The time traveler
Understanding how the imagination predicts the future
The neocortex and the thalamus are parts of the brain that handle imagination. As you know, with every part of the body, some people have theirs working right while others not so much. So when they say a person has no imagination, it may not be an insult but perhaps just a statement that holds some truth about the functionality of their neocortex and thalamus. I will leave the scientific jargon out of this but I will retain all the facts. Let’s move forward in time — you’ll need your neocortex and thalamus for this next part.
Can you close your eyes and see yourself as you wake up tomorrow? Imagine the first thing you see as you open your eyes. See yourself as you awake. This should be easy as we have actually been there almost every morning. It is fairly easy to imagine something we have experienced before because we have data (sight and feeling) as to how it went down.
Now let’s try a slightly different imagination. Imagine yourself in a private jet. Feel the seats and the cold air around you — I’m guessing that may not be so easy for a lot of people because they have never experienced it but I will stop you right there.
If our imaginations were solely dependent on previous experience, then how could we create and experience new things?
…ENTER THE TIME TRAVELER
Imagination is our ability to see something in our mind’s eye…something new; something different. The concept of the time traveler is made up of one part imagination and a second part “connecting dots”. A person with this ability would be seen as one who knows the future. A term commonly used for such people is “visionary”.
A time traveler is rarely phased by situations instead they spend their time asking questions that can help them figure out why things are happening a certain way. Once they understand, they can connect dots and see how things will probably happen in the future.
When I get to the ATM, I check how many people are in front of me and I calculate an average of 3 minutes spent per person — immediately I know if I have the time to wait based on the other things I have to do that day. when I shared this with some colleagues, I was somewhat surprised that none of them did this. The next time I was at the ATM with one of them, I quickly said to him “we won’t have the time to wait” and he looked at me with that how do you know expression but then he did the math I had shared earlier and went ahhhhhhh…
We all have the ability to see any future we want but we just need to hone that ability. Whether we want to see 5 minutes in or 5 years in, we are perfectly capable — all that is required of us is our imagination and our ability to connect dots (which is based on our ability to see things clearly today)
WHY IS THIS SKILL IMPORTANT?
For people like me (who don’t believe in chance or luck), knowing how to align for the future becomes a matter of grave importance. It becomes important for us to know the results of our actions, the consequences of our diet, and the role of our inter-personal relationships (this keeps the way we treat others in check).
- Being able to ‘time travel’ lets us what we have to do today in order to have the tomorrow we want.
- We are able to quickly analyze the people in our lives and know the trajectory in which they are heading. This helps us know what relationships are beneficial
- We are calm and confident as we face life. What makes a person agitated most times is the fear of the unknown but when the imagination is called upon and dots are connected, there is nothing that is fully unknown.
- Time-traveling gives us a whole new meaning to ‘acceptance’. We can see that one action may have two or more outcomes and after asking ourselves “are we good with either outcome?” we dive!
FINAL THOUGHTS
I should note that the time traveler I speak of is one who can weigh any future in relation to how it affects their experience. Exploring a future that has nothing to do with the traveler’s experience is a waste of mental energy — that is better left to the psychics.
If this has been a bit difficult to understand, it’s okay. You can always come back to it in the future. Before you do though, close your eyes and imagine yourself waking up tomorrow…in clothes you’ve never owned. If you are successful, then you get it.
