Original subtitles

[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.