“Fantasy? Or Imagination?”
According to some definitions of fantasy and imagination, they are synonymous. I am not convinced, however. Here are a couple of definitions that suggest how close fantasy and imagination are, in the minds of some lexicographers. (They do, however, suggest some important differences.)
“the faculty or activity of imagining things, especially things that are impossible or improbable. ‘his research had moved into the realm of fantasy’” (https://www.google.com/search?q=fantasy&rlz=1C1GCEA_enUS844US844&oq=fantasy&aqs=chrome..69i57j46j0l4j46.3059j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8, accessed 07-03-2020)
“the faculty or action of forming new ideas, or images or concepts of external objects not present to the senses. ‘she’d never been blessed with a vivid imagination’” (https://www.google.com/search?q=define+imagination&rlz=1C1GCEA_enUS844US844&oq=define+imagination&aqs=chrome..69i57j0l7.3612j1j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8, accessed 07-03-2020d)
A friend and I had a wonderful conversation about “the good use of fantasy” and imagination the other day. We came up with some interesting ideas. (At least, they were interesting to us!) I don’t know that we came to any hard and fast decisions, but we did come up with some intriguing possibilities.
Perhaps fantasy is imagination that doesn’t lead to any real, substantial, healthy change. Imagination, on the other hand, leads—or at least could lead—to some transforming changes.
Of course, some people are more imaginative than others, and some are more practical. Some people (my wife, for example) are a dynamic blend of both imagination and practicality. That combination is as rare as the AB-negative blood type.
Those who are gifted with only imagination or practicality need to surround themselves with people who are blessed with the opposite gift. Imagination without practicality manufactures pipe dreams. Practicality without imagination is a prescription for getting in and staying in ruts. And, as someone has said, “The only difference between a rut and a grave is depth.”
But my friend made the most intriguing observation . He pointed out that fantasy is essentially selfish, while imagination seeks the greater good of others.
If my friend and I are basically correct, the decisive common trait of imagination, as opposed to fantasy, is that imagination is a community virtue. Fantasy, on the other hand, is all about precious little me.
So, am I (and are you) an imaginative person, or only one who fantasizes?
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