Man’s imagination is infinite. Only through this mind’s eye can we see the possibilities of the future. Without this crucial tool, or as some philosophers name it the essence to the true soul, none of the amazing and wondrous innovations of the past would have existed; this true of fiction too. Based on the imagination, fiction and fantasy takes its readers to different worlds and lands sculpted from dreams of their creators. These visionaries use fiction to expose and analyze many different aspects of the human condition as well as positioning lessons and morals among the typeface.
Since the development of the written word history has been recorded and changed the course of the future. Through these intimate interactions with the page, people are able to interpret, understand, and above all else imagine what the author is trying to portray. It is not the apparent usefulness of opposable thumbs that gives humans the aura of a higher purpose then that of other animals, but the basic and rudimentary skill that we can remember the past, live in the present, and imagine the future.
Fiction, fantasy, and ultimately the world of cyberspace has always been important to society and from its shy beginnings was itself an aspect of fantasy. Think of the first ‘writers’ who chose to record some event by placing pen to paper or rough stick-like brush to the surface of cave wall. Can you imagine the first moment where thought became and image, a symbol, and then finally a letter, a word? Fantasy and writing are in our case not separate entities. One cannot function without the other because the mere action of writing itself for these first people was an act of fantasy, it was imagination that brought this lexis to life in the beginning.
These visionaries created a world where they could remember through text and it that process it became today’s reality. These humans made a conscious decision to write and record thoughts. It is this act that transformed them from a society of like individuals to a people with hopes, dreams, and aspirations recorded in history for the world to see. Constantly creating and creating the future through these representations, our forefathers were pioneers of the imagination industry.
Through the recorded lexis in books and online we embark on journeys of the highest magnitude. From the Helvetian Islands in Homer’s to the wonderful wizarding world of Harry Potter, we are able to transport ourselves to a different time a place and from these fictional endeavors find meanings, morals, and a life time of learning. True we must look to history to discover the errors of the past in order to ensure that they are not repeated, but the study and examination of our past’s fantasy and fiction is as important as any World Civilization text.
Fiction and Virtual Reality creates alternate realities, different dimensions that can mirror ours. Sometimes they are poles apart from our real selves such as dystopian dynasties and out-of-our-worldly universes. At other times we see a likeness so similar that it opens doors to creative thought and philosophic consideration, but the timeliest, the most important form of fiction for the coming age of our world as we know it, will be seen in the manifestations of our world seen through slanted light, of our world with a slight tint. These slight changes to the very fabric of society breed such an eerie familiarity and yet utter strangeness to our consciousness.
Interesting and well written meditation. I assume this relates to the sections of virtual reality in particular?
ReplyDeleteYes. My basis of comparison was fiction in books, journals, and writing, in comparison to the virtual world where things are also an illusion. We thus immerse ourselves in both experiences.
ReplyDeleteThis was a very interesting read. Being an avid reader myself, I definitely find that i am completely engaged in the book just as a virtual reality experience would be.
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