THE SUCCINCT POWER AND DEPTH OF IMAGINATION
For a very long time, I more or less abandoned reading fiction. I am not too sure why I stopped it, but it just seems there is so much to learn about what is tangible and real than just dabbling in imaginative works. I had piles of fiction books in my e-library that I had previously not touched for months, if not for more than a year.
Due to some circumstances, I just decided to temporarily get rid of my social media and fill up the space of social media with fiction reading. I began reading the piles of bestsellers I had, and at some point, I was just rather irritated. Most of these books were simply and heavily hinged on romantic love. Not that I feel the theme of romance is bad, but reading books whose central theme was romance did not just sit well with me.
Months later, I realized that I was not the only one who saw these books in such light, and it was quite soothing to see others in this boat, even though we might be a minority. One of my coursemates was spewing his disgust at contemporary Nigerian fiction we were reading for a reading class, and I was glad that I was not the only one who felt totally uninterested in such forms of writing.
However, back to my ‘travails’ of reading fiction. At some point, I was contemplating just giving it all up, but I also willed myself to continue. Overall, I am glad I continued reading because I found some books that were simply mind blowing. I found ‘The Maid’ slightly interesting, ‘Silent Patient’ interesting, ‘Lessons in Chemistry’ wonderful, and ‘Demon Copperhead’ phenomenal. With these books, I brought myself to the consciousness of the power and depth of imagination and the mind. Not only can fiction possess such imaginative prowess, but through such power it teaches and passes knowledge about what is real and tangible while simultaneously raising and crashing emotions, pushing adrenaline, building suspense, and eliciting inclusivity. It fosters learning and the dissemination of facts in a personal and emotional manner.
My favorite book amongst the aforementioned would be quite difficult to pick since they are all wonderful in my perception. I would, however, give it to Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver.
The book was wholesome in all senses of the word. The writer deftly addressed real issues plaguing the world in such a manner that a connection was easy to make. The connections made from the book make it even more consequential to the passing of information through the connection of the book to the real world.
These fictional books made me mesmerized anew by the power of the mind and thinking. It directed me back to rationalism and the imperative and pertinent role it plays in daily life.
“I THINK, THEREFORE I AM”
Rationalism puts thinking and thoughts as the conception of knowledge. René Descartes, one of the pioneers of rationalism, said, “I think, therefore I am," which means the only assurance of existence is grounded in the fact that thinking occurs. However, our thinking affects and influences how we see the world, how we behave, and how we act because it is a source of knowledge. Nevertheless, one thing that shapes our thoughts and thinking is our perception of the world.
Referring to the concepts of noumena and phenomena by Immanuel Kant, noumena is the conception of a thing in itself, not as known through perception, while phenomena refer to the appearance of items based on perception. The key point that these two concepts prove is simply that things have their own essence, but most times we do not see the original essence of such things. This is because the process of seeing (perceiving) itself is perception, which will taint the original conception of such an entity. The point is that we actually do not see things as they really are, but we see things through our own perception, which most times does not translate to the original conception of a thing.
PERCEPTION
Arthur Schopenhauer based his philosophy of irrationalism on the transcendentalism of Kant. He posited that since the structure of human cognition is based on perception, “(true) knowledge of things as they really are is impossible." The best that can be obtained is a superficial representation of things. It simply means we cannot have true knowledge of things because we cannot see things as they truly are because even seeing is perception that can taint the true conception of a thing. This, however, I see as an added advantage, not a disadvantage. This would prove that the same thing, circumstance, and situation can be perceived as different things by different people. Circumstances that can be perceived to be negative can also be perceived positively, depending on the individual involved. It is more or less a power to shape reality.
The fact that our perception affects our thinking and that our thinking has a heavy effect on our lives makes perception a very important component of the human experience. The things we perceive and how we perceive them have a serious impact on life.
WYSIATI AND THE SCIENCE OF AVAILABILITY
The concept of WYSIATI was discussed by Daniel Kahneman in his book 'Thinking Fast and Slow’. WYSIATI is an acronym for “What You See Is All There Is." This concept simply means that what we perceive and the facts we have access to strongly affect our decisions and judgments. Our judgments and decisions are mostly limited to what we can currently perceive. We would mostly jump to conclusions, even given that the evidence is limited. The small piece of knowledge we have, we use to judge everything. If someone says a man is smart and bold and asks if such a man would be a good leader, you would most probably say yes, which is due to the information that you have about the man. But that same man is harsh, uncaring, and nonchalant about the feelings of others. However, you did not have access to that information. Obviously, he would not make a good leader, but the little you were able to perceive of him made you judge that he was a good leader. WYSIATI. That little you perceived shaped the totality of your knowledge.
The science of availability is also on the same track with WYSIATI. The science of availability explains that the judgments we make are also based on what we have known and what we are able to recall. The information that we are able to make available will be used to judge, even though it might be limited.
What we see at the moment, which becomes what we ultimately know, has a big effect on our thinking and on our lives. I think the relationship between thoughts and perception is circular. Our perception affects our thinking, just as our thinking affects our perception, and these two boil down to the way our lives are lived.
WHAT SHOULD BE SEEN?
This points to the fact that what we consume and how we consume or perceive it are imperative in shaping our lives. In a dazzling information world, it seems rather impossible to have an information filter, but it is pertinent that we do. From social media, movies, podcasts, and what have you, there is an information bombardment. Since what we see affects us and all there is to us, we must pay attention to what we see. Interaction has a way of rubbing off on its participants. The spiral nature of social interaction is valid because most values and beliefs that people pick up are simply hinged on the fact that those values and beliefs are available and prevailing ideologies.
RELATIVE POSITIVITY AND NEGATIVITY
Our perception of things is also important. A lot of things, including our experiences, shape our perception, which is why we all possess different views of the world because of different experiences that have shaped our lives. Seeing the positive regardless of the situation will be helpful. The Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius wrote, “If you are distressed by anything external, the pain is not due to the thing itself but to your estimate of it; and this you have the power to revoke at any moment." The conception of negativity as well as positivity is highly dependent on perception. So even in events that seem to be negative, there is a possibility for a re-perception, re-evaluation, and re-estimation through which positive connotations can still be extracted.
Either a positive or negative outlook affects our actions and, in the long run, the trajectory of our lives. A person with a positive outlook will continue to do the things that can give them the desired result, even if they are not getting the results. However, the frequent retrials give more opportunity and surface area to achieve the result or goal. Whereas negativity ignores repetition because it does not see the results; the lack of repetition reduces the opportunity and surface area for achieving whatever goals.
Seeing success is important. Jack Nicklaus, a professional golfer, takes his shot twice. one in his mind or imagination before he takes the real shot. He imagines how the shot is going to be when he takes it, and it turns out the same way he imagined it. Ladies and gentlemen, this is the power of the mind and imagination.
Navigating through life’s challenges might seem overwhelming and overbearing. On the news, in personal life, and on social media, it seems the terrible cannot just stop occurring. From wars to back-breaking workloads to finances, life seems bleak, but a re-perception and re-estimation might just be what is bordering on the good that seems unavailable but is actually available and just not seen. A positive mindset breeds success-seeing, which in turn breeds mental toughness.
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