leading causes of morbidity these days).

What did you want to become growing up? I assume most of those answers would not have included an engineer or a charted accountant... I personally wanted to be a barber, or an author. One of my childhood friends wanted to be an ice cream man. And why not? Cause we’ve been too lazy to follow through with it and have allowed ourselves to be pressurized into falling for what the world thinks is success. I know some people who wanted to be an engineer but didn’t like physics... Does that make any sense to you?

So I hope you take this journey with me, and venture into an unknown world full of excitement and wonder. Let your mind break free from all the restraints you thought you had and experience something strange, daring and most of all: satisfying. Let your inner child run around tweaking your thoughts, a little here and a little there, just enough to make you smileJ

Eric Williams

Getting drunk

Getting Drunk

Some, in fact most of you may disagree with what I have to say, but I urge you to read on anyway.
Alcohol is not a bad substance. It is enormously used in a variety of ways in health care; in cough syrup, as a sterilizing agent, etc. I've also seen the disastrous effect of alcohol on the body, mostly to the liver and the GI system. Therefore, as are most things in life; its not an absolutely good or bad thing. It exists in the grey area where we constantly hear our mothers voice saying: "too much of a good thing is a bad thing!"
I'm writing this article at the moment because I've been recently riled up by the amount of people and friends that have let alcohol take the better of them. As far as my opinion goes in this matter, I would take my reference from the bible which has given me a clear understanding of ethics in the past. You may throw at me several counter verses ("a little alcohol is good for the stomach...") but one of the basic verses which will hold true is simply: 1 Corinthians 6:19 "Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the holy spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own."
Now i'm not against people drinking occasionally (I do it myself), nor is the bible. Because a small amount of the substance is not enough to harm the body or the mind, so you are not fouling the sacredness of your body. But more than that, especially when people drink not for taste but to get the inebrient (high) effects of it; it changes the mental and physical states of the person, for the worse.
You may justify it by saying you're a binge drinker, which means it can't possibly cause any long term effect if you do it once a month.. Putting aside the fact that addiction of the substance can creep into a person at any time, let me take you through what happens at the moment you cross the limit into that inebrient state.
Most people describe it as loosing all inhibitions and letting loose, free to finally share what sorrows or joy you've been holding inside, to open up to your friends like never before. Some, i'm afraid do it because everyone else is drinking and the discomfort and inability to understand "the fun" makes them fall to the temptation. A feeling of belonging if you will.
This is what I've realized. A person who is drunk is not loosing themselves to all inhibitions. Rather they are being taken over, like slaves by the substance. Making them do and say things they normally wouldn't. And being taken over by something is dangerous because it means the holy spirit inside is being quenched. You may say 'Its ok, what's the difference. If that's so we're just moving from spirit to spirit.' But you're not! The holy spirit thankfully is one that gives us the free will to do anything. It never possess us to do something we don't want to. Alcohol however makes you do things you will regret.
A more personal outlook is this: that people think they need the substance to express themselves, when in actuality they loose themselves and decide that this is the only way they can have fun. A far worse thought is that I think they know that, and they do it anyway because they feel that being themselves without any influence is never going to match up to their standard of 'fun'.
For me that's a very upsetting thought, which brings two points in my mind:
One, that I have failed my friends in not providing the right opportunity/ attitude/ environment/ concern for them to share with me whatever they feel they want to when they are high. Nor have I portrayed the beauty and joy of being in the lord and how exciting a life of righteousness can actually be. We as Christians have not provided a proper alternative. One look at us, living a life unworthy of the joy that actually comes with it and who would not prefer to look in the other direction which makes more noise and has countless ad campaigns, doing a brilliant job of publicizing more than what it has to offer; while we sit idle and give a preview of hardly 10% of what life in the kingdom of God is like (supposed to be).
Two, that people think they; being the people God made them to be and being loved as they are by close friends and family, are not good enough. And that drinking would add a more fun version of themselves that they believe would satiate the relentless insatiable social structure. This is inspite of the fact that God made them and said 'it was good' and the countless friends and family that have loved them altruistically.
To them I have to say: you're better than this. You're better and are invited to a life of freedom with God. You're better than to let yourself be captive by a substance such as this. Sober up and start having genuine conversations with the people you know and love instead of trying to satiate those who don't. Your body is not your own so don't spoil it. If you didn't understand that last statement, it implies you should start looking for a purpose.

Eric

Freedom

It starts small, but start it did;

Sometimes with no reason or rhyme.

The clock’s ticking, though it always had

Perhaps now it’s just running out of time.

It does nothing at first, neither move nor mind

The wait it’s expected to keep.

“I’m happy!” it said “for one day I’ll be free

to take that giant leap.”

The time has come, and it spreads its wings

Taking flight into the unknown.

Merrily it flitters here and there;

Soon it’ll reach the bone.

It took a momentary glance at what he left behind

To strike an air of doubt.

The slight breeze became a storm of guilt

“Is this all my life is about?”

He tugged and tugged but the sails would not listen

“This is who you are.” They replied.

Is this freedom at all- to be yourself

For the end had come, and he cried.

If this is freedom lord, you make me a slave.

I know not what I do.

Instead give me the freedom to not be myself,

And be like Jesus.. yes, just like you.