Carl Sagan Quote (Supposedly. Internet isn’t always honest.)
(Ouch. This one hits pretty hard on the nose. Apparently, I wrote this in 2011.)
Do you remember your power?
The childhood ability
To dream of the impossible
And bring it to life
Friends with no substance
Explanations beyond science
Reality was nothing more than clay
This power was the source of fun
And the push for our ambition
Defiance in the face of adults
Who swore it had no purpose
Because they had forgotten
That they once held the power too
As time went on many lost it
Like a muscle that is never used
Our power shriveled and weakened
Crippled by the horror of adulthood
Our friends of fiction vanish
Leaving behind a misty memory
That we call childhood foolishness
We have moved on to the ‘real’ world
Letting our great power die
No longer remembering its joy
Becoming the adults who stifled us
With their atrophied imagination
Legends of Windemere 
Oh my word. That is powerful, Charles. And so sadly true. How many times have I heard what a waste of time storywriting is from “well-meaning” people who thought I should do something more “useful.” Yet 100% of them have watched shows.movies or read books that were the products of someone’s imagination (including realistic fiction), yet never said the same thing about those books or shows/movies.
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It’s not just storytelling too. Any type of art or creative endeavor is called childish. If you’re not working or running errands then most people think you’re wasting your time. It’s sad.
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Sad but true. When did the world become so lackluster?
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Think around the late 80’s or early 90’s. At least that’s when it started.
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This! I’m writing a short story this week about childhood imagination. I fought hard to protect my kids imagination and think play is absolutely vital to the health of children.
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I held onto mine for as long as possible. Though it’s taken a massive hit over the last few years. Started around the time life got so stressful and busy that I rarely got time to relax. Adulting really does suck at times.
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Adulting during a pandemic is even worse. My kids are teens now and the letting go really began during the lockdown and now it feels like their childhood was moments ago and also a long time ago. Parenting is so weird.
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My son was in 5th grade when the pandemic hit and now he’s finishing 7th. I definitely think 6th was the worst, but I had the added challenge of coparenting during a pandemic. That seemed he an extra level of stress.
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What a tough age! That sounds extremely challenging.
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He’s special needs too. Think I aged a decade in one year.
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Sending you a great big virtual hug. I don’t think we will fully realize the impact the last few years have made on our children for some time.
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Thanks. My son is making it through okay given the situation. Honestly, I think a big factor was how parents handled it as well. Kids look to us as examples, so us flipping it gives them the green light. They’re so much better at flipping out than us too b
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Wow. A powerful poem, Charles.
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Thanks.
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Reblogged this on Chris The Story Reading Ape's Blog and commented:
A powerful poem from Charles…
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Thanks. 🙂
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So much truth here.
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Thanks. Wish it wasn’t so true though.
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