DREAMS: FERTILIZER FOR LIFE'S JOURNEY

THE METAMORPHOSIS by Ernie Delfin DREAMS: FERTILIZER FOR LIFE’S JOURNEY ”The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” ---- Eleanor Roosevelt Last night, I again dreamt about the sweetness of the rose, but I was totally oblivious that a rose is full of thorns! I still dream almost every night, even at my age as a “senior” citizen grandpa. Many of these dreams are unfathomable, weird dreams, some appeared almost real, while others are just plain fantasies of an unconscious fertile mind. Some nights I dream flying in strange places with hard to describe creatures or animals around me. Some nights I dream being lost in the wilderness or in massive sea of people. Sometimes I dream addressing a huge universe of students. Often, I am very happy or ecstatic in some dreams. On rare occasions, however, I also find myself fighting in my dreams. Sometimes, I even talk in my dreams too. (so far after 30 years of marriage those vivid dreams were never self-incriminating which makes my wife happy and me luckier!) Sometimes, I wished that I would not wake up as some dreams are to “die for” as they are quite sweet and full of joy. Those kinds of dreams could be the perfect fulfillment of some suppressed desires! The capacity to dream is one of the greatest gifts that our Almighty Creator has endowed upon us, human beings. I pray that this unique gift will be with me until I breathe my last breath of life. Dreams take so many forms and images. They are the centerpiece and the heart of immortal speeches like “I Have a Dream” of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. he delivered in 1963 at the height of the Civil Rights Movement, 5 years before his assassination in 1968. Dreams are also the essence of many magical songs like “The Impossible Dream” from the musical “Man of La Mancha” written by Joe Darion sang by many famous entertainers like Andy Williams and Frank Sinatra, or the “Dream Dream Dream” sung by the Everly Brothers. Some songs like R. Kelley’s “I believe I can Fly” obviously refer to dreaming as it is only in dreams that the writers and singers can do it with ease. Even the Good Book contains many stories about bible characters dreaming that often guided their decisions. For instance, the three Kings from the East, the Magi, who visited the infant Jesus in Bethlehem, decided not to go back to the Pharaoh despite his request for them to go back to him, so he too can pay homage to the newly born Jesus. Instead they went back home through another route because they were instructed to do so in a dream. Because of a dream, Joseph brought his family, consisting his spouse Mary and his infant son Jesus, to Egypt to avoid Herod’s persecution by killing all first born sons. Another Joseph, the son of Jacob, through divine inspiration interpreted the dream of the Pharaoh of a forthcoming severe famine that will visit Egypt. With Joseph’s right interpretation, it enabled the king to avert this extreme famine by storing plenty of surplus grains in their granaries. As the story goes, (Genesis chapter 37-45) the famine persisted for seven years that compelled the brothers of Joseph to go to Egypt and “beg for food” without any knowledge that their young brother Joseph whom they have sold to some merchants because of their jealousy has risen to prominence in the Pharaoh’s palace. The saga of Joseph, the dreamer, is an interesting story of the human condition ---- from jealousy to conflict resolution to forgiveness ------ that still afflicts us, human beings, to this day. What a story that needs to be retold to our children and their children too! ----- ------------- Fast forward to the 2lst century, do people still dream? Do they still dream for a better future? For a more progressive, ethical and more peaceful world? Many people who stop dreaming, are actually “dead” at 40, maybe, but physically buried physically in their 70’s or 90’s maybe. Sadly many people just accept what life’s cards were dealt to them and just go on with the mundane routine of life, without dreaming and working for a better day. One can observe many lonely seniors bereft of zest for life, just socializing and majoring in minor topics every day in their homes or some senior citizen housing somewhere. The high point of their week is their regular casino trips or weekend mad jong games for hours. Their capacity to dream has ceased the day they stopped their employment. They no longer wake up excited to do something new that stimulates their stagnant mind. As their mind stagnates, the body degenerates and soon, their main weekly activity is to visit their doctor for more prescriptions to numb themselves in their boring lives. I feel real pity for these kinds of people as there is so much to do even past 65, like volunteering in church or in schools and in many non-profit organizations like United Way, Habitat for Humanity or Gawad Kalinga rather than silently crying in quiet desperation. As I also enter into this so-called senior stage of my life, I shudder to think to be just an ordinary senior citizen who can no longer dream for another beautiful morning to re-create some new things or indulge in mentally or physically stimulating activities like writing this column, or planting tiny seeds, that in due time becomes a robust plant blooming with multicolored flowers that may turn into some edible fruits for humans as well as the birds (and even some “wild” animals) that occasionally visit our forest-like backyard now. Many plants like eggplants, zucchinis or tomatoes live only for one season and they dried up. In their death, however, they leave their seeds that will regenerate their own species for the next season. What a beautiful mystery of God’s creation: one has to die to give a new life again! --------------- Parallel to dreaming, I had a serendipitous discovery that I truly enjoy and that was my active interaction with college students at the University of California, Irvine. For about three years now, I am in regular contacts with these college students who are in their late teens or early twenties. Due to my position as the Youth Director of my Rotary Club of Newport Irvine, I was instrumental in the founding and chartering of the Rotaract Club of UCI about two years ago, after almost a year of preparation. Now, the UCI Rotaract Club has its life by its own. Dozens of the members have since graduated but many of us still communicate with each other nurturing our meaningful relationships that were established the last few years, courtesy of FaceBook and the internet. Some are now in many places all over the USA, like in Beverly Hills, San Francisco, Honolulu and Washington D.C, as well in China, Korea and even in Europe. Others are pursuing their graduate studies, to become doctors, lawyers or PH D’s. Despite the socio-economic condition of the country and the world these days, many of them continue to dream for a better future for themselves and the world! Their zest for life is fueled by their optimism and love for life’s adventure. In a “Meet Different Professionalsl and Businesspeople” dinner that they hosted recently, where 10 adults like me were invited, several dozen students had a chance to have intimate dialogues with us. They thanked us profusely as they learned a lot from us. But in reality, we also learned from them as they rejuvenated our aging cells. In solitude after that dinner, I had a secret dream that I wish I were a twenty year old student again, even without the nice cars and a big house. That was another fantasy-dream, reliving my faded youth! Another dream that I am now excitedly looking forward for its fulfillment during the next Rotary year is our EDSA (Entrepreneurship Development for Socioeconomic Advancement) Training seminars for the youth (college students and high school seniors) in the Philippines. With a Rotary Foundation grant of at least $30,000 initially with a potential maximum amount of $300,000, in succeeding years, we hope to educate/train/mentor a million students by 2020 for them to become entrepreneurs or job creators and not simply job seekers. This big, noble but very ambitious project stir the souls of many Rotarians and dreamers like me writer. Whatever happens to this dream of ours, I will update you, dear readers, with the hope that it can also inspire or stir your hearts to help our GKe-Rotary Club (www.gkerotaryclub3780.org) attain it! When one stops dreaming, life stops! So DARE TO DREAM AGAIN, as dreams are still free! --------- 3 0 --------- Email writer at: ernie.delfin@gmail.com or drbannatiran@yahoo.com D