Imagination

Imagination is such a powerful tool through which we can either create or destroy our life. It is a potential that exists in each of us. According to Osho, Imagination is getting into an attitude so deeply that the very attitude becomes reality. It is a force, energy and the mind moves through it. When the mind moves through it the body follows.

In mental chess, players imagined the board and the play, keeping track of the positions. Anatoly Sharansky, the Soviet human rights activist, used mental chess to survive in prison. Sharansky, a Jewish computer specialist falsely accused of spying for the United States in 1977, spent nine years in prison, four hundred days of that time in solitary confinement in freezing darkened five-by-six-foot punishment cells. Political prisoners in isolation often fall apart mentally because the use it or lose it brain needs external stimulation to maintain its maps. During this extended period of sensory deprivation, Sharansky played mental chess for months on end, which probably helped him keep his brain from degrading. He played both black and white, holding the game in his head, from opposite perspectives an extraordinary challenge to the brain. After he was released, with the help of Western pressure, he went to Israel and become a Cabinet minister. When the world champion Garry Kasparov played against the prime minister and the leaders of the cabinet, he beat all of them except Sharansky.        ~ The Brain that Changes Itself

The moral of the above story is mental practice is an effective way to prepare for learning a physical skill with minimal physical practice. Experts don't store answers in their memory. Instead, they store strategies and key principles in their long term memory. They have immediate access to these key principles, in times of need, as if they are stored in their short term memory. Developing such skills requires decades of concentrated effort.

Logic will get you from A to Z; Imagination will lead you everywhere. Albert Einstein

Everything is created twice. Initially, it is created in the mind and then in reality. Human beings are born with an incredible gift of imagination. No physical laws can be applied to it. Through imagination, anyone can go to any corner of this universe. It is impossible for an artist to create art without imagination.

Creating art requires two steps:

1. Build a prototype using imagination.

2. Transform the prototype into reality.

If creating art needs such simple steps then why doesn't everyone become an Artist?

Only fools expect a prototype to work perfectly for the first time. When a prototype is transformed into reality some things do work and others don't. Stamina is needed to overcome the obstacles. Unless an artist persists in his efforts to make it work, it is very difficult to create art.

Imagination is like a muscle. I found out that the more I wrote, the better it got. Philip Jose Farmer

The purpose of the imagination is to break the patterns of the mind which look at reality in a certain way. Imagination is destroying them and a new reality is revealed. An effort is needed to destroy the patterns of the mind then only we look at unpatterned reality. Unpatterned reality is the only reality.

The human brain is highly plastic not elastic. There is a difference between plasticity and elasticity. Elasticity means when the stress is removed, an object will revert back to its original shape. For example, on releasing force, the rubber band will move back to its original shape. Plasticity means when stress is removed object won't move completely to its original shape. There is a slight difference between the new shape and the previous shape. Some reorganization occurs to its neural structure which is unlike the case with elasticity.

In The Brain that changes itself, Norman Doidge explains about Imagination Vs Doing:

One reason we can change our brains simply by imagining is that, from a neuroscientific point of view, imagining an act and doing it are not as different as they sound. When people close their eyes and visualize a simple object, such as the letter a, the primary visual cortex lights up, just as it would if the subjects were looking at the letter a. Brain scans show that in action and in imagination many of the same parts of the brain are activated. That is why visualizing can improve performance.

Most of the time we are not aware of what we are thinking or imagining. We start imagining some negative events which occurred in our life. Imagining a negative event will change the neural pathways of our brain. Our perspective about life will become more negative which further makes us think about more negative events. Hence a vicious cycle starts. It is very important to break that vicious cycle otherwise we will become more and more depressed.

If negative visualization is detrimental to us then positive visualization is very helpful for us. How? Imagine some positive events in your life. It will change the neural pathways of your brain which will help you to see life in a more optimistic way. Now the virtuous cycle starts.

We are born pessimistic and an effort is needed for positive visualization.

Imagination will often carry us to the worlds that never were, but without it, we go nowhere. Carl Sagan

I have read a story about Tibetan lama in The Book of Secrets. A Tibetan Lama was standing naked in a temperature below zero degrees Celcius. Standing naked at such a cold temperature will kill us but this man is perspiring. I was completely taken aback by reading that story. How is this possible? Actually, this Lama was imagining a very hot temperature around him. He is imagining in such a way that the very imagination becomes reality for him and his body follows his imagination. That is why he is perspiring in such a freezing temperature.

