[ad_1]
Insights Weekly Essay Challenges 2022 – Week 75 : Imagination creates reality
Note: This is a mere outline to get you to start thinking about the topic. This is not a synopsis or a model essay. Just brainstorming. We’re eager to read your essays! Please post them in the comments.
Para 1 (Introduction):
You may start the essay with an anecdote, a poem or a riveting story that illustrates the idea clearly– how our imagination creates our reality. (Please try to write an original story that evokes the reader’s interest.)
Para 2:
It is a quote by Richard Wagner, explain the context in which it was said.
What is imagination? The Cambridge dictionary defines imagination as “the ability to form mental pictures of people or things, or to have new ideas.” Write a broad based definition by giving examples – about imagination in various dimensions.
Mention the types of imagination- Creative imagination (being original in your thoughts & being creative) vs. synthetic imagination (encapsulate existing ideas & concepts & imagine something new based on it). Please explain them with examples.
8 types of imagination by Dr. Murray Hunter – effectuative, intellectual, imaginative fantasy, empathy, strategic, emotional, dreams & memory reconstruction. (Please Google & learn what each entails, then apply it in your essay in various dimensions.).
Para 3:
Define reality. Cambridge dictionary defines reality as “the state of things as they are, rather than as they are imagined to be.” (But can we change our reality by changing our thought process?)
Let’s delve deeper into the topic now.
How does imagination create reality? Explain the idea of manifestation. Do our thoughts become our reality? Buddha had said, “The mind is everything. What you think, you become.”
Also, is imagination sufficient to create our reality? Mention the role of effort.
Para 4:
Let us explain the various dimensions where this quote may be applicable. Please ensure a logical flow between the various dimensions.
Talk about the state of the world today- the people (personalities), various events in the domestic & international arena in various different spheres (international relations, governance, environment, technological arena, etc) that illustrate the essence of the topic.
Political/Historical Dimension:
Explain about the various events of the past- domestic & international and how imagination of a few (or many), managed to modify or change the reality. Example: India’s freedom struggle. Our forefathers imagined India as a sovereign, democratic republic. They thought of various methodologies to gain freedom. The progressive ideas they held in their minds, became a reality with their persistent efforts.
You may also mention an example that showcases the negative side of things- when our imagination can be used as a weapon to create an undesirable reality. Please substantiate with the help of examples based on the present crises in the world.
Para 5:
In the sphere of Education:
How is imagination beneficial in the sphere of education? Does it spark curiosity and encourage creativity? Contrast it with an education system that stems the growth of critical thinking and imagination. Give an example: pre-independence education system in India. Personalities who encouraged free thought (utilize examples from GS-1, GS-2). Discuss how today our imagination has fuelled modern education systems (integrated with technology), which has created a better reality and life for innumerable people. Imagination is necessary for R&D too. Please mention govt initiatives like ATL, AIM, etc. Growth mindset.
Para 6:
Health:
Explain how imagination of various stalwarts in the field of medicine, led to various innovative inventions and discoveries, which benefitted humanity. Give examples. Trace the evolution of the health and wellness industry and how imagination of a few shaped its trajectory.
Mention the latest discoveries and progress made in the field. Example: Precision medicine, neural networks, wearables, genetic engineering, discovery of vaccines, etc.
Para 7:
Infrastructure/Industries/Business:
Talk about the growth and development of infrastructure: evolution from haphazard planning to the present state. Who were the modern architects/thinkers who envisioned cities, urbanization, new models of development? Did it lead to the creation of a better reality?
Urbanization & it’s evolution, transport & communication. Municipal bonds. Green buildings.
How do industries take shape? Please explain these dimensions keeping the context of the topic in mind.
Para 8:
Governance:
Talk about how governance has evolved based on the new streams of thought showcased by those who questioned the status-quo and dared to imagine. Good governance and its various dimensions. How have we leveraged technology to benefit the masses? What are the various models? Trace the evolution of them. Substantiate with examples.
Also, contrast it with the negative side too.
List case studies. Talk about innovation in administration. How ideas shape society and leadership.
Para 9:
International Relations & foreign policy:
Explain how the imagination of a few powerful personalities shaped how foreign policy is conducted. Talk about the various doctrines, initiatives undertaken. Does imagination help us in anticipating the needs of FP? How does it help in creating our reality? Give examples contrasting the positive and undesirable aspects of it. Examples may be about wars, migration, connectivity, trade…. Substantiate.
Para 10:
Environment:
Talk about how our ability to envision and imagine the future of planet earth and humanity- helps us deal with the issues, find the root causes and solve them, in order to create a better reality for the future generations. Initiatives like SDGs, ISA, etc have stemmed from the minds of those who chose to challenge the status-quo. Green investments. Green bonds. Circular economy. Clean tech. Renewable energy. State examples and explain.
What would happen if one chooses not to anticipate/imagine the consequences in advance? How different would our reality be?
Please cite various reports, indices, case studies and personalities who have been the harbingers of change in the environmental field to substantiate your points.
Para 11:
Technology/Entrepreneurship:
Disruptive technologies. Substantiate with examples. Metaverse investing.
How imagination has fuelled the growth of disruptive technologies: Artificial intelligence, driver-less cars, Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, Blockchain, Cryptocurrency, 3D-Printing.
Explain how technology is being utilized to improve our realities in a holistic manner.
Entrepreneurship– show a timeline through history, of how new investments were made over time in order to serve the needs of the societies then. It stems from an idea to solve an issue. Thus, imagination helps in the growth and development of novel technologies.
Please substantiate with relevant examples.
Para 12:
Write a philosophical dimension & Ethical dimension (utilize your knowledge of GS Paper 4).
Positive thinking creates a virtuous cycle. The Law of attraction, the power of manifestation, the power of your subconscious mind. Does one’s subconscious shape reality? Does negative thinking and imagining the worst, lead to undesirable outcomes and vice-versa?
Attitude- the various types. Mindfulness.
Give an example to substantiate. Mention various thinkers and their theories.
Talk about personalities who dared to dream and imagine, and achieved a lot.
The benefits of dreaming big despite our circumstances.
You may add various other dimensions- let your creativity flow. Utilize case studies too. How artists, writers, musicians- use their imagination to create masterpieces.
“I am enough of an artist to draw freely upon my imagination. Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.”- Albert Einstein
“Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life’s coming attractions.”– Albert Einstein
“There are painters who transform the sun to a yellow spot, but there are others who with the help of their art and their intelligence, transform a yellow spot into sun”
― Pablo Picasso
Conclusion: End the essay on a positive & holistic note. State the benefits of having a curious and imaginative mind, being self-aware & how it leads to the creation of our reality.
[ad_2]