"Lost" in Divergent Thinking

LEGO sign created by Brother Bear & T-Bear.

Having spent about a week embroiled in a “Lost” marathon with my family, I can say with some confidence that this series is an excellent example of divergent thinking. It’s not unusual for a series or movie to jump from character to character, have multiple sub-plots developing concurrently with the main plot, and even to move back and forth between the present and other time periods. But, somehow J.J. Abrams and his crew have taken this type of jumping about to a new level. They manage to keep our heads spinning, without confusing us. We’re left baffled and bewildered, but are enjoying the ride immensely. And then, there are the moments of complete, unadulterated whimsy. Stuff that is just random, in a delightful kind of way. It’s very much like listening to a young child tell a story.

“There’s this airplane that falls apart in the sky and a bunch of people land on the beach on a deserted island and mostly aren’t hurt. And there’s a dinosaur monster in the jungle, except it’s not really and dinosaur, it just sounds like a dinosaur, and it’s really smoke, and it eats the pilot. And a dead guy is walking around in a business suit and white tennis shoes. Oh, and a polar bear comes charging out of the jungle even though polar bears aren't supposed to live in tropical jungles. And a guy has to push a button every 108 minutes to save the world, and one day he doesn't, and that's why the plane crashes. And the island they’re all on can be moved by turning a big wheel. Oh, and in the past this guy was a con man, and now a boar is tormenting him and trashing his stuff, and in the future he’s living in the past. And, I forgot, the island isn’t actually deserted, ‘cause a bunch of people have been living there for a really, really long time, I’m not sure how long, but they just don’t want the other people to know they’re there, and this one guy never gets older even though he’s been there forever. And there’s a super-mysterious power source on the island and all these secret hidden stations with old computers in them. Oh, and a submarine! There has to be a submarine, ‘cause submarines are cool.” You get the idea. This is total divergent thinking. And, in this case, it is brilliantly executed.

In contrast, the other night I watched an episode of Heros with Papa Bear, who last year was deeply embroiled in that series. This show tries to be divergent, but doesn’t quite get there. Even though it bounces around from character to character, event to event, and time to time, the overall composition of the story is still linear. You know it’s plodding along in a logical progression, and that everything is going to be tidily explained and nicely wrapped up at some point. There aren’t many “I didn’t see that coming” moments to spin your head around. There’s no sense of delighted bewilderment. It’s a convergent mind trying to look divergent, and after being completely delighted by Lost, Heros simply did not hold my attention. It failed to hold Papa Bear’s attention, too.

At the heart of divergent thinking lies enchantment and an all-encompassing sense of wonder. A complete, soul-nourishing delight and bewilderment at the world around us, and what some of us are capable of creating when allowed the time and permission to do so. Our cultural soul is STARVING for these sparks of divergent thinking that can burst into a flame of complete wonder and awe.

So, bring it on kids! We, the confined, conformed and convergent-minded grown-ups of the world, promise to do our best not to squash your creative thinking, and to actually nourish it as best we are able. Because, deep down in our hearts and souls, we know this world desperately needs your beautiful, soulful, flabbergasting cage-rattling to set it straight.

In My Child's Mind

Apparently right-brain dominant kids are prone to having anxiety at night. Their divergent thinking – the organic, free-form flowing from idea to idea – combined with their tendency to think in pictures and stories and metaphor, and their sense of “reality” as existing within their own minds…well, in the dark of the night that can lead to some intense, upsetting, and persistent thoughts, visions, and feelings. That’s T-Bear to a tee.

Our family has been immersed in a Lost marathon this week. The kids have been wandering in and out, sometimes following the stories, sometimes just checking in for a bit before going off to do something else. But they’re familiar with all of the characters, and one of the most endearing characters in this series is Charlie. Well, last night Charlie died. We all cried, because it was sad, especially when Hugo tells Claire that Charlie is gone and they cling to one another sobbing. Then the scene ended, the next scene began, and we were all fine. Until bedtime. Then, T-Bear got really upset. He started crying and couldn’t stop. It’s not unusual for him to get deeply immersed in upset feelings, and it’s difficult to help him get out of it. Explaining that it’s “just at TV show” and Charlie isn’t really dead because he’s not real doesn’t help. Convergent, logically sequenced thinking doesn’t work because that’s not how his mind works. Sometimes getting him to focus on other, more pleasant thoughts can help, but it’s hard to find a thought in the moment that is enticing enough to his mind to divert it. Mostly we just have to wait it out.