A similar experiment is done by Drs. Guang Yue and Kelly Cole. They showed that imagining one is using one's muscles actually strengthens them. The study looked at two groups, one that did physical exercise and the one imagined doing exercise. [...] At the end of the study, the subjects who had done physical exercise increased their muscular strength by 30 percent, as one might expect. Those who only imagined doing the exercise, for the same period increased their muscle strength by 22 percent. The explanation lies in the motor neuron of the brain that program movements. During these imaginary contractions, the neurons responsible for stringing together sequences of instruction for movements are activated and strengthened, resulting in increase strength when the muscles are contracted.

The only freedom we have in our lives is the freedom of choices. What we choose will change the course of our lives. Awareness is needed to recognize the negative loop and to come out of it. An effort is needed to visualize positively so that we can view our life in a positive light.

Contrast Effect

Once there was a Mr. X who was studying in some college. In College, everyone have to appear for a Group Viva ( An examination conducted by spoken communication). Mr. Y is a friend of Mr. X. They have to appear for a viva. Teacher asked 10 questions to both of them. Mr. X gave 7 correct answers and Mr. Y gave 5 correct answers. When results came out, Mr. X got 90 marks while Mr. Y got 60 marks.

In next semester, again Mr. X has to appear for a viva. This time he was giving it with Mr. Z. Same teacher is taking their viva. She asked 10 questions to both of them. Mr. X gave 7 correct answers and Mr. Z gave 10 correct answers. When results came out, Mr. Z got 100 marks and Mr. X got 75 marks.

Mr. X got puzzled by looking at his marks. He gave same number of correct answers in both the cases but he got different results.

Why this is so?

This is because of the contrast effect. In 1st case, Mr. X appeared more smarter to teacher because his friend gave only 5 correct answers. In 2nd case, Mr. X appeared less smarter to teacher because his friend gave all the correct answers. This is the psychological bias in our thinking.

Contrast Effect means we never evaluate the stimuli like temperature, loudness, brightness, health, status, prices etc on absolute terms but with respect to some reference point.

Look at the below image and check which rectangle is more brighter?

Left or Right

Both the rectangles are of same color but seems to look different because of the Contrast Comparison.

You can do a simple experiment to test it. Take three buckets each containing ice-water, hot-water and water at room temperature respectively. Dip one hand in ice-water and another in hot-water. After few seconds dip both of your hands simultaneously in a bucket containing water at room temperature. You will feel warmness in the hand which is dipped in ice-water and coldness in the hand which is dipped in hot-water. It happens because of the contrast effect. Water at room temperature seems warmer compared to cold water and colder compared to hot water.

Stars are present in day also but they are not visible because of the brightness of the Sun. When Sun sets only then they are visible to us. Another example of Contrast Effect.

This psychological bias can be used by various people to exploit others.

Real Estate agents have to sell their bad houses along with good ones. Let's assume an agent has to sell bad house, to manipulate his customer he first show them extremely bad house in ugly neighborhood. Customer outrightly reject the offer then he show them the house which he intended to sell. Now current house appears more attractive than the previous one. Customers ended up buying them.

Retail clothiers have to sell as many products as possible to maximize their profits.

Suppose you wanted to buy Tuxedo and Sweater. Owner have two choices to show you: Tuxedo and then Sweater Or Sweater and then Tuxedo.

Which one will you choose if you are the owner?

Selling Tuxedo first and then Sweater will make the contrast effect work for their own benefit and choosing the other option will make it work against them. How? Buying $800 sweater seems too smaller after buying $5000 Tuxedo but buying $800 sweater first will develop an aversion for buying $5000 expensive Tuxedo. The basic rule of retail owners is to show you expensive items first and then lesser expensive items to maximize the profit.

After buying Computer other accessories like head-phones, printers etc. seem too smaller and you will be ended up buying them.

Automobile Industries also use the Contrast Effect for their benefit. After buying an expensive car, music system and other accessories seems smaller and you will be ended up buying them.

Charlie Munger on Contrast Effect explains:

In my generation women lived at home until they got married, I saw some perfectly terrible marriages made by highly desirable women because they lived in terrible homes. And I have seen some terrible second marriages which were made because they were slight improvements over an even worse first marriages. You think you are immune from these things and you laugh, and I want to tell you, you aren't.

To see the real life implications of Contrast Effect, an experimenter did two experiments. In 1st experiment, experimenter gave two options to experimentee:

Getting $6 or an expensive pen. Most of them choose $6. In another experiment he added one more option: Getting $6, an expensive pen or an inferior pen. Most of them choose an expensive pen. Adding an inferior option make other look more attractive. We think we are in control of our decisions but actually we aren't.

