For Those Who Dream
Who are they and why are they the quietest of us all? Dreamers are often misunderstood for their passion and their imagination that courses through their veins at an alarming persistence. It has become a vital aspect of their mere existence; without it, they can never feel whole. And yet people will never understand them the way they understand one another.
So then, what makes a dreamer different from a realist? Is it dangerous to allow yourself to succumb to your dreams that are not driven by future goals?
If you often find yourself pondering over “What if” questions that are related to unrealistic things, things which belong to the imaginative realms you have built in your brain, then you are a dreamer. If you often find yourself restless with reality and your routine, and you find yourself wishing for something new, something you have never felt or seen before, then you are a dreamer. If you catch yourself daydreaming regularly, you are probably a dreamer. If you often found yourself hoping the fairytales you were told as a child, or the fantasy books and films you have watched, to be real and to be lived in, then guess what? You’re a dreamer.
It is not uncommon to feel unsatisfied with the reality you live in. You could sometimes feel like you might be the only person in the world to feel like you want more than what the world gives you, but that is not true. Even the individuals with the most realistic minds can momentarily slip and imagine another land or fantasy.
Dreams are beautiful because they’re purely yours to keep. They’re the creation of your magnificent mind. They’re your personal adventures that only you get to see. There is nothing more breathtaking than the creative thoughts that are swimming on the surface of your brain, and what makes it so exciting is that you are barely even tapping into your creative capabilities. How much more creativity can you unlock from the depths of your wondrous mind?
It is true that some people may struggle with identifying what’s real from what isn’t, and that is why we must always be diligent with our control over reality and fantasy. We must not merge the two opposing worlds, for that would be catastrophic.
You are allowed to seek comfort in fantasy when the world treats you harshly. You are allowed to seek solace in the films and books which have the ability to make you feel like you’re in these stories as you watch and read, when you are far too fatigued to deal with the harsh realities. You are allowed to fall asleep and dream of whatever it is that brings you happiness and comfort.
But when it is time for you to pay attention to the demands of your reality, you need to cast away your fantasies and keep them locked safely in your mind, until the time comes where it can be unlocked again.
Your dreams of the possibility of Neverland, or Narnia, or the Harry Potter World, or Wonderland, existing, are not wrong, but these wonders need to be separated from what is actually real.
If you can master the art of separating fantasy from reality, then no harm can ever come to you for being one who dreams — one who indulges in the world of fantasy.
Keep dreaming. It is only when you stop dreaming that you lose your youthful traits and you become a stereotypical adult. Because as Antoine de Saint-Exupéry once said, “All grownups were once children … but only few of them remember it.” — From The Little Prince.
So protect that youthful light within you and don’t let it fade. Don’t let it flicker. Don’t let it deplete. There’s always excitement in the world if only you know how and when to let yourself dream.
Your body and mind may be getting older and wiser, but your heart will always remain the same heart you had when you were a child, if only you allow it.
