Dream Catchers

“All men dream: but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find that it was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act their dream with open eyes, to make it possible.”

— T. E. Lawrence, "The Seven Pillars of Wisdom" British soldier (1888 - 1935)  

You may be familiar with Native American ‘Dream Catchers’, also referred to as ‘Sacred Hoops’. They are believed to have originated from the Ojibwa Chippewa tribe in particular, who believed that the night air is filled with dreams, both good and bad. When hung above the bed in a place where the morning sunlight can hit it, the dream catcher attracts and catches all sorts of dreams and thoughts into its webs. Good dreams pass through and gently slide down the feathers to comfort the sleeper below. Bad dreams, however, are caught up in its protective net and destroyed, burned up in the light of day.

Growing up, I was often accused of day dreaming when my full attention was demanded on things I found less interesting than my fantasies of wishing I could be more than I am. It’s said those who dream in daylight are far more cognizant of things which may escape those who only dream at night and my thoughts carried me to an realization that without the possibility of making my dreams come true, why would I be burdened with such a passion to pursue them?

Our dreams are what keeps us moving towards a place where our world becomes what we were created for. But along the pursuit of these dreams you will inevitably come across the ‘Dream Crushers’, the antithesis of Dream Catchers. Dream Crushers hover in the present while dreamers fly to the future. They may attribute your dreams to selfish desires such as fame, fortune, ego, or even lacking ambition for more, but nothing could be further from the truth. Dedication, hope, and discipline is what keep dreams alive, especially when no one else sees or believes them.  

When we stop focusing on the success and start focusing on the significance of our talents will we realize the important role we have been called to play in the short term existence of our being in the lives of others. You, my fellow man, were created to not only fulfill your purpose but to also be a lighthouse to stand against the strong tides of pessimism and storms of discouragement, to guide those with similar dreams as yours. My dreams are an escape when all else seems to be failing around me and gives me an awareness of freedom as when doves are liberated from their enclosure and fly into the blue heavens with wild abandon. 

Be aware it’s a risk to share your dreams with others. When they’re not supportive, it is only because they lack the vision and urgency of purpose that lives deep within your heart to fill a void that only you can see. But sometimes, just sometimes, other dreams you never knew you had that laid dormant come true and open a whole new world of possibilities when you refuse to put limits on your potential.

I exhort you to continue to feed your dreams with hope and confidence that you were created to gift the world with a talent that only you can fulfill. As you pursue your dreams, don't forget this is a game you don't enter to merely compete, but to win. There will always be someone booing you in the stands, you may even hear the jeering and hissing from those closest to you. But you will also have those who are encouraging you on the side lines, listen to those voices as they cheer you on. This is a game between you and your destiny that you have to win for the people who came to watch you be triumphant.

Hold fast to your dreams, for if you allow your dreams to die, life is nothing more than a broken-winged bird that cannot experience the ecstasy of flight.  

Accountability

“The price of greatness is responsibility.”

— Sir Winston Churchill British politician (1874 - 1965)

Accountability means the willingness to accept responsibility for your actions. There is no isolation of consequences because whatever we do, directly or indirectly, affects those around us. American Indian, Chief Seattle said it best: “Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it. Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves. All things are bound together. All things connect.” The ripple effect on others is simple physics with no exceptions.

How do we stand together as watchmen and protectors of the world we are responsible for? I believe we need to get better at holding each other accountable for our actions and if you call yourself my friend, I would expect the same and nothing less and would welcome and cherish the corrective words from a respected confidant because iron sharpens iron.  Unless one iron is stronger than the other, the sharpened edge becomes dull and useless and the role we are to play as men becomes impotent and our growth is stifled in our attempt to “mind our own business” and “live and let live”. Those are the thoughts that differentiate a man from a boy.

Is it easy to find the right words and the right time to hold someone accountable? No, but fortunately the formality of timing and wording isn’t a necessary requirement for accountability. One of my favorite scenes from The Godfather is when Johnny Fontane goes to Don Corleone because a Hollywood director won’t give him a part in a movie, saying tearfully “Ohhh Godfather...I don’t know what to do...I don’t know what to do.” Don Corleone jumps out from his chair, grabs Johnny by both his arms, slaps him and yells “You can act like a man! What’s the matter with you!?” Sometimes I wish I could’ve had more Godfather like responses from other men when I wasted time on my own pity parties while licking my wounds instead of being admonished for not reviving the strength and character of my inner warrior. 

What happens when we don’t hold ourselves or each other accountable? Then we set our hopes and dreams to be honorable men on pure luck. Luck to open doors for success, luck to bring the right people into your life, luck that brings about the admiration and respect you are pursuing. Luck is only the result of cause and effect and the child of diligence.

James Allen, a British author (1879-1912) says this of men: "They themselves are makers of themselves by virtue of the thoughts which they choose and encourage; that mind is the master weaver, both of the inner garment of character and the outer garment of circumstance, and that, as they may have hitherto woven in ignorance and pain they may now weave in enlightenment and happiness. Man is a growth by law, and not a creation by artifice, and cause and effect is as absolute and undeviating in the hidden realm of thought as in the world of visible and material things. A noble and Godlike character is not a thing of favor or chance, but is the natural result of continued effort in right thinking, the effect of long-cherished association with Godlike thoughts. An ignoble and bestial character, by the same process, is the result of the continued harboring of groveling thoughts.”

If you believe you have already passed your potential, and the poor excuse of you are who you are, let me remind you, no, strike that, let me admonish you, you are what you have limited yourself to be. The overwhelming majority of men who have become successful have become so because of work they found profoundly absorbing and holding themselves accountable to a dedication they found in an arena they thoroughly enjoyed. Pursue your passion, whether it be prestigious or not to be who you, my fellow man, were created to be to encourage those who are waiting to offer the world the same aspirations.