Shh. Avoiding a post-imagination world
‘Listen to silence. It has a lot to say.’ Rumi said (quietly).
The closest I come to silence is when I sleep.
Writing this is paradoxical. I’m adding to the noise and such.
Although it did originate through silence.
I’ve learned (again) what I’ve known all my life. We need quiet and space to think.
We’ve engineered our lives to eliminate the one thing that makes imagination possible.
And that’s beyond ironic. It’s also suicidal.
The data’s been screaming at us for years, but when was the last time you enjoyed silence?
For many of us, the idea itself screams no.
Walking? Increases creative output by 60%
Refocusing after a digital interruption? It takes 23 minutes
New brain cell growth? Two hours of daily silence
Meditation? 80% of world-class performers practice some form of it
Brainstorming? Silent brainstorming produces more and higher-quality creative ideas
Forest bathing? 50% improvement in creative problem-solving after 3-4 days in nature and an increase in sleep duration by 15%
We are lab rats in a death spiral of prompt and publish.
A nervous addiction. We swipe, scroll, and repeat; we’re losing our marbles.
We think we’re thinking? We’re not. We’ve been hacked. We are part of some dystopian thought avoidance program.
Modern work? Open-plan noise zoos. Conditioned. Hooked. Distracted into stupidity.
Tesla perfected his AC induction motor through what he called ‘controlled daydreaming’. This was six years of imaginative ‘visualisation before building a single physical prototype.
Einstein revolutionised physics (the theory of relativity, no less) by going for a wander, unbothered in a space to wonder.
Darwin's daily stroll was his primary tool for imaginative synthesis. For over 20 years, he walked the same gravel path, using quiet contemplation to imagine connections between observations that no collaboration would have suggested.
Our imagination needs boredom. Stillness. Silence.
You want breakthrough?
Turn everything off. Get bored enough for your brain to get dangerous again.
The last thing we need are noisier people.
We need quieter minds. So shut up. Seriously.
