The War Against Reality

"Imagination is the one weapon in the war against reality."
- Jules de Gaultier


If someone is in a situation in which their reality is one of poverty, war, disease, or suffering, he/she may or may not be motivated to change it. In order to do so, they would have to first believe that change is possible, and second, be able to imagine a different reality. Take for instance, the second stanza of John Lennon's song called "Imagine:"

Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace

For an Arab or Israeli child who has only known war with the "other side," it would take a strong "weapon" to break the cycle of both war and perception of each other as the enemy. In that case, Gaultier is right. Each has to use his imagination to create an image of peace toward which they can work.

Likewise, if your reality is a ghetto, you have to be able to imagine yourself breaking free of that environment in order to do so. Of course, imagination alone is never enough. It has to be accompanied by hard work and will power. In that sense, I disagree with Gaultier's characterization of imagination as "the one weapon" in the war against reality. It is, however, an extremely powerful one.