Ode to Langston Hughes "Dreams"

Dreams

Hold fast to dreams,
For if dreams die,
Life is a broken-winged bird
That cannot fly.

Hold fast to dreams.
For if dreams go,
Life is a barren field
Covered with snow.

- Langston Hughes


It’s from within the strength of dreams in which we summon the actions of happiness. By this I don’t mean the dreams we succumb to every night during REM sleep, I mean the dreams you have of what is, what’s possible, and what you want to accomplish. Your reality, goals, passions, creativity, and your view of the bigger picture make you who you are. These aspects are what give our spirits buoyancy to resist the eroding waves of negative things that are inherent in life. Everybody has setbacks and situations that make you wanna shake your fist at fate. Without something to aspire to and a passion to embrace even those with faith can find life lackluster at best. It doesn’t have to be grand goals of taking over the world, being a millionaire, or anything over the top. It just has to be something that means the world to you. Whatever shape, passion, person, or inspiration it takes form in is irrelevant. Langston Hughes reminds us with this poem that inspiration and purpose are developed within, in his case, our dreams. If you feel like the world is overwhelming take a second to evaluate where you’re at. If you wake up and trudge through the day dreading work, life, bad situations, relationships, money issues, and the rest of life’s drama you may need to assess why you do it all. What is your impact in this world and on who? What is the change you wish to see, to paraphrase Gandhi? What is your ideal purpose? If these questions are unanswered you must take a second and devote a short percentage of your day to assessing these questions and figuring out what your ideal input into the world is. Having this knowledge is a critical start to being at peace with yourself and your connection with this collective existence we all partake in. There may or may not be a bigger picture before and after the life of each person, but all that humans can ever be certain of is, their own input and signature on history. This is what your dreams manifest into so it’s imperative to hold onto them with the utmost passion! Without this passion and creativity we’re just cogs turning in place leaving nothing but a track record of success for the machine itself. Do the parts get the credit when the car wins the race? No! You have to dream to be the driver!

John