Pipe dreams

When I was a small child, I used to long for a pet horse. I dreamed of what I would name it, where it would live, where I would ride it, how I would take care of it, what it would look like, and what my gear for it would look like. I used to ask my dad every few days when he would get me my horse. I dreamed of riding away off into the sunset like a rescued princess or world adventurer.

Now, I know it must sound like I was annoying kid when I say that I would ask him every few days. I was not annoying. I was incredibly cute, courteous, and sensible. There was a reason why I would ask him every few days about the horse. You see, if he had responded in an appropriate manner the first time I asked him about the horse, such as, "Honey, I don't have the time, interest, or ability to help you take care of a horse, so no, we are not going to get a horse. Ever." then I might not have strung my disappointment along for so many years. However, he did not respond appropriately or wisely. Instead, he said something along the lines of, "We'll get a horse one of these days." What he meant was, "Getting a horse is a pipe dream. Never am I ever in a million years going to actually get you a horse."

Ok, I said all this to raise the question: When is it that we begin training ourselves away from dreaming the impossible? Ever heard the saying, "Hope springs eternal"? It doesn't in America. In the eyes of our children, (prior to the time period when we begin to squash it out of them, training them that their life can only be so good, and the society that they live in is doomed to be trashy and immoral) pipe dreams don't exist. What would the world be like if there were no impossibilities? Granted, things like gravity and the time/space continuum will always exist, but go along with me here for a sec. Can you even imagine what America could be like in 30 years if our children were taught progression and moral absolutes instead of given restrictions to their imagination and forced to accept and tolerate the status quo, only allowing further degradation instead of improvements. It is possible to have a society virtually free of abuse, neglect, and crime. But only will it happen if we want it to.

My final word of encouragement is for everyone to dream big. Big things are possible.