I believe that imagination can solve all of the world’s problems. Whether it is a political problem, a scientific problem, or just a problem in daily life, imagination can eventually solve it.
Throughout my 16 years, I have faced many minor problems: how to get an A in a school class, how to hide the fact that I didn’t from my parents, and other trivial issues. Did I solve every single one of them? No. But I sure tried.
I have come to realize that whenever I attempt to solve a problem, I turn to one source: my imagination. I imagine potential solutions, improve upon them, and hopefully narrow my list down to one solution that works well. I have found that how often I solve difficult problems does not depend so much on my knowledge or intelligence so much as my creativity. For some reason, I thought, this was, and is, often mistaken for intelligence.
But when I thought about this some more, I realized that it made sense. Intelligence is basically the ability to come up with a solution to a difficult problem. With this definition, intelligence basically depends almost entirely on how a person puts his or her imagination to work.
I believe that anybody and everybody can become a great problem-solver, whether it be inventing new technology, negotiating peace between nations, or figuring out how to save money each year. It simply takes an active imagination.
Throughout my grade school career, I have taken countless tests, and inevitably, had to answer many questions to which I did not know the answer. However, countless times I have still managed to answer correctly due to my method of solving problems: I imagine whatever it is I am trying to solve, come up with one or more possible solutions, improve upon them, and pick the one that works best. This is really all it takes to solve a problem.
There is no reason why this cannot be applied to the world’s greater problems. In fact, it already is. In many countless times, I have had to work with a team to get a problem solved. Basically, we brainstorm (imagine possible solutions), then improve upon each idea we came up with. Finally, we narrow our list of ideas down to one. I am quite sure I am not the only one who solves problems in this manner.
I also believe that the imagination needs to be stimulated in order to function at its best. I find that after I have been solving problems, answering quiz questions, or even listening to music or looking at artwork, I feel like I can take on the world.
And I hope that other people might try to use their imaginations to solve problems. It will take much imaginative power to solve the world’s greatest problems. But with my imagination, I know I can contribute. I believe in the power of imagination.