Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Dreams

I once read a short story about a man who made a deal with the Devil.  We all know how those stories turn out.  The Devil gives us what we ask for but in such a way as we are left completely unsatisfied and still forfeit our souls.  This particular story was about a geologist whom the Devil offered to give anything he wanted in exchange for his soul.  Pretty typical beginning.  What do you wish for that the Devil cannot turn into something completely unsatisfying yet sticking to the letter of the agreement?

I've read a lot of those stories but this one was different.  The scientist did not wish for wealth, fame, women or anything one would normally think of.  He wished to be able to visit every planet and moon in the entire universe, be able to transform his body into one who could live in any condition and to spend as much time as he wished on each planet.  That is probably close to what I would wish for in the same circumstances.

We all have dreams, fantasies and such we know will never happen but we like to think of those things in the dark hours when we cannot sleep.  I dream of being abducted by aliens though they would not need to abduct me as I'd go alone quite willingly.  I want to see the stars from space.  I want to visit other worlds both in our solar system and in all the other solar systems out there.  Not just in this one galaxy but in all the billions of galaxies in the universe.

I want to be an explorer or a trader who wanders from place to place in the Universe seeing worlds beyond imagining.  I can't think of anyone who has a mind filled with curiosity who would not love that. 

We're discovering extra-solar planets nearly every day now but have yet to discover one that is earth like though mostly that is due to the limits of our instruments rather than a dearth of earth like planets out there.  I wish I could live to see that discovery.  I wish I could live to seem human kind step out of the cradle of this one planet and take over the rest of the solar system and then march on to the stars. 

I wonder if that is why some people, when they grow old, are ready to die?  Have they just lost their dreams or even their ability to dream?  I'm getting older and my health is failing but I'm not ready to die and I'll never be ready to die because I have not stopped dreaming.  There is always something in tomorrow to look forward to, something to dream about, something to wonder about.  I feel sorry for those who's life becomes so boring that one is ready to leave it.  I can't do that.  I want to see what happens tomorrow, next century, next Millennium, next forever.  And I dream about all the different possibilities that might or might not come to pass.

I think as long as a person has a dream and has the ability to dream that life will never grow old and tired and have one ready to "lay down their burdens".  Life is just too interesting and filled with too many wondrous things and, once we get "out there" what wondrous things we cannot even dream about will we find?

In a way I think one's dreams are the most important things one has. 

1 comment:

  1. Oh, well, thanks for that. I had just quit crying over stuff with Haydn and now I am crying because I love my Daddy and I am not ready for you to die either, and you are right about dreams. I have been thinking along the same lines lately. My dreams get bigger each day, never ever smaller.

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