On dreams

I'm starting this post with two inputs. The first is on the purity of dreams and the all too frequent dream lost. The second is on the problem of motivation which, I've recently decided, is at the root of so much of the world's apathy.

The purity of dreams, and capturing those dreams, is akin to the innocence of our childhood. There is so much that stands in the way of attaining those dreams, however. It is daunting. From economic and environmental stress to social pressure to the lack of role models and support, achieving ones dreams is not a straightforward task. It takes an almost neurotic level of commitment to an idea. It takes a redefinition of failure. It takes a redefinition of success. And it takes an acceptance that at the end of this long path, one may not come out happy. One can still, in the pursuit of dreams, fall and fail. But there is a purity in the pursuit of dreams. What better way to spend a life is there?

The second, related point, involves a massive motivation problem in the western world today. It is a problem related to a feeling of being trapped, I believe, by societal concepts of success and failure. It is also a problem related to the grain of the wood of society. We are geared towards helping people buy more - as if that would make us happier. This mortgaging of our lives to unclear ideas of success (or someone else's notion of success) is why the world is losing its motivation.

What we need is to recapture our innocence - our honesty - and put that forefront. Motivation should spring from the opportunity to live out our childhood dreams - whatever those are. And contrary to popular opinion - they are not as cruel as many would make us to be.