“What can I build today? What will I create tomorrow?” My imagination ran wild. This was a time when the simple click of LEGO® bricks was the soundtrack of our childhoods. Each piece, a gateway to infinite possibilities, a challenge to our young minds to stretch further, to build castles, rockets, and skyscrapers, with nothing but these colorful bricks. We only had a few shapes to choose from, 2s, 4s, 6s, 8s, and those longer ones. Each one a test of our ingenuity.
Fast forward to today, and the scene has shifted dramatically. The LEGO sets of now are marvels of engineering, with pieces shaped to fit a single purpose, and illustrated instructions to guide you along the way. Don’t get me wrong, these sets are a fantastic phenomenon, creating worlds piece by piece. But in this precision, in these step-by-step guides, lies a subtle message— “Follow the path laid out for you. We know better than you. You can’t build anything as beautiful without our lead.”
And here’s the problem, in our quest to give our children the universe, we might just be clipping their wings. With every pre-designed set, we inch closer to a world where instructions are not just followed but sought after. A world where the question isn’t “What can I create?” but “What should I create?” This shift, subtle yet profound, could be shaping a generation of followers, not dreamers or thinkers.
Imagine a future, where children sit back as personal robots assemble LEGO sets for them. A beep to signal completion, and they wake from their dreamless slumber to admire a creation they had no hand in. A stark contrast to being elbow-deep in bricks, searching for that one piece that would complete the masterpiece, of our dreams.
And before you think, “Ah, but technology is progress!” pause and ponder. As we march towards efficiency and precision, are we leaving behind the very essence that makes us human? Our ability to imagine, to create not because we were told how but because we dared to think it possible.
The tale of LEGO, from its humble beginnings to its current technological marvels, mirrors our society's evolution. From valuing the process of creation to celebrating the perfection of someone else’s instructions. From cherishing the mistakes made along the way to avoiding them at all costs. In our pursuit of creating a perfect world for our children, are we inadvertently creating a society of followers?
It’s time to reclaim the magic of those bricks, not for nostalgia’s sake, but for the future of imagination. To once again, celebrate the joy of creating something out of nothing, not because an app says you can but because you dreamed it possible. For in those dreams, in that wild, untamed imagination, lies the future—not of perfect LEGO builds, but of a world rich with thinkers, doers, and dreamers.
I Used to Dream: Rediscovering Imagination and Creativity with Legos
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Marty Jalove of Master Happiness is a Corporate Coach, Business Consultant, and Marketing Strategist that helps small businesses, teams, and individuals find focus, feel fulfilled, and have fun. Master Happiness stresses the importance of realistic goal setting, empowerment, and accountability in order to encourage employee and customer engagement and retention.
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