Actively Imagining

Using your imagination can open your mind to a whole new world of opportunities. As humans, we actively get to use our imagination everyday, whether doing it to create something or even just for fun. Actively using our imagination leads to a more healthy brain in the long run. Carl Jung realized that using our imagination is a great thing to do. By using our imagination, we can develop new ideas as well as envisioning future endeavors. When speaking about Jungian theory, one of his ideas dove deep into the idea of an active imagination. What he means by active imagination is taking an idea and fantasizing about it to discover the flaws and strengths of a certain idea. This could range from a project that you are working on or even thinking about what you want to be when you grow up. In his theory, Jung divides the psyche into three different parts. The first is the ego, which is the conscious mind. Secondly we have the personal unconscious. The personal unconscious can apply to his idea of an active imagination since it dives into ideas that we remember and some that we suppress for an unknown reason. However, Jung's third part of the psyche is what can relate to an active imagination the most. The third part is what he calls the collective unconscious, and this is what makes his theory stand out from others. In an article about Jung's theory Dr. C. George Boeree states, "It is the reservoir of our experiences as a species, a kind of knowledge we are all born with. And yet we can never be directly conscious of it. It influences all of our experiences and behaviors, most especially the emotional ones, but we only know about it indirectly, by looking at those influences." To me, this almost explains our imagination perfectly. We never really know where some of our ideas come from and those unconscious thoughts definitely influence our ideas. In popular culture, one could argue that we would not have any of the resources that we have today without people using their imagination. Computers, TV's, laptops, computer software, and the internet would not exist without someone using their imagination. All the videos and music that we see and hear everyday are a direct result of someone using their imagination and bringing it to life. For me, I like to make videos. If I never used my imagination I don't think I would even be making videos like I am today. You cannot beat the feeling of bringing and idea that you had to life no matter what form it is in. Using our imaginations helps us progress as a species because if no one had any ideas, how would we have created all the wonderful things we have today.