amazing what you find when you search the net for WHY
DARE TO DREAM
by Charles Morello
Dreams, they are the spark of life. Everyone has them. Only a few follow them. Some say that dreams are only an Illusion,
something that fools chase. They say that dreams cloud your vision, that they keep you from being a "Productive member of
Society." Oh where would we be if the great (And the not so great) people of history hadn't dared to dream? Where would
we be if Columbus had not dared to sail across the uncharted ocean? What if George Washington hadn't dreamed of
independence? If Goddard hadn't dreamed of rockets? Or the Wright Brothers hadn't dreamed of flight? What if Martin
Luther King Jr, or Thurgood Marshal hadn't dreamed of an end to segregation? Or if Lincoln hadn't dared to free the Slaves,
and keep the country together? What if no one dared to dream?
It takes a brave person to take that step with a dream. It is very easy to roll over and become a mechanic, or join the Army,
or go work for a fast-food place for life. It is easy to be a paper-pusher, to be a Chairborne Ranger--sharpening pencils all
day long. It is easy to do what others want you to. What happens? You wind up with a pocket full of unfulfilled dreams, and
an empty life from which one can't escape. Everyone has dreams. "I want to be an Actress" or "I want to be the first man on
Mars" or "I want to be a ballerina when I grow up" and many more then you and I could ever count. All to often those wild
and wondrous dreams of youth are taught right out of us. They are combed and brushed out. We are told from youth that
chasing dreams will leave us empty handed and disappointed when all is said and done. Most buy into that, some don't. The
dreams that we have will never leave us. They may change, but they won't leave. They are the seeds from which discontent
sprouts. We want and dream ofsomething else. Someday everyone will be given a choice--Take the safe route, and do what
you know will get you something, even if it's not what you want? Or do you follow your dream, and pursue it until it is a reality,
no matter the odds? Ziggy once said while looking at the mirror "it's just you and me against the world. personally i think we're
going to get creamed." It may be nearly impossible odds, but don't count yourself out. If you truly want to reach your dream
you'll get there.
Martin Luther King said "I have a Dream, that one day, the children of former slaves, and the children of former slave owners,
can one day sit down at God's table together..." Well, look at us today. It isn't perfect yet, but it is getting better. If you can
imagine it, you can dream it. If you can dream it, you can achieve it. The greatest people of all time were dreamers. They
refused to listen to what many believed to be common sense, they did what they had to and they made their dream a reality.
Who is to say that the next Albert Einstein, or the next Frank Lloyd Wright, or the next Christopher Columbus isn't a friend of
yours? Or maybe even you? Remember to Dare to Dream, it's worth it.
The Dream Chaser
by Charles Morello
What exactly is a dream? A dream is defined as "A wild fancy or hope. A condition or achievement that is longed for. A deep
aspiration." But what does it mean to be a dreamer? What role do dreams play in our lives?
Joseph Conrad said "A man that is born falls into a dream like a man who falls into the sea. If he tries to climb out into the air
as inexperienced people endeavor to do, he drowns." Instead I say we need to immerse ourselves in our dreams. Throughout
the ages, dreamers have held a special place in society: right below criminals. Oscar Wilde referred to this when he said
"Society often forgives the criminal; it never forgives the dreamer." All of us have experienced this. Dreams, according to
society, are a part of childhood, and there they should remain. Dreams are incompatible with the harsh realities of adulthood. It
is almost as though the mere process of growing up was intended to "cleanse" us of our dreams.
As children, we all had incredible energies, imaginations, and dreams. The dreams of youth are practically limitless. If you do
not believe me, then just ask any kid how high they can jump, how fast they can run, or whatever else comes to mind. Their
answers will be far more than you believe to be humanly possible. Is it naivet‚? Is it childish foolishness? That's what we would
call it. Is it an over active imagination? Probably. It may have been a few years, but we can still remember some of those
dreams. They were fanciful weren't they?
So now we are a few years older, and "wiser." We have grown more, experienced more, and gotten more responsibility thrust
upon us. We have more freedom than ever before in our lives, but we also have more worries than ever before. We look back
on our younger years, and the lack of responsibility. Those were the easy days. Those were the days of fun and games, of
dreams of castles in the sky. What has happened to our dreams? Where have they gone?
The transition to adulthood has done its best to force dreams out of our lives. It doesn't work. No matter how hard we try to
force them out, they just are put onto shelves in our heads to collect dust. After a few years, they will resurface, and remind us
of our faitful bargain. Somewhere along the line everyone will be given a choice: Follow our dreams, or forgo them in order to
"be successful." That is the fateful bargain. All too often people choose to give up on dreams in order to do what society
demands of us. It is only a temporary solution, and dreams will return to fight reality again. This time they will remind you of
what "might have been." Those three words are the most haunting, and saddest of any language.
