Dreaming your own dreams
Car alarm won’t let you back to sleep
You’re kept awake dreaming someone else’s dream
Coffee is cold but it’ll get you through
Compromise that’s nothing new to you.
Let’s see colours that have never been seen
Let’s go places no one else has been
Electrical Storm – U2
When we speak of dreams, we refer to the most cherished goals that are deep in our soul. Dreams resonate with a strong sense of our own individuality and identity. They are the link between our inner and outer worlds – a dream is a letter to yourself.
Dreams are private because they are conduits into our hearts. When you share them with others, you invite contempt and fear, no matter how well meaning you are. Remember the story of Joseph with his rainbow coat, and how he shared his dreams with his brothers and father. For his trouble, he was sold into slavery by his own brothers.
However, a big dream may need the help of others to bear fruit. For example, if your dream is to set up a business, you may need the help of an accountant and a graphic artist. You would contract them. This does not mean that you need to share your innermost goals and dreams – just the bare outline of the plan.
Whatever happens, you need to dream your own dreams. Many people have forgotten their own dreams, and spend their time dreaming someone else’s dreams. They have lost the connection with what drives them in the heart. It has been replaced by a counterfeit which doesn’t speak to the soul, but blocks our own inner voice.
Think about how you dream someone else’s dream. You may wish to express yourself artistically, but end up becoming an accountant because someone at school said you were good with numbers. You give away playing guitar because your friends choose to do something else. You desire closeness with your family, but work unpaid overtime to make your boss reach his goals. You want to live in the country, but stay in the city. You desire independence, but settle for a country club membership and an SUV. Compromise becomes a big part of your life and the inner force of your soul is weakened.
In essence, you rip yourself off and sacrifice your happiness for someone else, who never appreciates what you give up. There is no upside in this. After a while your own dreams go away, and all you can do is dream someone else’s dream. The vital connection to your own soul is severed.
How can this be resolved? How do you get your own dreams back, and recover what was taken away from you? Well the first step is to know thyself. This means that you need to look introspectively and gain self knowledge, no matter how painful this is. You need to confront your expressed values and compare them to what is held in your heart.
If you don’t have a value system, then you need to get one. Accepting the cultural norms doesn’t cut it. If you want to be like everyone else, following the herd, then just accept what other people think. Understand that going with the flow isn’t rain to the desert of your soul.
Once you know what your own values are, you need to strip away what is imposed on you by other people. This is difficult. You will encounter violent opposition. It will take time to be free.
At this point, you can get back in touch with your own soul. When you dream your own authentic dreams, remember that they are a message to you – you need to make them reality.
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