Consequential Dreaming

Looking at the same glass of water, the optimist would see it as half-full, while the pessimist would see it as half-empty.

In place of that glass of water, let’s have that word, “dreaming” and instantly we form similarly opposing observers. One group would bw seeing in dreaming an exercise in futility, a clear waste of time in unproductive idleness, (Take that song popularized decades ago by the Everly Brothers, carrying lines that say “I can make you mine, taste your lips of wine anytime, night or day. Only trouble is, gee whiz! I’m dreamin’ my life away!”)

The other would perceive it as the motivating drive behind all inventions ever made in the entire history of human science and technology. But dreaming can be a starting stage that leads to another, the stage of accomplishing, which is crucial in giving all that dreaming any consequentiality that it can possibly attain.

How about a qualified concept of dreaming, like “consequential dreaming”?

The most vicious foe of this concept is probably the mutually exclusionary “either-or” mindset as applied to the relationship between dreaming and action.

Action is not possible in many cases if it were not for the dreaming that had gone on before, pointing out the need for such action, or providing the passion factor that gave the strong determination that pushed the continuation of the action past the seemingly insurmountable difficulties and obstacles.

But only action can make the dreaming consequential. If you just dream and dream without even planning to translate the dream into reality, or if after dreaming you just waited endlessly for it, or parts of it, to come true, chances are nothing of it will.

It was Leon Joseph Cardinal Suenens (Archbishop of Malines-Brussels 1904-1996) who gave us this classic quote: “Happy are those who dream dreams and are ready to pay the price to make them come true.” The price? Prudent and passionate effort. Prudence involves making wise decisions that involves careful planning that seeks and prepares for difficulties and obstacles, the better to make it a certain that you would overcome them.

If you passionately want to succeed in pursuing your dream and translate it to reality, or the benefit of the person or of the people you really care for, you wouldn’t gamble by half-guessing what plans would almost-definitely work in contrast to one that just might. The price pay? Do some homework. Do your homework. Think it; do it! Otherwise, you would probably use up all the time later on, guessing what you really ought to do.

(to be continued)

Makati City, Philippines

October 1, 2009