Imagine All the People

In this blog I've written a lot about how we were meant to live life with a spirit of adventure and risk. For the past three weeks I've been telling myself I wasn't going to spend the money on a Safari. A thought not very congruent to my words. Don't get me wrong, I wanted to go more than anything. It drove me crazy to think that I would be in the best place and at the best time to see the most renown animals on Earth, and not be able to go. It's just that the number on the brochure was bigger than the number that showed up on my bank statement. However, consistent with the rest of this trip, God provided at the last minute in the form of a graduation gift from my Grandmother.

The whole weekend I was completely stunned by God's creation. I felt like I was in Jurassic Park. Seriously, when our jeep went through the gates of Serengeti National Park I kept humming the theme song to the movie in my head. I think it was because seeing the animals walk around their natural habitat seemed so foreign to me that it was almost fake. Elephants are much bigger in person, and lions are a lot scarier without the bars in between.

Not only did I see more species of animals than I thought possible, but I picked up a few stories too. I love what it says in the book I'm reading, Wild at Heart. "Life is a hypocrite if you can't live the way it moves you". Perhaps I was overly inspired by this, but either way it led to quite the weekend. I owe most of this to my friend Dave. Through my 18 year old friend, my boyish 18 year old spirit was let out of it's cage as well. Dave and I climbed rock formations and later found out that lion's sometimes sleep there. We played "who can step closer to the water buffalo" (2nd most lethal animal behind hippos). And stuck the better half of our bodies out the windows of the jeep in order to get a close up of the lion beside the car. I felt alive, maybe even... wild at heart? I write about this not to gain credit, it sounds crazy but it never seemed like we were in any real danger, despite what the guides might tell you. I say this because in a strange way I learned a lot about my inner peace through this experience. So much that I would feel selfish if I didn't share it with you.

I realized why being in a room alone is one of my biggest struggles. It's because I continuously dwell on anything that doesn't logically add up in my head. It's like being alone flips a switch that starts calculating numbers with dollar signs; ones that translate to how many days I have left to live in comfort. Or it starts an internal debate about what in the world goes on in the mind of a female. These kind of thoughts are all thoughts that require thought and proper preparation, but it is far fetched from the inner peace I've been longing for. We benefit from these thoughts only in a railroad tracks sort of way. We need them foundationally in order to function, but they will not bring purpose.

Here's how it relates to the Safari. I think we all crave adventure in a physical sense. This weekend I was able to indulge in physical adventure and feel alive. Instinctively we all want these types of adventures, and we take pictures in order to prove their legitimacy. I realized that in the same way my heart, my inner peace, desires to act wild as well. Most of us want a drive fast take chances lifestyle, how about a drive fast take chances heart?

Our inner peace is released through imagination. We get sick of a job, or a class, or a routine that is the same thing everyday. We want variety and adventure, to be let loose on a Safari every once in awhile. In the same way, our hearts and minds want to get let loose as well. Our head gets stressed when we think practically all day. It's why tax day is the most stressful day in America, because everyone is forced to think practically. Maybe guys watch sports and girls watch The Bachelor because it releases our minds for an hour or two and we begin to imagine a life like that.

I racked up a good amount of Frequent Flyer Miles coming here. Enough that, with what I already had, I can fly to anywhere in the United States. A few times on this trip I've let my imagination wander about what I could do with the rewards miles. I kept thinking about what I'm going to get myself into next. I thought about going rafting in Colorado, having lunch in Central Park, or playing golf in Arizona. Without the frequent flyer miles I wouldn't have even considered putting energy into these thoughts, there is no way I could afford it. But my Frequent Flyer Miles was something on paper that says 'YES! You can go anywhere!'. Then I realized that maybe inner peace means allowing those thoughts to flow without barriers. Imagination is where it's at, it's the ticket to inner peace. Our imagination is like a mental account of frequent flyer miles. Invest in it. The more you invest in your imagination the more you'll accumulate and the more wild adventures it'll bring you to. Life is a safari.

There was once a guy that used to go around the country and speak in classrooms of students. His goal was to encourage the kids to use their imagination. He believed the coming generation could change the world if they used their imagination. He was a very successful man, but thought the potential from speaking to kids was better than the money he missed out on by missing work.

He would go into Kindergarten classrooms and ask "Who here thinks they are creative?" Everyone would raise their hands in excitement.

He would go into 1st Grade classes and noticed that when he asked the same question, about 90% of the kids considered themselves creative.

By the time he reached middle schoolers; nobody would raise their hands. A few would maybe point at the artsy kid.

The man was discouraged that with age we loose our imagination. He was discouraged because, remembering his purpose, he wanted so much for kids to believe they could do anything so long as they could imagine it. That if they let their creativity out on a safari they could accomplish anything. I think this man had it right, you have to dream big first. Begin with the end in mind, then start laying down the railroad tracks of practical thinking to see how you can make it there.

By the way the name of the man was Walt Disney.

Ironically his head is in a freezer somewhere with hopes that someday creativity and imagination can be restored to this planet. The same reason Disney went to classrooms to encourage kids.

The point is, God wired each of us to be creative and let our minds explore. When we are young our imagination dominates logic, our right brain is heavier than the left. As we grow older, nothing changes chemically, however the clutter of this world fuels logic to silence our imagination. It tells us we aren't good enough, smart enough, or have what it takes to succeed. It's a world that laughs at imagination, but at the same time is a little jealous when you follow your dreams.

The world says we are just another number, and to get in line. In contrast, Jesus says the only things that are numbered are the very hairs on our head.

"You are the light of the world. A city upon a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your deeds and glorify your Father in Heaven." Matthew 5:14

Maybe what Jesus wants us to ask ourselves is not 'How can the needs of the world fit into me?' But more so, 'How can I fit into the needs of the world?' I think that's why, in the great commission, he put that 'GO' part in. 'GO! make disciples', not 'sit there until the world's needs fall into your lap'. I think that's why he gave us not just bodies to explore the world but minds as well.

So this is what I'm learning about inner peace. Sure, you have to give attention to the practical thoughts. You need them to execute. But what's the use of laying tracks if you don't know where they are going. I think before I was frustrated because I was spending my alone time figuring out how to lay my tracks and I didn't spend enough time dreaming about where they are going. According to Aerosmith "Life's a journey, not a destination". Romans 8:28 promises that if we love God we can expect something great. Use your imagination to deposit into that mental bank account, but don't forget to cash in on the journey that awaits.

A few wise words from Walt Disney for the road:

"If you can dream it, you can do it"

"We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths."

"Disneyland will never be completed. It will continue to grow as long as there is imagination left in the world."