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THE LAST WORD Think about it Why are adults and teenagers less imaginative than children? n I’m assuming that by “imaginative”, the questioner is thinking of such things as “if you plant budgie seed, do budgies grow?” If an extra-terrestrial asked such a question, you wouldn’t think they were imaginative, you would think that they had limited understanding and experience of life on Earth, or perhaps of the strangeness of the English language. If imagination is what produces inventive, speculative fiction, and then turns that fiction into reality, then it is a quality that is not lost as people get older. I believe imagination is like energy, it is not evenly distributed, it appears in many forms, and it can be left unused or stifled, but it cannot be destroyed. On a related note, I detest Supertramp’s The Logical Song – what appalling sentimental tosh. Carol Moores Hyde, Cheshire, UK n The answer is that they are not. Children are happy to imagine a fat gentleman can make a single sledge pulled by reindeer fly and become capable of delivering presents to half the world’s children, that the said gentleman is capable of stuffing himself and these presents down chimneys far too restrictive to accommodate either him or the presents, and all this in the space of 24 hours. Adults can still imagine this but are more sceptical. Children show no inhibition in putting their imagination into words because even if their propositions are outrageous, they will be indulged by adults. Adults keep theirs to themselves because they will be either exploited, challenged, laughed at or arrested. Also, children are often more intelligent than their parents or teachers. Those that are make an impression on others. Intelligent adults usually hide their cleverness so as not to frighten or humiliate those they consider less intelligent, and so are more difficult to detect. This allows some people who are devoid of imagination, yet who can speak and present well, to rise to positions of power and authority, giving the rest of us a bad name. Terence Hollingworth Blagnac, France n Many young children’s imaginative observations and questions are to do with not understanding how such things as behaviours, objects and processes are categorised. As we grow we learn a staggering array of social and physical facts: trees cannot walk, fish do not arrange birthday parties, and so on. Asking “imaginative” questions that are across categories is critical for learning about how the world works and is, fortunately, generally seen as charming in small children. However, in older children similar observations may be seen as “proof” that basic understanding about how objects, animals or processes work or are categorised hasn’t been learned. As a result, the child may be teased or told off for being babyish or silly. Our soci0-cultural system values logical, rational, linear thinking higher than intuitive, divergent, imaginative thinking – unless someone has made a lot of money from being imaginative with a novel, film or invention. People who think “sideways” or in “imaginative” ways are frequently dismissed or admonished by peers, parents and teachers for trivialising, daydreaming or messing about. They are not being a sensible, serious or responsible grown-up. As no one likes to be a social outcast, most people censor and inhibit their “silly” or imaginative thoughts. Imaginative thinking like any other kind of thinking is a skill and it atrophies with lack of use. This is why so many adolescents and adults are perceived as being less imaginative than children. Those of us who continue to work with imaginative thinking throughout our lives can comfortably give 5-year-olds a run for their money. Real creative thinking – whether in art, literature, science or engineering – demands we play with and deliberately mix up categories and types to come up with new ways of seeing existing situations or problems. Karen Huckvale Art Psychotherapist Exeter, Devon, UK This week’s question FLASH FLOOD I was visiting Shropshire, UK, when I woke abruptly in the early morning. Outside it was hot and humid. As I was sitting facing the window I saw a bright single-point flash of vivid blue light through the thin curtains, just as if I had looked at a photographer’s flash going off. Then there was a single heavy rumble of thunder followed by a sudden and intense downpour of rain, lasting only a few minutes. Then all was quiet. Later, looking through the same window, I realised the location of the flash was a lightning conductor on the roof of a school. Talking to others I discovered the whole event had been very localised, not even extending across the village. I thought thunderstorms worked on a larger scale. How had there just been the single flash at the lightning conductor and such a small-scale storm, contained within a hundred metres of the school? Stephen Huyshe-Shires Sidmouth, Devon, UK “Imagination is like energy, it appears in many forms – it can be unused or stifled, but cannot be destroyed” Last words past and present, plus questions, at last-word.com A new collection: the usual insight, ingenuity and wit – this time with full colour photographs Available from booksellers and at newscientist.com/orangutans Why are orangutans orange? “Our system values logical, rational, linear thinking more than intuitive, imaginative thinking”
