Shh. Avoiding a post-imagination world
‘Listen to silence. It has a lot to say.’
The closest I get to silence right now is sleeping. Not the same.
The cacophony we’re living with boxes us in. The polar opposite of silence. It’s suicidal because we’re eliminating the condition that makes human imagination possible.
Our imagination is what makes us human. It’s fast becoming what defines us. It’s probably what will save us. Conditioned, addicted and distracted into stupidity as we are. Silence now scares us.
We have to build in quietness and space in our lives to think - it isn’t optional. Before our heads explode with dark forebodings.
We're dangerously close to being lab rats in a death loop of prompt and publish. Habitual swipe, scroll and repeat. A dystopian thought avoidance scheme as sinister as it is deliberate.
We think we’re thinking. We’re not. We’re losing our marbles.
When was the last time you enjoyed true silence? When did you have a great thought? The last time you were stand out creative?
Einstein, Darwin and Tesla all came up with their world-altering breakthroughs by going for a walk. Wandering in quiet space, so as to wonder.
Neuroscience and research make you think:
Walking in silence increases creative output by 60%. A single digital interruption (for example) will set you back 23 minutes before you can fully focus again.
80% of those defined as world-class performers practice some form of meditation. Silent brainstorming produces more (and higher-quality) creative ideas than brainstorming sessions.
>50% improvement in creative problem-solving after 3-4 days in nature (forest bathing) and increases sleep duration by 15%.
Our imagination requires boredom to cause it to work. Switching off sparks us to get dangerous again.
Oh, and we don’t need noisier people, we need quieter minds. So shut up. Seriously.
