BE WILLING TO DREAM
When we express our dreams and hopes for the future, somebody may meet us with pushback about how its unrealistic. That pushback may come from family members, friends, people on the internet, political parties — and sometimes, that pushback comes from within. Sometimes we don't allow ourselves to imagine a better future because of how unrealistic it seems. When we look at the world's state, it is often difficult to imagine that peace might still be possible. When we are faced with the reality of pain, suffering, oppression, and division, healing that divide feels like an impossible feat. And at the very same time, this is true every day: even here, you and I have the power to write a better story for the future. And sometimes, at first, that story may seem like pure fiction for a while. But...is that wrong?
In her essay, "Dreaming Awake," fiction writer N.K. Jemism writes,
"J.R.R. Tolkien, the near universally hailed father of modern epic fantasy, crafted his magnum opus, The Lord of the Rings to explore the forces of creation as he saw them: God and country, race and class, journeying to war and returning home…What I see when I read his work is a man trying desperately to dream…Dreaming is impossible without myths…myths tell us what those like us have done, can do, should do. Without myths to lead the way, we hesitate to leap forward. Listen to the wrong myths, and we might even go back a few steps."
It's not unusual to tell children fictional stories before they go to bed. Whether they are stories about animals, fairies, or children just like them, stories have the power to help young minds have hope for the future. However, as we get older, we don't always permit ourselves to embrace stories in this way. Additionally, many of us don't feel like we have the time to read or watch films like we used to. However, someone else's story written in a book or illustrated in a movie is not the only place where we can engage with stories. We are free to engage with stories every single day when hopeful thoughts come to mind. We are free to imagine something better, right here in the present moment, even before it becomes a reality.
Notice when your mind shuts off hopeful thoughts. Notice when you feel the inner-critic rising up to speak, telling you that reconciliation is impossible, and there's no use in trying to build bridges. Perhaps, in the current climate, your inner critic may have a pretty strong case that all hope is lost, and there is no need to look forward, but at the same time, the case for hope is stronger. Stories outlive the critics. Stories still have the power to change hearts and change the world. Let us tell stories of hope.
Let today be the day you ask yourself, "What stories stand out to me? What stories do I revisit over and over? What stories from my childhood have had a profound impact on me?" Carry those stories with you today. Carry hope with you when it seems like despair and division will win. Open your journal tonight. Dare to put pen to paper and hope for what could be. No, it doesn't have to be realistic. Right now, more than ever, we need more people who are willing to dream.
Word of the day: Imagine (v): believe (something unreal or untrue) to exist or be so (Oxford Languages)
Journal: What is the story you hope we will live to tell? Don’t censor yourself. Let yourself dream.
Affirmation: “I still have hope.”
More in this week's series called "One Step At A Time", only with a subscription in the Storyteller App.
Sincerely,
Morgan
@thestorytellerco
@morganharpernichols
