narrowing choice

We think we understand the rules when we become adults but what we really experience is a narrowing of the imagination.— David Lynch

It's true, at least I think it is. My imagination has become stagnant since I entered adulthood. I no longer seem to dream in colors but shades of grey. Why does this happen? It's not like anyone said "hey, stop dreaming there is more important work to be done," well, actually now that I write it out I think I have heard that before. Back to the question though, why do we generally experience a narrowing of imagination when we grow older?Perhaps people are jaded, thinking things aren't ideal and no matter what is done, nothing positive seems to spring from their tribulations. Perhaps it's a pecuniary thing, not many people are successful at the pursuance of their imagination, and rather than fail miserably trying to achieve something that doesn't ever take flight they simply give up, instead, opting for a safe position within the confines wage slavery. Perhaps the rules simply create who we are allowed to be, not giving us a choice in the matter. There isn't much freedom to live outside what the rulebook decides to grant us, you either create something worthwhile or fall in line with the rest of the people who are merely trying to exist, since their imagination hasn't provided anything but false hope.If you assume I am jaded myself, I will assure you that is a fair assessment. I thought the world would offer more opportunity than what I have come to know. I remember being told: "you can be whatever you want to be as long as you put your mind to it." In certain respects this is possible, as I stated earlier, if someone can make something worthwhile, then, no matter how long it takes, they can experience life without a narrowing of their imagination. The major thing that draws from our imagination is the fact that we can only dream so long as we can provide for a place to sleep, that is our societies main rule: with money comes ability.I do not wish to come off as advocating the absolving of imaginations, if fact we need every bit we can find. We need more freedom. We need more ideas. Our imagination should never be so narrowed as to easily fit the meaning of the rules. Yet, short of a complete collapse of our current society and rebuilding how we would like, how can we do anything to escape the narrowing of imagination? I don't know, I don't have any answers.At what point do the rules we have created to help us find our own way circumvent there original intention and instead start to create us? When do we become the embodiment of the rule? As a general rule, at least where I come from, we must do well in school so we can get into college and get a decent job, anything deviating from this path is an obstruction of the rule with a punishment bordering on banishment. Such a strict rule, if followed by enough people, will create a society of people who all share in a similar experience. This is good for those who wish to follow along the same trodden path as they have many a person to ask for guidance, but what of the odd person, the one who refuses to let go of their dream of taking a divergent path, no one can help them satisfy their imagination for the path want of wear and instead the people, subject to the rule, advise dreamers along the same and safe route through life.In a way it's a bit cyclical. Our imagination is narrowing as we get older and it is due to our insistence on taking the trodden path. We push people to follow instead of lead. Please do not misconstrue this as me saying that we only wish for those we help to attain a mid-level job instead of achieving the top-level position. My point is that whether those we guide acquire a low, mid or top-level position we are still operating within the same framework laid out by those who understand the rules and defy imagination. Let us not confuse the freedom to choose with the freedom of choice.The rules our society operate under allow us the freedom to choose where to work, whereas operating outside the rulebook would allow us the freedom of choice meaning that we could do whatever we want. Example: If you want a donut you go to Dunkin' Donuts for the reason that there is a plethora of options from which you have the freedom to choose from but in the end you only have but a single choice as each one is still just a donut. In other words the general rule which I was pushed to live by, going to college, is like being forced to go to Dunkin' Donuts because I'll have plenty to choose from but no real ability of choice in the matter. There shouldn't be any wonder why there is a narrowing of imagination as it has been influence by the rules thrust upon us by society, not of choice but to choose.