Saturday, December 02, 2006

Run, Laugh, and Imagine

Last night I went for a walk and while I was walking I started thinking about how I used to run everywhere when I was a kid. It sparked a few disturbing questions...

Why do children run, while men and women walk? As we grow older do we forget that there are things worth running for or running towards? Have we been disappointed by so many anticlimatic anticipations that we walk, so we can delay the next inevitable disappointment? Are men and women afraid to run because it shows a certain amount of vulnerability (running excitedly towards one thing or running scared from another)?

Why do children laugh freely, while men and women need something to laugh at? When we grow up, is there no longer any reason to laugh (unless it's tragic or ironic)? Is it wrong to laugh out of pure joy? Have we lost the joy that allows us to laugh?

Why are children embarrased by being "bad" and proud of being "good", while men and women are embarrased by being "good" and proud of being "bad"?

Why do children look for the mystery and magic in the things around them, while men and women deny the existence of anything magical or mysterious? Does becoming an adult mean you need answers to every question? Is a sense of control or a sense of understanding more important than a sense of awe or a sense of wonder?

God's Word tells us that when we become adults we are to set aside our childish way of thinking, but He didn't mean for us to stop running, laughing, or looking for magic. I think what is meant by this is a maturing of thought, an understanding and acceptance of responsibility, but this doesn't need to come at the expense of wonder and joy, does it? Can we not carry with us the joy which makes us run and laugh, and the mystery and magic that opens our imaginations, into adulthood?

I have a great respect for grown men and women who are able to run, laugh, be joyful and good, and let their imaginations run wild... What a freedom that must be!!!

“The function of the imagination is not to make strange things settled, so much as to make settled things strange.”
~ G.K. Chesterton