The waking dream

The shamans of Peru talk about how the world is as we dream it -- that the problem is we're dreaming the wrong dream. That we need to wake into a new dream. Was it Emerson who wrote "our birth is but a sleep and a forgetting"?

Buddhist teachings, not to mention the odd western mystic or philosopher (I believe it was Bishop Berkeley who remarked that we are all figments of God's imagination, or something to that effect), say similar things. Essentially, that what we perceive as reality is just that: our perception. That the things we "know" to be true are the product of a consensual and group imagination.

Imagine the possibilities if you could, in fact, dream a new world into being. What would you dream of? In my dream, there are mountains and forest and clear running water, and animals and birds and most importantly (in my dream) people living joyous, BIG lives of creativity and passion and laughter, with no worries about the next meal, or a roof over their children's heads. Other people's dreams of waking dreams might include a world full of pets wanted by every owner, or no abused children, or people with every 't' crossed and 'i' dotted and tons of peace and quiet and classical music on every corner.

Of course, how we create a waking reality out of our dreams is the tricky part, and it's one reason I suggest volunteering. Maybe you can't see your way into a veterinary degree just yet--not with bills to pay and kids to raise, or an early retirement in your sights. But you could volunteer with the ASPCA, or the Humane Society. Maybe you aren't sure a career in hydrology is for you, so you spend a few weekends instead on river cleanups. Or taking that law degree and writing petitions for the local NIMBY group.

So that's your homework this week, while you're getting those New Year's resolutions mapped out and marked down. Take some time to sit (or lie) down and dream a new world into being. Then get up and start the work.