“Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere.” ~Albert Einstein
For the past four weeks, I’ve been spending my off days at Disneyland. My boyfriend said that Walt Disney created something brilliant primarily because it gives the illusion of diverse experiences contained under one umbrella brand.
In addition to exploring a variety of fantasy lands, a Disney guest can also experience the western frontier, New Orleans Square, Hollywood, and the remote jungles of Africa and Asia. He can ride a steam-powered locomotive, a monorail, a double-decker bus, and a horse-drawn streetcar.
One day and $94 later, he feels he’s seen and experienced more life than he’d likely fit in the average year. My boyfriend said he’d read in a research study that people receive the same psychological benefits by visiting Disneyland as they do when they have the actual experiences. Yet it was just an illusion.
What interests me about this is the extent to which we’re willing to imagine—to pretend—instead of actually doing.
When we sit around watching Friends instead of going out to meet new people. Or see a romantic comedy instead of doing something romantic for someone we love. Or watch Eat Pray Love and feel like we’ve experienced something spiritual and transcendent.
Sigmund Freud said, “Illusions commend themselves to us because they save us pain and allow us to enjoy pleasure instead.” The same can be said for imagination if we never translate what we imagine into what we do.
How can you give your imagination legs today?
Photo by michellerocks
About Lori Deschene
Lori Deschene is the founder of Tiny Buddha. She started the site after struggling with depression, bulimia, and toxic shame so she could recycle her former pain into something useful and inspire others do the same. She recently created the Breaking Barriers to Self-Care eCourse to help people honor their needs—so they can feel their best, be their best, and live their best possible life. If you’re ready to start thriving instead of merely surviving, you can learn more and get instant access here.
- Web |
- More Posts
Though I run this site, it is not mine. It's ours. It's not about me. It's about us. Your stories and your wisdom are just as meaningful as mine.