In Influence - Psychology of Persuasion, Robert Cialdini explains:

Studies done on the contrast principle at Arizona State and Montana State universities suggest that we may be less satisfied with the physical attractiveness of our own lovers because of the way the popular media bombard us with examples of unrealistically attractive models. In one study college student rated a picture of an average-looking member of the opposite sex as less attractive if they first looked through the ads in some popular magazines. In another study, male college-dormitory residents rated the photo of a potential blind date. Those who did so while watching an episode of the Charlie Angel's TV series viewed the blind date as less attractive woman than those who rated her while watching a different show. Apparently it was the uncommon beauty of the Angels female star that made the blind date seem less attractive.

Next time when you go for a date either go alone or go with your less handsome friends.

To treat something as fair or unfair can also be explained by the contrast effect. If a disaster hit in an area, prices of the hotel room rises from $1000 to $1500. People treat this as unfair because people use the previous price as a reference point and surge in $500 made them angry.

In Thinking fast and Slow, Daniel Kahneman explains:

For financial outcomes, the usual reference point is the status quo, but it can also be the outcome that you expect, or perhaps the outcome you feel entitled, for example the raise or bonus that your colleague receives. Outcomes that are better than reference points are gains. Below the reference point they are losses. A principle of diminishing sensitivity applies to evaluation of changes wealth. The subjective difference between $900 and $1000 is much smaller than the difference between $100 and $200.

Chains of habit are too light to be felt until they are too heavy to be broken. Warren Buffet

How can we use this Contrast Effect to our own benefit?

Developing a good habit is not easy. To make it easy surround yourself among those people whose normal behavior is equivalent to your desired behavior. Desired behavior looks easy due to contrast.

In Seeking Wisdom, Peter Bevelin explains:

Contrast may blind us to change until it's too late. For example, we don't notice the bad behavior of others if it goes sour gradually over time. We see reality as constant, although it gradually changes. A stimulus must reach an absolute threshold before we detect it. Before we notice a change in stimulus, a certain relative change most occur. If the change is slow enough we don't notice the change. Our ability to detect and react to change in stimulus decreases as magnitude increases. To a small stimulus only a small amount is added. To a large stimulus a large amount is added.

To lift heavy weights start with something very small and gradually increase it with time. Our body can't detect gradual changes. Reading a book seems too big. Start with one page and gradually increase your capacity. Charlie Munger gave an analogy to explain it. If you put a frog in a boiling pan it immediately jumps out of it. If you put a frog in a pan whose water is at room temperature and slowly increase its temperature. Frog will die but never jump out of it.

Warren Buffet on Contrast Effect explains:

The world is not going to come to an end because tomorrow 200 or 250 thousand more people on the planet than they were today. That's about the number it grows everyday.... it is like eating about 300 calories more each day than you burn up; it has no effect on you today. You don't get up from the table and all of sudden everybody says, " My God, you look fat compared to when you sat down!" But, if you keep doing it over time, the incremental problems are hard to attack because the one extra piece of pie doesn't really seem to make a difference. The 250,000 people tomorrow don't seem to make a difference but the cumulative effect of them will make a huge difference over time, just like overeating will make a huge difference over time. The time to attack the problem is early.

Conclusion: See the reality as it is. Evaluate objects in absolute terms rather than on the basis of some reference point. Keeping this psychological bias in mind will help you to improve the quality of your decisions.

How to live Blissfully

Once there was a beggar begging in the street. A stranger is passing from there. Beggar stopped him and said, "Will you please spare me some change". I don't have any change, stranger replied. Out of curiosity, stranger asked the beggar, "What is inside the box upon which you are sitting". I am living here from the last thirty years but I have never checked it, beggar replied. Stranger told him to open and check what's inside it. As beggar opened it, He feels elated by seeing the box full of gold.

The moral of this parable is we are seeking happiness in the outer world. Instead of looking inside we keep on looking outside for happiness and the result turns out to be frustration. From now onward, let's change the frame of reference from outside to inside and connect to the divine reality present in each of us.

Yuval Noah Harrari in Sapiens explains about the Romanticism and Consumerism: .

Romanticism tells us that in order to make the most of our human potential we must have as many different experiences as we can. We must open ourselves to wide spectrum of emotions, we must sample various kinds of relationships; we must try different cuisines, we must learn to appreciate different kinds of music. One of the best way to do all this is to break free from our mental routines, leave behind our family setting, and go traveling in different islands, where we can experience the culture, the smells, the tastes and norms of other people. We hear again and again how a new experience opened my eyes and changed my life.

Consumerism tells us that in order to be happy we must consume as many products and services as possible. If we feel that something is missing or not quite right, then we probably need to buy a product(a car, new clothes, organic food) or a service (housekeeping, relationship therapy, yoga classes). Every television commercial is another little legend about how consuming some product or service will make life better.

In contemporary world we have mixed the concepts of romanticism and consumerism. Their marriage has given birth to the infinite market of experiences.

