Fostering A Healthy Imagination

By: Brody Smithwick

The ability to imagine what one’s life could be like is the first step towards that new reality. I would go as far as to say that imagination and Hope are intimately linked. Hope is absolutely necessary for an individual to break the cycle of recidivism. You may think that’s a rather bold claim, but anyone who has had their ability to obtain gainful employment greatly diminished due to a new criminal record coupled with the thousands of dollars worth of fines, lawyer fees, drug counseling fees, community service hours to complete, probation rules to follow, and normal financial responsibilities will see that things begin to look pretty abysmal. This is not to mention the potential need to overhaul other major relational areas of one’s life in order to succeed. Hope is essential.

At Lion Life Community, we teach Creative Writing and Music classes for various reasons such as encouraging metacognition and building writing skills that can translate to the job market. But fostering a healthy imagination in order to birth Hope is the main goal. I want to point out that we are encouraging our students to engage in building a “healthy” imagination. Inspiring someone to meditate on and begin to dream about things that will lead them into a new way of life; a way that is fulfilling and free from carrying out criminal behavior is the goal. Since we will ultimately become what we behold, I think helping an individual set his or her mind on the things that will truly profit them in the long run is crucial to their success. 

If we succeed in igniting someone’s imagination, filling up their Hope-tank, and helping them hone in on a stellar dream then we’ve effectively aided them in discovering purpose. Viktor E. Frankl, in his acclaimed work Man’s Search for Meaning says, “Those who have a 'why' to live, can bear with almost any 'how'.” Viktor was a Jewish neurologist and psychologist who survived extreme suffering in multiple Nazi concentration camps. This quote describes a major pillar of the powerful approach to psychotherapy he developed known as, Logotherapy. Without purpose a person loses all sense of true north in their lives; they don’t have a why and therefore can never overcome the challenges they face. Again, imagination and Hope are intrinsically linked, and they are both vital to discovering one’s purpose that will ultimately serve as a compass as they navigate their journey of permanently exiting the system.