Dare to Dream!

Every argument-- including those which express truth or reality-- has two sides. The flipside of the arguments that you and I have discussed is the idealistic. Few people have the courage or the vision to see what can be, as opposed to what is. We do need both, in order to be balanced in this life.

So, no one should ever take away from you your ability to dream. Dreams are not always "logical," but can express something far beyond mere "logic." They can express the yearnings and hungers of the Soul.

If your interior "calling" is of this type, it is a sacred heartreasure. It is of enormous value.

I know, because, when I was eighteen, I was "called" to Guatemala. Everyone thought it impossible, or at least, implausible.

We would buy parts for our step-van, which we were reconstructing into a selfsustaining type of "camper." On the bills, the clerk would always write, "Mission: Impossible."

We bought a stepvan for $245, and I replaced all the modular parts accessible in the six-cylinder ("straight six") engine, including the carburetor, water-pump, fuel-pump, radiator, electrical wiring, fuel lines, and much, much more. When I started, I knew nothing about engines, their structure or function.

This trip, well over three thousand miles, could have been a disaster. We all knew that going in. In fact, in many ways, it was. But I would not trade the lifexperience obtained for anything; I married the Love of my life, Adamaria, in Guatemala City. Establishing our first home in a land of great beauty (it was called "the land of eternal spring" or el pais de la primavera eterna), surrounded by dire and extreme poverty, gave both of us values of nonmaterialism and nongreed which are still imprinted on our hearts. That adventure/journey still enriches our heartminds with memories that are irreplaceable.

I am glad that we did not listen to the "overly cautious" but older people around us.

It can, even now, be discouraging to think of the absence of support among older people, whom I once had regarded as "friends." They spoke of caution in the name of Love; and, no doubt, they were sincere. But I had to learn to love them all over again.

In an enterprise such as this one, people are quite skeptical. But you still have the courage and the vision to dream, and dream you should. It is your life, and your inalienable right. So, reach for the stars, go for the highest. Reach beyond the dull and "safe" borders of the doubters. Reach, and keep reaching; you will never regret the capacity to dream large.

This is the valid "flipside" of the discussions that we have already had. Both sides are true, and both sides have value. Please try to stretch your mind in order to encompass both. You will always be glad that you did!:)

The Sigh Heard 'Round the World

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On 060308, yesterday, the world's largest sigh of sheer relief was heard around the world. For after that historical day, it became a real possibility that we, as Americans, would and could replace the worst president in history! George w. bush, also known as "dubya," or, "the shrub," has been the most dishonest, corrupt, and incompetent of any public official in our history. He made it impossible for an aware person to respect the office of the president, for he proved that it could be bought with money, and then, prostituted to corporate management. In doing this, he ignored, and even reversed, hard-won laws determined to protect our planet, Mother Earth, and showed that he was willing to end the world as we know it for a fistful of dollars in his personal bank-account.
Now, it appears that it will at least be possible to replace this mindless, heartless greedmonger and warmonger with a simpler man. This man has perhaps not been "tested" yet by the Office, but, at present, is a relieving alternative to the crooks and criminals who have "bought" the U.S. political system for years. Perhaps, someday, the "people" will once again have a "voice."
For the common person-- the average, middle-class worker-- has been ignored if not abused for years, while corporations and the filthy rich have put the president in their "back pockets." Bush has been but the puppet of rich oil-men and other wealthy supporters. Thus, he has been useless-- and, worse, harmful-- as a legislator. From the start, he and his Republican Party have been studies in dishonesty, secret procedures, and operations for money. (As president, bush has stowed away millions.)
Dare we hope that a new president might speak, and work, for the common people-- for you and me? This is the high ideal of this country, although it has been stomped into the mud, and hidden under filth, for years. Is the sunlight of this pleasant vision starting to shine again?
Are we starting to wipe away the thick filth of greed?
We do hope so. Let us have at least the courage to dream again; for without its dream, a people is nothing.
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