Romanticism or Consumerism will cure the symptoms of a disease but it won't cure the root cause of a disease. Suppose you bought a new car or went for a holiday trip in New Zealand. You have moved yourself completely into a new environment. Your mind is not used to to this environment. It gives you pleasure until your mind is not adapted to it. After that you will start feeling the same as you were feeling before the consumption of product. The problem is not in the objects. Problem lies in us. Rather than changing ourselves we keep on changing objects. We have become so much disconnected with ourselves that we even forgot to realize the divine which exists in all of us. Happiness is not in the objects. It lies in realizing the divinity within ourselves.

To understand misery we need to understand the difference between work and play.

Work is end oriented. It is a mean to achieve some goal. In itself there is no happiness in it. When we achieve the goal then we become happy. Work is quite related to desire. Desire means working in the present to achieve something in future. It is a kind of contract we have made with ourselves to make us unhappy until the goal is achieved.

On the contrary, Play is not goal oriented or it is the goal in itself. We are playing because we enjoy it. Happiness exists in the play. It is not beyond it. Means and goal become one with each other. There is no past or future in play. We are simply living in the moment. There is no concept of desire in play because nothing is there in the future that has to be achieved.

Children are the most happiest beings I have ever seen in my life. They are living in the moment that's why they are happy. There doesn't exist any gap between means and goals for them.

Everyone has to do some action to fulfill the basic needs of their life. A person X is working for the sake of money. He is not enjoying instead he hates the kind of work he is doing. Source is poisoned and whatever comes out of it is also poisoned. Hence suffering, anguish and hatred will ensue. On the contrary, person Y is working not for the sake of money but for his enjoyment. It might be the case he is earning less than X but he is more happier than him. Source is beautiful and the outcome is also beautiful.

We can't know the thing in itself. Whatever we know is just the projection of our mind. Immanuel Kant

We perceive reality through our minds. There is not one universe in this world. Number of universes is equivalent to the number of minds exist in this world. Heaven or hell doesn't exist in outer world. Heaven or Hell are the symbolic concepts indicating the quality of our mind.

Enlightenment means living in the present fully aware. An enlightened being is at ease with himself because his mind is in bliss. Wherever he goes he carries the bliss with himself. If you have come in contact with such person you will also start feeling happiness, joy in yourself.

Why are human beings miserable?

No one choose suffering still we suffer. This is the paradox. Choose happiness you'll fall in suffering. Try to escape from suffering and more is invited. So, ultimate law is: Whatever you choose opposite will be our fate. Choose happiness and suffering will ensue. Don't choose at all and nothing happens to us.

What is Bliss?

Don't choose, be a witness. No clinging for happiness, no hankering for happiness and no escape from suffering also. Remain in yourself centered, rooted. Bliss is not opposite of suffering. It's a quality which you can bring even to suffering.

The superior man doesn't waste himself on what is distant, on what is absent. He stands in the here and now, in the real situation. Conficus

Suffering happens to Buddha also but he knows the art of enjoying it. How to enjoy it? Remain in yourself. Suffering comes and goes like a breathing coming in and going out. Don't develop an aversion to suffering. Suffering gives us depth. A man who remains in his comfort, who hasn't suffered will not have any tone and remained on the surface. The heart is created through suffering. Through pain we evolve. Suffering is the path. It purifies us, makes us alert, more aware. The more we are aware and less we are desire filled. If we are perfectly aware no desire happens and meditation means nothing else but perfect awareness.

Eckhart Tolle in Power of Now explains How to deal with pain:

Focus attention on the feeling inside you. Know that it is the pain-body. Accept that it is there. Don't think about it. Don't let the feeling turn into thinking. Don't judge or analyze. Don't make an identity for yourself out of it. Stay present, and continue to be the observer of what is happening inside you. Become aware of not only the emotional pain but also of "the one who observes," the silent watcher. This is the power of the now, the power of your own conscious presence. Then see what happens.

Everyone in this world can be classified into three categories:

Abnormal Person: The one who takes everything but never gives anything.

Normal Person: The one who takes and gives in equal proportion.

Super-normal Person: The one who gives but never takes anything.

Blaise Pascal on Living in the present:

Let each of us examine his thoughts; he will find them wholly concerned with the past or the future. We almost never think of the present, and if we do think of it, it is only to see what light it throws on our plans for the future. The present is never our end. The past and present are our means, the future alone our end. Thus we never actually live, but hope to live, and since we are planning how to be happy, it is inevitable that we never be so.

Conclusion: Happiness exists within our self. It can't exist in objects. Engage in play not in work. Try to be in the present, fully aware. Thoughts come and go like a breath. Don't identify yourself with them. Be aware of the observer who is observing the thoughts. If you can't become Super-normal at least be normal!