Thoughts & Imagination
In my quest of studying C. S. Lewis and reading all that he has written, I am reading The Search For God right now. I love these compilations of his writings, speeches, and sermons because it provides the opportunity to re-read some material and hear new material. This is a great mix that causes deep reflection. Lewis spent a great deal of time addressing our conscious and rational minds versus our imagination. It is from the conscious mind that we predominantly operate each day. But, much of our behavior, attitudes, and decisions are influenced, if not ruled, by our imaginations. This is not a bad thing, and actually for those who fully embrace it, who we call artists, it is a great thing. Lewis argued and continually contemplated our need to balance out our bias toward rationalism and create space for the imagination. Or, at the very least recognize the role imagination plays in our thinking.
In The Search For God C.S. Lewis said, “What you think is one thing, what you imagine while you are thinking is another,” and I believe he was referring to the idea that our thoughts and imagination are not always aligned. While we may have conscious thoughts and beliefs about something, our imagination has the power to create different scenarios or possibilities that may diverge from our initial thoughts. This statement suggests that we should be aware of the distinction between our conscious thoughts and the imaginative possibilities that can arise during the thought process.
The example Lewis gave was how he imagined the University of Oxford before he had actually been there was different than what he actually saw. That wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, especially since he was there for academic reasons, not how the University. This made me think of all the times I have said things like, “This is not how I had imagined this” or “I’m not really sure what I thought this was going to be like, but this is not what I was imagining.” Has this ever happened to you? Our imagination is so powerful. It can work for us and can also work against us at times. Bottom line: we need to allow our minds to wander and wonder.
Byron's Babbles 
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