As hard as it might be to give up on our dreams, it is far more difficult to follow our dreams. The problem is that dreams stick
with us forever. They change, and they make each day a challenge, but the rewards for following them are countless. I know
from personal experience that following my dreams is extremely difficult. Nothing in my life has caused me as much grief,
anguish, heartache, and hair loss as following my dreams. Also nothing has been quite as rewarding. Thanks to my dreams I
have spend long nights on my knees in prayer. I have been hurt more than I ever thought possible, and I have experienced
more joy than I thought possible.
There is a song called "The River" by Garth Brooks. It speaks of dreams. He says "A dream is like a river, ever changing as it
flows, and the dreamer's just a vessel that must follow where it goes..." We must either follow our dreams, or run aground.
There is no other option.
Dreamers are the outcasts of society. They are those who have the courage and stamina to follow their dreams. They are the
ones who are willing to go running after windmills like Don Quixote. Dreamers are the people who do things that go against the
norm. They risk it all for something they aren't quite sure about. So what if the rest of the world is willing to give up on their
dreams. I am the Dream Chaser, and I will chase my dreams.
Fractured Dreams
by Charles Morello
Sometimes dreams are shattered. Despite everything, they fall against the hardness of the world, and all too often shatter. The
dream that once fueled the fires of a soul dies, and leaves the person in darkness. It is passion that fuels the fire, and the dream
is the flame. Once the flame dies, no matter how much fuel remains, the fire is dead.
You ask the question: "Why do I bother? I don't believe that there is any point to it. So what if I can? Why should I?" There is
no clear answer to that. You have found that life is not always fun. We always said it wasn't always fun, but never quite
believed it. Now we are facing up to the facts. Life is not fun. Life is not easy. We struggle to keep up, and wonder if we are
really cut out to do what we are trying to do. Our priorities get skewed by time, and uncertainty flourishes. We stumble blindly
from one point to another, never quite prepared for the next event life throws our way.
We take time out to think. We dwell on so many things, never quite finding a focus. We try to take our failures in stride, but
can't. We wind up questioning ourselves. We ask ourselves "What's next! What do I do now?" and we continue for a while,
Never quite figuring it out. With every endeavor comes a new opportunity to fail. Our failures pile up, and soon we can't see
our successes through all the stacks of failures we can't let go of.
We worry about the future. Who will be in it? What it will be like? Where we will be? What we will be doing? We catch a
glimpse of something, but never actually see anything clearly. We see how very far we have to go, and can't take that first step
because we don't want to have to walk the whole way. Instead we remain paralyzed where we are. We can't go forward for
fear of failing to reach the end. Will no one go with us on the journey? "I'm not going to walk all the way there myself!" we say.
"Are you crazy! Do you have any idea how far that is?" we say to ourselves.
The question is: are we willing to run the risks that lie along the road in order to reach our dreams? As we encounter difficulties
in life, we stumble and fall. We pick ourselves up, and ask ourselves the same questions over and over again. "When will we
ever get there? How far do we have to go?" The answer is very simple. It is:
"Just over the horizon,
Past the mountains of uncertainty,
The place where dreams become realities,
Somewhere on distant islands,
Far beyond what human eyes can see,
There is a better world awaiting me,
Just over the horizon." --Four HIM "Just over the Horizon"
What do we do when our dreams are shattered? What do we do when we fail? Do we pick ourselves up and keep going, or
do we lay there and not move, because we are afraid to fall again. You asked me "Why do I bother? I don't believe that there
is any point to it. So what if I can? Why should I?" I say you do it because that is the type of person you are. I do it because I
know that the only way I'm going to reach my destination is if I try. If I never try, never risk failure, there is no way I can reach
my dream. It is only by running the risk that we can truly live out our dreams. I for one am willing to risk failure. I have failed
more times than I can remember. My successes have been few in comparison, but I keep striving to do better.
It is indeed a long journey to the end of the road, but I know I am not alone for the trip. When I look into the future, I still have
questions, but I know that I have a guide who will always be there for me. When I stumble and fall, He is there to pick me up,
dust me off, and tell me that it's going to be alright. Sometimes I stray from the path, but he always leads me back. I trust that
so long as I follow his guidance, he will keep me safe, and I will someday reach my destination.
Life is not easy. Life is not fun. We don't like to believe that, but it is true. The facts are irrefutable. We almost feel betrayed
because of it. We hear the voices of friends questioning the point of so many things in life. We watch friends loose their faith,
and witness their convictions falling apart. We see so many dreams snuffed out by the cold gusts of wind, and we feel the chill
on our hearts. It hurts us so to see what our friends go through. We want to cry out at the world about the injustice. We want
to say so much, but cannot find the words to speak. So we say nothing aloud, but have so much to say.
There are three types of people in this life. The first go charging in like daredevils, throw caution to the wind, and get to the
destination without looking back. The second hesitate, are cautious, move slowly, carefully, and tentatively until they too reach
the destination. The third stand paralyzed, look at the distance to go, the dangers involved, worry about everything, trust no
one, and never get anywhere. I know which I am. Which are you? Will you reach for your dream, or stare at all that stands in
your way?
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