After reading the first part of Chapter Two, I’m beginning to understand that divergent-thinking kids think in pictures and stories. I suspect T-Bear got stuck in the picture of Charlie’s death (even though it wasn’t graphic, it was upsetting) and of Hugo and Claire’s grief, and the vision and emotional impact of it was so powerful and enticing to his mind, it wouldn’t let go. I’m beginning to understand that the best approach to help T-Bear out of his upset would have been to co-create an even more enticing story, one as wild and imaginative as possible, in which Charlie is magically saved and reunited with Claire and their friends. A purple mermaid swims in through the broken porthole, takes him off to her people who all live inside a giant golden sea snail’s shell, their magician (who is a brine shrimp) brings him back to life, Charlie charms them with an underwater concert backed up by a band of sea slugs, and they give him a blue walrus to saddle up and ride back to the beach. Giggles and a happy ending. And, hopefully, a good night’s sleep.

I’ve always tried to see through the eyes of our children in an effort to empathize with them and understand where they are coming from. I’m beginning to see now that even more than seeing through their eyes, I’m going to have to start seeing through their minds to gain more understanding of them as people. I’m going to have to learn divergent thinking, wildly irrational creativity, existing in timelessness, and how to be fluent in the metaphorical universe that they live in, if we are going to gain a deeper level of understanding of one another.

Parenting is a challenge beyond any other.

Edison-Trait Kids

Torch designed and built by Boo-Boo.

Pie tin to reflect the light, and funnel to catch the dripping wax.

Yes, he did light it (on the back deck), and it did catch on fire. More than intended.

There was no permanent damage.

*****

I’m currently reading Dreamers, Discoverers & Dynamos by Lucy Jo Palladino, PhD. It’s about kids (and, eventually, adults) who are right-brain dominant, or divergent, thinkers. The book was originally titled “The Edison Trait”, because Palladino cites Thomas Alva Edison as the prime example of a divergent thinker. Not just the genius inventor part of his character, but also the kicked-out-of-school and burned-his-father's-barn-to-the-ground (oops) parts. She gives three classifications of Edison-trait kids. There is frequently overlap in these classifications, but often these kids are very strongly one or another. See if you recognize anyone you know in these descriptions.

“Dreamers - Some Edison-trait children…daydream. They live in the sky with their heads in the clouds. They are imaginative and artful. Ideas and stories have personal meanings to them. They can become quite absorbed in “inner space.” If your child can tell you what star date it is, but not the actual month, day, and year, he may be an Edison-trait Dreamer.” (That's T-Bear to a tee).

“Discoverers – Some Edison-trait children….are doers. They must see what happens for themselves, so they “do” first, and ask questions later. They are insistent in their opinions and their inquisitive, adventuresome ways. They are passionate, spontaneous, and often dramatic and entertaining. Like Thomas Edison, they like to experiment, so they test to see how far they can go. They experiment with themselves, with others, and with the rules. If doing things his own way is paramount to your child, he may be an Edison-trait Discoverer.” (That's Brother and BooBoo).

“Dynamos – Sometimes, Edison-trait children….also have an inordinarly high energy level. These are children who are constantly on the move. Sometimes they have an aggressive streak. Their impulsivity lands them in various kinds of trouble, which usually disturbs those around them more than it does them. They can be dauntless. They like power and speed and a personal challenge. If your child can’t pass up a race or a dare, he may be an Edison-trait Dynamo.” (Also BooBoo...nice combination, huh?).

A few lists. Edison-trait children tend to show the following qualities:

• Openness to multiple sights, sounds, and thoughts
• A daring or wandering imagination
• A global perspective
• Creative urges or compelling attraction for new ideas
• Intense focus on his own pursuits and interests

Culturally, we tend to phrase these traits in a more negative light, especially when they are in a classroom setting:

• Is easily distracted
• Lives in a state of disorganization
• Neglects important details
• Doesn’t follow things through to completion
• Won’t obey or comply

Edison-trait kids find some things come easily:

• Thinking up wild or unusual ideas
• Standing up for, feeling strongly about, and getting involved in those ideas
• Making things up, and imagining the future
• Trying things out
• Starting new projects

And, some things are more difficult:

• Focusing on someone else’s ideas
• Letting of his own ideas
• Remembering things he’s been asked to do
• Practicing skills repeatedly
• Finishing things

Now, the author keeps talking about “if you have an Edison-trait child” as if any family would ever only be blessed with one of them. Unlike my family, which has been blessed with three kids who clearly have these traits. And a husband.

I think I need to read faster.