Imagination Spans
In recent years, much has been said about the decline of attention spans. But alongside this cultural concern, a quieter and perhaps more damaging trend has emerged: the diminishing of imagination spans. Our collective obsession with hyperrealism—whether in video games, virtual worlds, paintings, or other forms of media—has created a reality where the ability to imagine, to think beyond what is presented to us, is steadily eroding.
Hyperrealism has become the commercial benchmark for quality. We marvel at video games and movies that mimic the real world with stunning accuracy. We judge paintings by how closely they resemble photographs. And in our obsession with realism, we’ve reduced the deeper questions about purpose and impact to a single, shallow inquiry: “Does it look real enough?”
Hyperrealism as a Mirror of Flesh
Hyperrealism is rooted in the attempt to replicate the physical world around us with painstaking detail. While this may seem like an innocent pursuit of technical skill, it actually perpetuates an unhealthy obsession with our own flesh—our physical selves and the material world. By focusing so intently on recreating what we can already see, we anchor ourselves even more deeply to the temporal and the tangible, disconnecting us from the spiritual realm and the eternal truths that exist beyond what is visible.
This fixation on replicating the physical world blinds us to its deeper meaning. Instead of using creativity to transcend the limitations of the flesh, hyperrealism binds us to it, reinforcing a mindset that elevates the material over the spiritual. As Paul warns in Romans 8:6:
"The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace."
By idolizing hyperrealism, we risk neglecting the spiritual dimension of existence, focusing instead on what is fleeting and shallow.
The Illusion of Depth in Hyperrealism
Before I realized this, I thought that building virtual worlds gave me access to greater depth. By using the z-axis to create three-dimensional spaces, I believed I was going beyond the limitations of traditional mediums. But I’ve since learned that depth isn’t about dimensions. True depth comes from how we interpret and engage with reality.
A single line on a piece of paper can evoke infinite meaning if we approach it with curiosity and faith. Imagination, not hyperrealism, is what unlocks the depths of our understanding. Hyperrealism, by filling in every detail, leaves no room for us to imagine, to reflect, or to see beyond the surface. It removes the ambiguity that invites engagement and interpretation.
This has profound implications for our spiritual lives. Faith, as described in Hebrews 11:1, is "the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." Hyperrealism undermines this conviction. When everything is presented to us in hyper detail, we lose the ability to trust in the unseen. We become increasingly dependent on what we can see and touch, diminishing our capacity for faith and imagination.
Hyperrealism vs. Spiritual Creativity
This cultural obsession with hyperrealism isn’t limited to video games or movies; it extends to art as well. Hyperrealistic paintings are often lauded as monumental achievements, but what do they truly offer? Photography already captures the physical world with perfect accuracy. Artists like Rembrandt, by contrast, brought their spiritual selves into their work. His paintings were not merely representations of people—they carried atmosphere, emotion, and a sense of the divine.
The greatest works of art don’t mirror reality—they transcend it. They invite us to engage with something deeper, something unseen. But hyperrealism does the opposite. It diminishes our imagination spans by filling in every gap, every white space, leaving us with nothing to interpret or explore.
Disconnecting from the Spiritual Realm
The pursuit of hyperrealism doesn’t just harm our creativity—it distances us from God. By focusing on the physical world and attempting to replicate it in minute detail, we lose sight of the spiritual realm that lies beyond it.
As Colossians 3:2 reminds us:
"Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things."
Hyperrealism encourages us to do the opposite. It roots us in the material, feeding our obsession with flesh and the tangible. Instead of seeking higher consciousness and spiritual growth, we become fixated on perfecting representations of the world we already see.
This mindset bleeds into every area of life, from the metaverse to NFTs to video games. These technologies create hyperrealistic worlds that mirror our own, but with the added promise of unrestricted freedom—freedom to indulge, to sin, to escape the boundaries of morality and consequence. They don’t elevate us; they insulate us from the deeper truths of existence.
Faith in the Unseen
Faith and imagination are deeply connected. Both require us to see beyond what is immediately visible and engage with the unknown. Hyperrealism, by presenting everything in full detail, removes the need for imagination, which in turn weakens our capacity for faith.
Jesus often spoke in parables, stories that left room for interpretation and reflection. These parables required imagination to understand and faith to embrace. In Matthew 13:13, He says:
"Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand."
If we lose our ability to imagine and engage with the unseen, we risk becoming like those described in this verse—unable to grasp the deeper truths of God’s kingdom.
A Call to Rediscover Imagination
To combat the diminishing of imagination spans, we must turn away from hyperrealism and embrace ambiguity, creativity, and faith. Instead of trying to replicate the physical world in exact detail, we should seek to explore and interpret its deeper meaning.
The purpose of art, technology, and creativity is not to mirror reality but to transcend it, to point us toward the eternal and the unseen. By focusing on the spiritual realm and engaging with the mysteries of faith, we can restore our ability to imagine and believe.
As 2 Corinthians 4:18 reminds us:
"So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."
Let us resist the pull of hyperrealism and rediscover the beauty of ambiguity. Let us train ourselves to imagine, to interpret, and to see the unseen. For it is in the gaps, the questions, and the unseen truths that we find the richness of faith and the purpose God has for us.