Editorial»
Comprehending dreams
JAN 14 - “There is no change without a dream.”
“To accomplish great things, we must dream as well as act”.
“It is important that man dreams, but it is perhaps equally important that he can laugh at his own dreams”.
So many things like these, and I am sure you have one of your own, have been said about dreams. While some argue that only those who do not have anything to do resort to dreaming things, (or else, when will they ever get time to sit back and dream, so they say), equally there is no dearth of people who vociferously support the idea that a person who does not have a dream is, to put it bluntly, visionless. And if one were to follow the logic of universal truths, those without vision never make it in their lives.
All this talk about dream came up the other day while we were all sitting in front of fire sometime during the evening. We were trying to figure out the cost effective measures of tackling the cold. We were talking about trash versus the electric heater, when Aakash asked Harke dai if ever he had a dream. Harke dai had just arrived from Okhaldhunga, the day before, and was busy sharing with us the latest news from once upon a time Shangri-La. That was quite an interesting question, so I thought, because I, for one, have never been able to define as to what dreams are or what they are for.
“Well, I did not have that many dreams but I still have a vivid picture when, once upon a time, I had a very powerful dream of seeing the birth of a democratic country. And yet, after so many years of upheaval and chaos, I find myself in no different situation than when I had dreamt of such a thing; on the contrary it has gone worse.” So Aakash babu, the dream that I once had still remains a dream. But then, now I realize why I dreamt the way I did, for dreams are meant to be dreams. Or else, they would simply cease to be a dream and become a real thing, and there is a distinctive difference between a dream and a reality,” replied Harke dai who was beginning to fall into a philosophical mould.
After a brief moment of silence, it was, and quite expectedly (or else why would he spring the topic of dreams just out of the blue), Aakash’s turn to share his dreams with us. “You know what Hitesh, when I grow up I want to become so rich that over there, pointing towards the lawn where at a corner there was my motorcycle parked, there would be five big cars, this house would be as big as my school….oh god! I have such a big dream,” When he was done, all I had to ask was “well, that’s quite a big dream Aakash, but how are you going to earn so much money in your life?”. “I do not know but it’s just that when I take my kids to their school’s, it will obviously not be in school buses!” I tried explaining him that there is much more than money and cars in life. “I know that but don’t argue me with on that point!” He said. As he sounded very authoritative, I thought it was better to keep shut.
Suddenly, he pulled out the chair and went straight to his bedroom wearing a long face. Wondering whether he was hurt by my reply, I followed him to his bedroom. As I opened the door, I saw him huddled in a quilt and ready to switch off his table lamp. “Sorry friend…” I said. Just when I was beginning to say more words of apologies, he suddenly burst into laughter. Next to his bed, there was a new life sized poster of Bob Dylan, and on the bottom were the words scribbled by a marker. “You have some big dreams but in order to dream you got to be asleep - Dylan”. Did I just find an answer to mysteries and myths of dreams? I began to wonder while my face slipped a smile as I thought about Aakash’s novel way of displaying a new poster in his room! Posted on: 2004-01-14 01:42
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