Kindling for Imaginations
The brilliant theoretical physicist, Albert Einstein, said “Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand.”
Interesting that someone so engrossed in mathematics would recognize the value and importance of imagination.
The photo selected for this article is of children staring at their cell phones. This is all too common today. Painfully common. Instead of exploring the endless wonders of the great outdoors or physically engaging with other children, kids between the ages of five and 12 spend endless hours staring at their mobile screens. They are missing out on many important ingredients of their childhood, and the time spent on their cell phones ultimately results in a loss of imagination.
So many of these children will not get to experience and use their imaginations to their full potential while they are young. They will not know how to think without their device, or be able to entertain themselves, according to the Daily Titan website.
And it’s not just children whose imaginations are whittled away and discarded by our modern technology, but many young adults as well. Unfortunately, the ill effects of technology are here to stay. Every new invention will always have its pros and cons, its conveniences and inconveniences, its advantages and disadvantages.
However, as I am ever the optimist, I believe there can be a “renaissance” of sorts, in many categories and fields, because average people have always found creative ways of improving their situations, entertaining themselves, educating themselves and working together for the betterment of society.
What does all this have to do with radio? You may or may not remember the radio shows of yesteryear, the dramatizations that captivated thousands, of all ages. Much of that was on the way out when I was a child. Television arrived and swept the nation. But, somehow, radio has survived. And now radio is listened to by an astonishing 236 million Americans, almost 12 hours a week. Will radio theater return? Don’t rule it out.
Today, radio audiences are listening to music, sports events, news, weather and talk radio shows. Every day. In every city in America. By young and old. And perhaps the resurgence of radio will help reignite the imaginations of young people, and not-so-young people.
Wouldn’t it be great to see kids listening to radios more than watching their cell phones? A pipe dream perhaps, but not impossible. “Music invokes images in the brain through rhythm, harmony, melody, and composition, fueling your imagination in ways words alone cannot,” wrote Sammi Geraci-Yee in her blog.
Radio today is the medium where people listen to music, at home, in their cars, and at work. It is relaxing, refreshing and also inspires creative thinking and activities. Talk radio is more popular than ever, largely because it is interactive, unlike television. Talk radio educates, enlightens, stimulates, excites, and stirs up a gamut of emotions. Love it or hate it, be grateful we still have the freedom to listen to it
Humans use imagination for a variety of reasons: to acquire experience and knowledge about the world, to better understand another person’s perspective, to solve problems, to create and interact with artistic works, and more. Imagination tends to go hand-in-hand with creativity and plays a pivotal role in the different stages of development. At least that’s what Psychology Today states.
And I believe that radio can, does and will continue to provide the kindling for imaginations to grow and develop in young people as well as older people. Imagine all the possibilities!
I believe that radio is here to stay. Because people need what radio delivers – the theater of the mind.
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By Pete Miller and Sean Pearce
