Dreams are dreams

Posted on March 25, 2012 by Mufti Faraz al-Mahmudi

Every winter is followed by a summer. Every night brings with it day. Every death is simultaneous with life. The sun may set in one area but rises in another location. Likewise, every problem and pain brings about an opening in one’s life. There is light at the end of every dark tunnel.

Sometimes we are so close to what we want yet so far. Reality is a bitter pill. Dreams are sweet. Life is a combination of pain and gain. Life is not according to our drawing board. Life is not patterned on our dreams. Life is governed by the will of Allah.

It is human nature to find comfort in one’s ‘holiday resort’ in the back of the mind. We subconsciously entertain ourselves by living in a dream world residing in our central cortex. We program our minds to project the reel of our dreams in front of our very eyes. But the sad reality is that these thoughts, emotions and feelings are just dreams. They are mere impulses in the mind and heart. They are merely abstracts. These thoughts lack substance.

We have a tendency to believe we can get everything we want. At times we just have to accept the truth: we cant have what we want. How many people look forward to getting married to a particular individual, only to be refused? How many hope to enrol in a specific university, only to be declined in the final vetting process? How many people anticipate a certain job, only to be eliminated in the final stages?

The pain, anguish and remorse experienced by the heart can almost be tasted on one’s lips. The tears held by the dam of one’s eyes almost gush forth. One struggles with breathing. Life seems to freeze. This is the human reaction to not acquiring what was wanted.

We cannot live on what we want. We must live on what we have. Our lives are dwindling away by every second. Hair is turning white. Skin is ageing. The body is drawing near to the ultimate end. Time is of the essence. We must believe what we can’t have is only to our advantage. What we do have is not to our disadvantage. It is ingenious to make one’s dream reality; it is foolishness to make ones reality a mere dream.

To cry is good at times. Pain alerts and awakens a defence mechanism within us. We become fighters. The lion within us roars to life. It is emotion and pain which has brought about revolution. The Middle East revolution sparked from Tunisia is due to the emotion of one poor individual. He set alight the fire of revolt.

Get up on your feet. Life is not all lost. Fall a hundred times, but keep marching. Aim high. Reach the heavens with your sight. Your feet may be firmly grounded on the Earth, let your soul transcend the skies. Break the shackles of loss and pain. Work with the tools at your disposal and strike.

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