Our imaginative capacity has been dulled and diminished by a dominant worldview that tells us the intuitive and inspired aren’t valid. 

And look where that has gotten us. 

Darwin said nature makes mistakes and some turn out to be advantageous. I say nature innovates. The platypus is quiet testimony to life’s wild imagination. The ever-unfolding diversity of the world attests to a creative, connective spark. Outrageous, expressive extravagance at every turn. And nothing out of place.

What a job it has been to dull our senses to it all. 

Imagination is life speaking through us of its craving for new connections and possibilities. It is “life’s longing for itself,” as Kahlil Gibran wrote. 

More than ever, we need practices that attune us to the will and wisdom of our own aliveness. We need to listen for a new story, in which we are part of the unfolding. We need to surrender to the extravagance. 

The dominant worldview would tell us this is folly. Somewhere in each of us is the child who remembers it is the only reasonable response to the circumstances we face. Indeed, it is our only salvation.

Michelle Holliday is a facilitator, presenter, and author of the book, The Age of Thrivability: Vital Perspectives and Practices for a Better World.