Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Sometimes.

When we arrive in this world, hungry and clothed only in the million hopes and dreams, we are invincible. It is those dreams that cushion us. Not all of them are ours, though. Some are our parents' - I will send my child to college because I did- Or because I didn't. Some are our family's - my grandchild will carry on our family traditions. Most are our own - not all are big- plenty are just for everyday little things. These hopes are not the point.

What I mean to say is, as children, we are protected from the harsh realities of the world by our countless hopes and dream. They keep us alive by keeping us from breaking. It is not easy to put us down. There's always tomorrow- a new day, new possibilities. And we have the rest of our life for everything. If not today, then some other day.

But you see, one by one these hopes that surround us start to wear away and chip off. We start to feel the impact that was previously absorbed by them. We realise we can't have everything we'd like to have. So do our families - I don't think my child will go to college, I'd be happy if he could just finish high school. You have to choose some of your dreams and let go of the others. And it is up to us to keep these dreams alive- which we do, by feeding them on our achievements, and the baby steps we take towards them.

Some never lose any dreams. They preserve them all, caring for them like little pearls. They never let anything get to them - they have a kind of childish pride that acts as a shield. And when the world looks at them crazy and ridicules their dreams, in them sprouts yet another hope. Eventually they shine so bright that even when they are defeated, their life is exemplary. Even when they depart from the world, they turn into stars, little specs of light that illuminate the darkest of skies and encourage us to follow the light. A pity there are so few of them.

Then there are most of us. We aren't so strong; we can't salvage all our dreams. We aren't so brave. Sometimes, we have to watch even the dreams closest to us crumble. We have no choice. Very often, we let our obstacles get in the view of our dreams so we can't see them properly. Sometimes there's fog. But after letting go of some and doggedly following others, we get them.

And finally there are those who let their dreams die off so fast, lying to themselves they don't need them. Their life exists in the real world, where every obstacle is unavoidable. They have no dreams to protect them, they die.A pity there are so many of them.