All language subtitles for MasterClass LeVar Burton Teaches the Power of Storytelling - 06 The Imagination Is Our Superpower

[MUSIC PLAYING]

I believe that two of the most
important words in combination

in language are
"what if" because

by accepting that
invitation into the what

if, everything becomes possible.

And so after that question,
in the exploration

of that question, all things
become possible, right?

What if we were able
to build a spaceship

and travel to other stars?

What if we were able to marshal
the resources on this planet

and demonstrate that there
is plenty for all of us?

What if we were able to bridge
the divide that separates us

ideologically,
intellectually, emotionally?

What if we were able to do that?

[MUSIC PLAYING]

There's a tendency that
we have as human beings

to encourage an
investigation into the what

if when we're children.

But we remove permission
as we get older

to imagine and to
investigate that what if,

I believe that we need
to maintain contact

with that inquiry.

We need to maintain our
contact with our imaginations

as we grow up and grow older.

I love reading aloud.

It's one of my favorite
modalities of storytelling.

On my podcast, I read
a different piece

of short fiction
in every episode.

And one of the
reasons why I do that

is because I know
that my generation is

leaving a world full of
problems behind when we leave.

And I believe that it's going to
be incumbent upon this upcoming

generation to solve
these problems.

And chief among the
tools that they will need

is their imaginations.

We can't have a just,
equitable society

unless we can imagine one.

For me, our imagination
is a muscle, right?

It's an ability.

I guess it is kind
of like a bicycle.

You never lose it, but it's
not in tiptop condition

unless we exercise it, you know?

And so the idea of
nurturing our imaginations,

actually nourishing that
part of ourselves that

is naturally creative, is
what I'm talking about.

And for some reason, we
equate in this culture the--

the need and necessity
to leave behind,

as it is said, those
childish things in order

to become a functioning
member of society

is kind of ass backwards,
as far as I'm concerned.

I think in order to become a
productive, functioning member

of society, you need all of
your gifts front and center.

And certainly, you
need your imagination.

Again, nothing that
has ever been invented

did not begin as a thought
in the mind of a human being.

That's the absolute truth about
the power of our imagination.

So it's essential
that we nourish

that aspect of ourselves
because chief among, I think,

any other facility
we possess, it

is our imaginations
that is going

to sustain us through
good times and bad

as we move through life.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

Reading is absolutely the
gateway to our imagination.

Because when we're reading,
we are automatically

projected into a space where
we are creating and cocreating

with the word the reality
that we are experiencing.

When we read, we make the
pictures in our heads.

We make the movie in our heads.

And that's important
because without being

able to visualize--

and this is really key and
critical for human beings

to understand.

Without the ability to
visualize, nothing gets done.

You can sit and
feel all you want.

But it's not going
to build a house.

It's not going to put
food on the table.

You can sit in your
feelings all day long,

and you won't advance
your cause one whit.

But if you are in
your imaginative self,

if you are in that space,
everything is possible.

And the only thing,
then, necessary

is right action
behind that vision.

When I was a kid-- and
even now as an adult--

reading was a way for me to
reinforce the possibility that

existed in the universe.

Reading introduced me
to the possibilities

that I was perhaps unaware of.

And that's why I feel it's
so essential and important.

Because through
the word, we can be

introduced to that which we
never contemplated before.

And in the act of
being introduced

to an idea, a concept, a
truth that we had never

considered before, a whole
universe of possibility

opens up for us.

And it really unlocks, right?

It's a key that unlocks our
potential as human beings.

It's so critical that we
develop a healthy relationship

with our imagination.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

When I decided not
to become a priest

and to become an actor instead,
it coincided with a trip

that I took across country
with some friends of mine.

And the purpose of the trip
for me was to get to New York

and sit in the Imperial Theatre
in the Broadway District

and experience Ben Vereen,
who was an idol of mine,

in the show "Pippin."

And we got to New York.

I bought my ticket.

I was enthralled by the show.

And afterwards, I
waited two hours

at the backstage door for
Mr. Vereen to come out.

And when he finally
did, I shook his hand.

And I said, Mr. Vereen,
my name is LeVar Burton.

I'm an actor, and I really
hope to work with you one day.

Now, I said that with all
confidence in the knowledge

that acting had now
become my life's purpose.

And I had every reason to
believe that what I stated

would come into existence.

And when I encountered Ben
again on the set of "Roots,"

I had the Polaroid picture
that we took in that moment.

And of course, he
didn't remember.

You know, how many
people does a Ben Vereen

meet at the backstage
door after a performance?

What was important to me
was that I had touched it.

I had tangible proof that I
had made contact with my dream.

And in that experience, my
dream became possible for me

in my mind.

That's the connection.

That's the importance of
having a dream, right?

It's sort of a magnet that pulls
us to our destiny, our dreams.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

I believe that an important part
of the process of manifestation

is your mental attitude.

I am, I believe, one of
the most positive people

I've ever known.

I have just a preternaturally
positive outlook on life.

And I believe that it
has really served me

in terms of having
my dreams come

true, being able to
manifest my heart's desire.

I think that there is something
to the idea of generating

a space in our lives where
dreams can become reality.

I think in terms
of manifestation,

the universe needs to
see your investment.

It needs to feel the
sincerity of your effort

and the intention behind it.

And it's that which the
universe aligns with, right?

The universe will always
align with the sincerity

of your effort and intention.

It's just the nature of
this space that we occupy.

We have to bring our
own light to the world

in order to see its result,
to manifest its like.

We have to generate our
own sense of optimism

and positivity in order
to get that feedback

from the universe.

One of the immutable laws of the
universe-- you've got to bring

ass to whoop ass.

There, I said it.

[LAUGHING]

[MUSIC PLAYING]

Judgment is a
manifestation killer.

Manifestation is
largely a function

of cultivating that
which we know to be true

and then having the courage
to put oneself out there.

I think that's a piece
that a lot of us miss.

For some of us,
our life experience

informs us that the world
is there to serve us rather

than the other way around.

I believe we are here
to serve the world

and that it's our
responsibility to seek out

experiences that give us the
opportunity to render service.

I think life is something
that has to be thirsted after.

We have to seek out life.

We have to want to
engage and really

have a hunger for the unknown.

It's a journey.

It's a process.

And I had a very difficult
time adjusting myself

to the reality--

the need of the necessity
of process in my life.

I have always been a
fairly impatient person.

I've wanted-- I want what
I want when I want it.

And it's really been
important for me

to learn how to
delay gratification

in the favor of process.

When I engage in a
process toward my goal,

toward my dream,
when I get there,

inevitably I am able
to really relish

it more than it was just--

than if it were handed to me.

If I'm able to
recognize my own success

in the pursuit of my dream, it
means an awful lot more to me

than if I feel it was
just visited upon me.