The Loss of Imagination

When we’re young we imagine. Imagine the possibilities of a future, our future. Our lives then filled with expectation, with hope. When we’re old we tend to re-imagine the past, in part because our memory is imperfect, patchy, incomplete. And in part, subconsciously, we edit our stories so that they’re more positive, fitting our self-perceived persona. Of course, why shouldn’t we want to feel better about ourselves? But sadly, the gift of imagination and the enthusiasm for possibilities seems to erode as we age. And, unfortunately, it’s imagination that is necessary for hope to exist.