"Are Dreams Really Important?"

Nicely put, Scott.

However, while some may believe they have no dreams, I doubt that this is true.

If we substitute "want" for dream this can be seen more clearly. It seems to me that everyone is constantly faced with situations that they find range in appeal from extremely attractive to bloody awful.

It is in our nature that when we perceive the world we have feelings about it in some way. A beautiful landscape may evoke admiration, calm, and tranquility; the horrors of the battlefield may stir fear, anger, determination and desperation; being rejected by a lover may stir sadness, loneliness, inadequacy, uncertainty, anger and loss of power.

In every situation where we are faced with what we do NOT want - in that moment we come to realize what we DO want. There is value in perceiving those things in our environment which displease us in that the contrast makes us more keenly aware of what we DO want.

However, what presently exists that we do not like can be overwhelming - because it is physically real it clearly has great credibility. It attracts our constant attention and stirs our emotional responses. In doing so, present events shift our attention away from what we do want and we can lose sight of it, expecting that, when we open our eyes, we will see what we do not want. Naturally, what presently exists will meet this expectation.

A friendless person has an implied want in a lonely world - to have friends.

An impoverished person burdened with debt has an implied want - to be free of debt.

A person who is feeling unloved has an implied want - to be in a loving relationship.

Importantly, when we are more strongly aware of this lack we are also more strongly aware of what we do want and, too, are more keenly aware of our sense of power - or its lack.

At this point, our sense of inner power "kicks in" and we are alerted to the outcome that is desired, this focus providing a surge of energy which provides drive and determination to reach what we want. The focus also stimulates ideas and makes us more alert to opportunities. Focused action moves us forward.

However, if our sense of inner power is blocked by thoughts of failure, we experience feelings of doubt and inadequacy, maybe even hopelessness. The accompanying frustration and powerlessness can also lead to not only feelings of sadness and loss but also anger, despair and aggression.

As our sense of inner power tries to reassert itself but continues to be blocked we may reassert it in other ways that are open to us to reclaim those feelings - acting vindictively towards someone who has dumped us; using a key to scrape the side of a car owned by someone who has slighted us; destroying a public telephone owned by a society that looks down on us; cheating on a partner who has diminished us, and so on.

In these instances, we have assigned power over our feelings to others but inwardly are driven to restore it to ourselves, to take steps that return this sense of control over our lives.

As our wants, or dreams, become focused we are in a position to be able to improve our lives by taking steps that we believe will move us forward. However, also important is that 'can do' feeling of being able and competent to reach our goals, however distant, and even though the path may not, at this stage, be clear and the right way is uncertain.

With this confidence that we are able to succeed, we'll continue to search until a solution is found. Without it, our future prospects will look as bleak as those that currently face us; perhaps worsened by fear, paralysis and inaction.

Ivan