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Imaginary Friends

By Peter Lloyd

This is the story of two monsters, Dafi (below, left) and Haneen (below, right), who have discovered that they share at least one thing in common—love for their favorite foods. "Hummus! Falafel!" they squeal with delight.

The creative crew of the first Israeli-Palestinian co-production of Sesame Street breaks out in laughter and delight, when Dafi and Haneen make their imaginary discovery, relieving the real tension they've shared until this moment.

No one, neither the writer nor the players, suggest that this project will do anything to resolve the complex gridlock of deep-seated differences which have trapped these two people in ages of conflict. At the same time, the victims will never get any closer to peace unless they are able to imagine a peaceful future.

Until I read about Haneen and Dafi, I would scoff at bumper stickers that read, "Visualize World Peace," not because it's not necessary to do so, but because I fear that's where it will end.

Now I see that creative imaginations have an essential role in solving the world's most intractable problems. People who sell every day already know this. They realize that making a call does not make the sale, but that unless they make the call, they won't sell a thing.

So when it comes to human beings trying to make a better world, it's not the power of imagination I now revere, it's the absolute necessity of it.

Peter Lloyd is co-creator with Stephen Grossman of Animal Crackers, the breakthrough problem-solving tool designed to crack your toughest problems.