Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Top Stories

Imagination is more important than knowledge

Imagination is more important than knowledge
Getty Images

Lockard has a Master’s Degree in English Literature from the University of Northern Iowa (1994) and has continued classes at the Writer’s Workshop in Iowa City. She writes regularly for "The Courier", a regional newspaper, and has published several short stories and poetry. Amy and her husband live in Cedar Falls, Iowa with the youngest three of their eight children.

"Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination circles the world." (Albert Einstein)


It is not moral decline, or political or religious disagreements and division, not borders, nor social strictures, which bear the lion’s share of responsibility for the world’s woes and wrongs.

It is because we all suffer, in varying degrees, from “heart” failure. We cannot, and will not, understand each other. The systemic cause of this condition: massive “Failure of Imagination.” It is the underlying culprit which seizes otherwise healthy, reasonable, educated individuals and has now developed into a raging epidemic.

If we cannot imagine others’ lives and times, we can perceive only that “they” are not like “us.” They do not think like us, may not look like us, do not follow the same rules, do not serve the same god.

Republican/Democrat; Ukrainian/ Russian; Palestinian/Israelite; Transsexual/ Heterosexual; Black/ White; Vaxxer/ Anti-Vaxxer; Muslim/ Jew/ Christian; on and on the list goes, encompassing nearly everyone but our mothers, and sometimes them as well.

Sign up for The Fulcrum newsletter

The result is dehumanization, and it is the nucleus of every conflict. The “other” becomes “the enemy.” That person has transgressed, is at best misled, possibly criminal, maybe not even human.

It is an ancient story of privilege and power, but mystifyingly becoming worse in our “enlightened” age. As the stakes become higher, the gap between “them” and “us” becomes wider, allowing and encouraging misunderstanding, conflict, generating terror and destruction.

Only by employing our imaginations can we transcend our times and our own limited existence. We may know the facts of history, or of any current conflict, but that knowledge is just the beginning. Without using our imaginations, it is impossible to empathize.

The ability to imagine others’ lives connects us with those who came before us and those we now share this planet with. Eight billion stories are unfolding at this very moment, tales of struggle and redemption, of great successes and great failures, of life and death.

But too often our imaginations extend to pursue only the glamorous, to follow celebrities, sports figures, politicians. We immerse ourselves in the never-ending buzz of social media, channeling our personal Amazon Wish Fulfillment Center.

Most of us are good at imaging, say, what we’d do after winning the lottery. Or how we’d use our incredible wealth and power if only we were Elon Musk, or Beyonce, or the president. But we are not as proficient at imaging a Sudanese mother trying to feed her family in a war zone, (sorry; wrong continent) or the terror of a Venezuelan immigrant fleeing his country, (tough; higher walls) the struggle of a family with a transexual child (nope; male or female) or a father’s despair after his daughter is gunned down in her kindergarten class (woah; second amendment rights.)

Who wants to imagine such depressing scenarios anyway? Better to flip on a “reality” show. We feed our minds a selected diet of news and viewpoints designed to nourish our already established beliefs, narrowing our world and creating a false sense of reality.

As the genesis for intolerance is “Failure of Imagination,” beginning there is our only hope. Tasking and reproving, judging and condemning is always counterproductive. Failing to engage leads to apathy, apathy to dislike, dislike dissolves into hatred, and hatred brews barbarism. Only by imagining other’s lives can we begin to understand, can the barrier between “them” and “us” be breached.

Books, movies, all the arts, every means of telling humanity’s stories, can trigger our imaginations, if we’re open to it. So, instead of endlessly circling, as if playing at the “Game of Life,” collecting stars (fame,) dollar signs (money,) and hearts (romantic love,) while checking off our bucket lists and tallying our accomplishments, how about immersing ourselves in a truly fascinating game? This game enriches our lives by imagining others’ lives and utilizes our minds to reach further, toward understanding.

It is riveting. It is real. It is Life.

And if we use our imaginations to play, we all win.

Read More

Business professional watching stocks go down.
Getty Images, Bartolome Ozonas

The White House Is Booming, the Boardroom Is Panicking

The Confidence Collapse

Consumer confidence is plummeting—and that was before the latest Wall Street selloffs.

Keep ReadingShow less
Drain—More Than Fight—Authoritarianism and Censorship
Getty Images, Mykyta Ivanov

Drain—More Than Fight—Authoritarianism and Censorship

The current approaches to proactively counteracting authoritarianism and censorship fall into two main categories, which we call “fighting” and “Constitution-defending.” While Constitution-defending in particular has some value, this article advocates for a third major method: draining interest in authoritarianism and censorship.

“Draining” refers to sapping interest in these extreme possibilities of authoritarianism and censorship. In practical terms, it comes from reducing an overblown sense of threat of fellow Americans across the political spectrum. When there is less to fear about each other, there is less desire for authoritarianism or censorship.

Keep ReadingShow less
"Vote" pin.
Getty Images, William Whitehurst

Most Americans’ Votes Don’t Matter in Deciding Elections

New research from the Unite America Institute confirms a stark reality: Most ballots cast in American elections don’t matter in deciding the outcome. In 2024, just 14% of eligible voters cast a meaningful vote that actually influenced the outcome of a U.S. House race. For state house races, on average across all 50 states, just 13% cast meaningful votes.

“Too many Americans have no real say in their democracy,” said Unite America Executive Director Nick Troiano. “Every voter deserves a ballot that not only counts, but that truly matters. We should demand better than ‘elections in name only.’”

Keep ReadingShow less
Hands outside of bars.
Getty Images, stevanovicigor

Double Standard: Investing in Animal Redemption While Ignoring Human Rehabilitation

America and countries abroad have mastered the art of taming wild animals—training the most vicious killers, honing killer instincts, and even domesticating animals born for the hunt. Wild animals in this country receive extensive resources to facilitate their reintegration into society.

Americans spent more than $150 billion on their pets in 2024, with an estimated spending projection of $200 million by 2030. Millions of dollars are poured into shelters, rehabilitation programs, and veterinary care, as shown by industry statistics on animal welfare spending. Television ads and commercials plead for their adoption. Stray animal hotlines operate 24/7, ensuring immediate rescue services. Pet parks, relief stations in airports, and pageant shows showcase animals as celebrities.

Keep ReadingShow less