Where Are All the Poets?

A few years back, I was reviewing records of TV’s greatest adverts for work when I stumbled upon the latest from McDonald’s. Set in a classroom, strewn with cardboard boxes, a familiar song began to play in the background. It was one that evokes pure happiness in me, "We Could Have Been Anything" from the childhood cult classic, Bugsy Malone.

Children began to emerge from underneath the boxes, and with euphoria in their eyes, they started assembling their masterpieces; robots, suits of armour, cars and even homes were created. Anyone who has seen the advert will be familiar with the sense of jovial wonder portrayed by these children and at the end of the advert a slogan appeared reading, "What is it with kids and boxes?"

For me as a kid, I remember repeatedly turning unattended boxes into a turtle shells. I would have holes cut in for my arms and head and I would clamber about, crashing awkwardly into doorways as I played out whatever scenario I had invented that week. I remember my wrists would scratch against the edges of the cardboard holes but I never cared to complain—a turtle wouldn’t complain, so neither would I.

That sense of whimsy was a precious gem of adolescence, it’s what made growing up fun. It distracted us from the reality of an adult’s daily life and provided the opportunity for imagination and creativity to flourish.

Injecting Colour

Eventually though, as we grow, we become consumed with the day-to-day completion of tasks; ticking boxes, checking off lists, paying bills and achieving milestones. Let’s face it, adult life is filled with endless routines that can be indisputably dull. Eventually, we begin to have far too many important things to deal with to give any time to the childish notion of whimsy. However, I think that’s exactly what adulthood needs.

There’s no denying that the mood of the world is quite often grey, with too few people focusing their attention on injecting colour and vibrancy into it. Two of the most beautiful things in the world, in my opinion, are nature and creativity, and where does creativity come from? It’s born from the imagination. So the more we shut off our imaginations the more our creativity becomes stifled.

The Killer of Joy

An example of this, a friend of mine is a talented artist who had designs on going to art school. However, a careers adviser told her not to bother with that dream as it’s not considered a profitable venture (because that’s what the world rates as a priority, money), how uninspired. She reconsidered her dream and decided to take a university degree in Economics, which I'm sure she will excel at and in the future her logical choice will repay her, giving her a secure and respectable life.

The thing is, how many more people with academic degrees do we need? It’s not like having a degree is a special accreditation these days; everyone and their mum has a degree or is able to get a degree and realistically, not many of those who gain the qualifications actually go straight into the profession they studied. Not meaning to sound too pessimistic, but I don’t know anyone who is currently practising what they were preached.

What the world needs are the creative souls that breathe beauty and life into an otherwise dull corporate day. The visionaries, philosophers, poets, painters and dancers. The ones who bring the beauty of the world to life, showing us what is possible and encouraging us to take chances on a whim. What kind of uninspired jobsworth tells a person not to bother with their dream because it’s too creative?!

Freedom to Be You

The reason I have always loved the Bugsy Malone song is that it sings about being what you want to be, putting differences aside and uniting for a happier world, one filled with imagination and a belief in the restorative values of creating something beautiful. That is what the world needs, creativity and freedom of expression.

If we allow people to share their dreams, they may just enlighten us as to what is achievable in the world. Wouldn’t life be better if people felt they had the freedom to just do what made them happy? (Murderers and those whose passions cause suffering to others excluded).

Adults can definitely lose their sense of wonder, and for what, conformity and a payslip? Not me. I’m afraid I will have to politely decline from that uniformity and carry on believing in the impossible, the sometimes ridiculous and above all, the power of imagination and wonder to make the world happy.

In the words of the magical character, Mr Marogrium...

You can restore order with imagination.