Dreams

Inspired by the fantastical and classic 'Star Trek: The Next Generation' episode, "The Inner Light," something suddenly occurred to me, and I'd like to get this written down before I forget it.

We live in dreams. Every night, we go to sleep, and we dream. We dream, and dream, and we dream some more. While in the dream, that is our full reality. And while so much inspiration comes from dreams, I've realized something, something that we always miss -- perhaps it is the greatest of all the lessons to be gained from dreaming.

This lesson is of impermanence.

Every dream we ever have, no matter how good or how bad they are, has to end. Every dream we have ever dreamt, all the wonderful landscapes, all the beautiful fantasies, and the idyllic wonders and monstrous horrors -- they all end. Those moments, of which we are so consumed in our dream, all end. The dream doesn't go on forever. Sometimes it goes to a different dream, sometimes it ends and you wake up. And sometimes it ends and you enter dreamless sleep, with no dreams at all. But there is something to be gained from this, something lovely and positive.

That great lesson is that there is only now. When we finish dreaming, usually we don't think of what could have been, usually we think of what was. Those important moments of passion or fear, or a curious intertwining of both, that overwhelm and fully consume us in that present moment. When we dream we are fully there.



Like those tears in rain, this is how our lives are. I'd say we 'should' view our lives like this, since many of us don't, but that would be the wrong tone. All the 'should be' thoughts in our heads are useless. They are painful and lead nowhere, and it is better to not follow them. And you have your own mind, you do not need me to tell you what you 'should' or 'shouldn't' think. You can think for yourself. You simply don't have to buy into the 'should be' game, you always have a choice. So instead I'll say that the beauty of life is that it always reminds us of the temporary-ness of our world and our life. But we'll only hear it if we listen carefully and calm our foggy little heads.

The dream is the greatest of all the human experiences perhaps. After all, it is the ultimate creativity. And it is the ultimate lesson, I have finally realized. Live your life like it is a dream. The circumstances around you are weird and wiggly and absurd, you are from a wondrous and lively world. But in this world you can achieve peace the moment you realize your view of the world is everything.

Without quoting the name of this blog again like a broken cliché, poetically I will put it in a different way.

The actual problems we have in our life, aren't really problems. Why? Every problem in human existence, basically, is trying to be somewhere you aren't. Trying to be with a supermodel, trying to be rich and famous, trying to be happy when you think you aren't; the list is endless. But none of those things will bring you happiness, only the endless cycle of chasing it.

You know -- and I mean this sincerely to anyone reading this -- it is always within your power to live now. That power is no one else's. You and only you have the power to create meaning in your life in this moment.

And with that and the lasting truth of the 'Inner Light,' I'll end this post with the quote to sum it all up:

Seize the time, Meribor. Live now. Make now always the most precious time. Now will never come again.

: )