Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand. — Albert Einstein

Hokule‘a’s triumphant homecoming after sewing a “lei of hope” across the globe was indeed awe-inspiring and heart-warming. The crews’ courage and conviction over the course of the various journeys are to be lauded.

But more than this, I was personally drawn to the imagination of those of who conceived and gave birth to this grand endeavor. Because it was their imagination — the ability to dream beyond what was thought possible — that made this feat possible. Just as it was the dreams of those who conceived of Hokule‘a’s first voyages of rediscovery in the 1970s that made those possible — and like the ancient Polynesians who dared dream of new homes and new lives on yet undiscovered islands.

Sometimes, the realities of life cause us to lose sight of our dreams. We must not let that happen. For anything significant to happen; for any kind of change to develop; for any kind of progress to take place, there must first come the willingness to imagine: We must be willing to dream. We must DARE to dream.

As our staff started to arrive and prepare for the events of the day, our conversation led to the excitement that was in the air because of the homecoming of the Hokule‘a. I quickly grabbed two of my grandchildren who had come to visit our Kakaako center and headed out the door to Magic Island. They had been learning about the voyage in school and even made models of the Hokule‘a in class so they were as excited as I was to welcome the crew home.

Once there it was hot and crowded, but navigating through the throngs of thousands of people was not a problem. Everyone was helpful, polite and united in purpose — to be a part of this historic occasion and to welcome the Hokule‘a and her crew home. What I heard Nainoa Thompson say that day — about the power of imagination and how we need to perpetuate the magic of the Hokule‘a’s journey — resonated with me, and I immediately related it to the work that we do at the Children’s Discovery Center. It was validating, uplifting and inspiring.

At children’s museums across the country, that is the how we reach young children and motivate and excite them about learning, about discovering their world and who they are as individuals. We tap into their imagination and ask them to discover and imagine a world where anything is possible. We ask them to dream and never stop dreaming — no matter how old they become. Because it’s only through their dreams that they’ll be able to realize their full potential.

Unfortunately, as we grow and mature and experience life’s realities, we seem to lose that ability to imagine and dream. If we are going to bring about change in the world, we must not let that happen.

We must do what we can to prepare our children to do their part in helping to make the world a better place — a world without poverty, hunger, homelessness, fear, hatred and war. We must pass on the message of the Hokule‘a so that they will never stop dreaming. We must do all we can to encourage our keiki to imagine.

Loretta Yajima is chairwoman/CEO of the Hawaii Children’s Discovery Center.