Book 2 - A Year of Magical Learning

Reflection Title - Our Imagination is our Superpower

Book - Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari

Book Description - In Sapiens, Professor Yuval Noah Harari spans the whole of human history, from the very first humans to walk the earth to the radical—and sometimes devastating—breakthroughs of the Cognitive, Agricultural, and Scientific Revolutions.

Reflection: Sapiens was recommended to me by a good friend, and fellow ClubAny member, Aaron Snow back in the summer of 2020. It was at this time that I was probably the most open in my life to any and all concepts as I was slowly emerging from the rubble of the blast that losing my daughter caused a few months prior. I was starting to view life in all new kinds of ways, think differently, view my place in the world differently, etc. Sapiens, hit me like a ton of bricks at the perfect time. The author helps you to zoom out on the whole human experience and see it completely differently than most of us do as we scurry about each and every day in the rat race of our modern life.

As professor Harari was zooming out on the human experience with his words and describing how the world as we know it came to be, I was struck by the idea that we truly are an incredibly species and the only creatures in this world that are not bound to our biological limitations. We've been able to zoom past every other living thing in this world by using the power of our imaginations. Our ability to dream up new ideas that don't exist, form language to be able to communicate and share that idea to other humans, and ultimately work together to bring these ideas to life is remarkable. Humans truly have no limits when you think of the world in this paradigm. Our imagination truly is our superpower in this world. I for one am so happy that I read this book and learned this lesson as I will carry it with me until my last breath.

Question - When was the last time you used your imagination?

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Links:

What is The Year of Magical Learning? - An Introduction

YOML Podcast Discussion - Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind

YOML Bookstore - Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari