Life is a Gift Given to Chase our Dreams

     What is our purpose in life?  On some days we feel a sense of urge and motivation while on others, our efforts are nugatory and meaningless.  The struggle for motivation is the wall separating us from The Dream.  The Dream is not a jargon of random thoughts - it’s our sense of ambition and desire.  It’s the fire in our souls that keeps on burning.  It’s what distinguishes us from a random lifeless stone on the ground.  It’s the future that we see ahead of us, and we were given the gift of chasing it down and taking control.  “Dreams”, a poem written by Langston Hughes serves a perfect example of these ideas.  The Dream is not going to chase us, so we have to chase it.

    The Dream is our driving force and the catalyst for achievement.  Without The Dream, we cannot serve or contribute to the rest of the world.  Hughes compares the death of a dream to a “broken-winged bird that cannot fly”, which is still alive physically but really dead on the inside.  Imagine how it would feel if we had our most meaningful and unique asset taken away from us forever.   Life would seem to have no purpose, so life essentially represents The Dream.  The plot of The Great Gatsby almost matches this theme.  Gatsby, an extremely wealthy man full of ambition and hope reached toward the green light - the pursuit of his love Daisy.  His life revolved around Daisy, and he refused to give up.  Gatsby’s life was The Dream, and it never left his grasp until his life ended tragically.  Although Gatsby was a shady and mysterious figure, it was always his ambition and hopefulness that made his life so adventurous and fulfilling.

    However, a life of ambition and desire doesn’t just come easily as counting one two three.  Without trust and belief, chasing the Dream will be almost impossible.  In other words, when it leaves our grasp, “life is a barren field frozen with snow”.  Without believing ourselves, telling ourselves that we can do this, time essentially freezes itself.  Our Dream is not gone, but it is slipping away - we aren’t making progress.  It must be the first step we take toward the Dream.  President Teddy Roosevelt made this famous quote, “believe you can and you’re halfway there.”, which really highlights the progress we make just by trusting ourselves.  The Dream which was once a mirage in the desert now becomes that much clearer and easier to visualize.

    Chasing The Dream is integral to our personal growth.  It clears the path for proactiveness and future vision.  “Dreams” conveys a universal message about the significance of hope and ambition driven by the quiet but important nature of trust.  Lack of motivation and the misunderstanding of life can limit our potential.  Suppose you take a zoom into the future, and you watch your past life on a television.  Would you appreciate the content? Or would you look at it in disgust.  Life is a gift, and we only get it once.