Where Did Our Imagination Go?

Have you noticed how, over the past few years, colors, memories, tastes, and even the feeling of memory itself seem to slowly fade away? I do not say this with absolute certainty that it happens to everyone, but many of us seem to be searching for our imagination once again.

Where did the colors of the past go? 

Where did our imagination go?

Where could our imagination have disappeared to? In the final book of Philip Pullman’s second trilogy, Lyra’s daemon* believes that Lyra has drifted away from her imagination and her inner nature. He believes that, through growing up and immersing herself in books that supposedly encourage intellectual independence by undermining anything traditional, the teenage Lyra has slowly lost a part of herself. And this begins to affect the way they communicate with one another. So many things in our modern world remind me of this storyline...

Gurus who promise instant solutions to all our problems. People who believe they have discovered the meaning of life and try to guide everyone else toward it. Religious leaders who control through rules and division, separating people based on sexuality, nationality, or how faithfully someone follows their expectations. Endless voices trying to convince you that life is energy, life is in the stars, in space, in vibrations, in God - a different version each time.

You wake up and open your phone. You shop through the internet, love through the internet, experience intimacy through the internet, and now artificial intelligence gives you every answer imaginable, explaining everything instantly. You no longer need to search. You no longer need to chase life itself. You only need to look for it at the press of a button.

Do you remember when we used to go outside without feeling the need to photograph every moment? When the meaning was found in conversations and companionship? Do you remember when we called people to wish them happy birthday instead of sending quick messages? Do you remember when our evenings meant leaving the house to rent or buy a videotape? When our music was not endlessly available in front of us, but something we searched for through vinyl records, cassette tapes, or CDs?

Do you remember searching for knowledge through encyclopedias, spending hours looking for one thing and accidentally discovering something entirely different along the way?

Do you remember when the objects around us felt sturdier because life was not centered around fast consumption, but around quality?

Do you remember when homes and spaces were filled with color because neutrality was not considered the ideal, but life itself was?

There is nothing wrong if meaning is ultimately found in God, the stars, the universe, or anywhere else. There is nothing wrong with technology changing. The problem is the way this supposed progress was pushed into our lives while quietly killing our imagination along the way. 

The most vulnerable point of humanity is its desire to stop struggling, stop searching, stop striving - and anything that appears easy quickly begins to look like the solution to our existence.

At the cost of our colors. 

At the cost of our imagination.

And if those disappear, then we become open to every new trend, every new ideology, every new version of reality handed to us. Because we slowly lose our identity.

The identity that simply says: human.

---

*Daemon: In Philip Pullman’s literary universe, daemons are external manifestations of a person’s soul or inner nature. They accompany each individual and reflect their emotions, character, and identity.

---

If you read all the way to the end, thank you. We would genuinely love to hear your thoughts, memories, or feelings in the comments. And if you ever feel like writing to us more personally, you can always send us a letter at:

✉️ unplug.thrive@gmail.com

— Mary & Chris