The Power of Imagination…?

The past week, we were to read and analyze Martha Nussbaum’s “Democratic Citizenship and the Narrative Imagination” in our course package and it immediately sparked faint interest in me. Nussbaum argues that the arts, more specifically, literature, has the ability of “cultivating powers of imagination.”

In turn, imagination yields compassion, and compassion is a necessary requirement to become a responsible citizen. Furthermore, compassion helps us  recognize the suffering and misfortunes of others, and ultimately, we relate to their misfortunes. Apparently, we can only feel sympathy for others if they are suffering. As a result, we imagine ourselves taking up their roles in misfortune, and realize we can be subject to such misery as well. Why is this?-Because we are imperfect beings.

Reading this left a bitter taste in my mouth.

We can only feel empathy for others when they are suffering? Is there no one in the world who would put their feet in another person’s shoes when that person is happy? That is too cruel.

Initially I felt disappointed in humanity. However, after more speculation, I found that this atrocious theory was the painful truth.

Earlier this summer, I was walking through downtown Vancouver after a BC lions game, all jacked up with energy and excitement from the win over the Toronto Argonauts. However, my enthusiasm was short lived after I walked past a homeless person on the side street.

Of course you might be thinking, homeless people are not scarce downtown. 

This homeless man, however, had no legs.

Struck with pity, my mood instantly converted from ecstatic to pessimistic. I felt unbearable compassion for him. I am an athlete. I love physical activity such as running and jumping-actions this homeless man can never perform. I cannot bear the thought of losing my legs and my mobility. Through this one small experience, I realized that I am incredible fortunate to be financially stable, as well as be physically healthy.

We who live our everyday lives in ease-although you may not think it-take many things for granted.

Through relating this experience to Nussbaum’s work, it only makes sense that we feel bad for those who are suffering. Never do we feel empathy for people who are content with their lives. There’s no point. Although this is common sense, it really did take me a while to realize this.

I know this is cliche, but it is something we can never stress enough:

We cannot take anything we have for granted. There are people out there in the world that are suffering, living in poverty or despair. In comparison, we are given so much support by our families an friends everyday of our lives. Through imagining ourselves in the shoes of others, as Nussbaum implies, we are given the opportunity to reflect on what we have. To be a responsible citizen, as well as a responsible human being, we have to be able to feel sympathy for others.

We have to always work towards our future with our own two feet.

We have legs, let’s use them.