Innate Dreams

They say that in the moment just before you die, some people see their entire life in a flash. These days, sometimes when I close my eyes, I am able to see the last 6 months or so of my travel memories in a flash. 2015 has been the best year of my life. 2016 is going to be even better. I am a very happy man, and I know I will be for the rest of my life. 

I hope the same for you. If you are not happy, I would urge you to figure out your dream and pursue it. Not the "dream" that most people refer to these days- mostly in relation to one's career. I am referring to your innate dream- a dream that is unadulterated by others' expectations of you. A dream, the pursuit of which, requires you to pay no heed to what any other person would say or think about you.

About the time I finished school, I asked myself, "Where do I go from here? What do I want from my life?" Several answers popped up in my head. I started eliminating them to narrow down to the one that I believed was my innate dream. I knew it was innate because it was what I used to dream about as a child. I had forgotten about it, but it all came back in that moment of introspection.

I used to dream that in my previous life I was born in a country where people spoke Spanish. Gradually, that country became Mexico. Ludicrous, I know. I have no clue why. But that led me to read more about Mexico, and later, Latin America. I learnt that Spanish is spoken in most Latin American countries. The history, politics, and nature of the region started to fascinate me beyond measure. I wanted to experience Latin America.

I decided to work towards realising my innate dream. I did not share that decision with anyone for a long time. Dreams are too brittle to be shared. When you share your dreams, people love to poke holes in them. That was especially likely in my case since I was going to blithely chase a childhood dream. Childhood is synonymous with immaturity. So I started sharing my dream with friends and family only when it seemed like it was possible to make it happen.

I learnt Spanish because to truly experience the people of a country one must speak their language. It can be fun and an unforgettable experience to use signs and talk like Neanderthals. But speaking the language of a country takes travelling through it to a whole new level. 

I also started saving money. 

And here I am about to start living my dream. I am making it sound like it was a walk in the park and the fruition of only my efforts. No, it was more like what happened to the protagonist in The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. I am not a huge fan of the book. But I agree with the moral of its story- when you want something badly, the universe conspires to make it happen for you.

Ugh, that sounds straight out of a self-help book about chasing success and career-related dreams. But like I said, I am urging you to chase your innate dream.

You won't regret it. 

I was standing on the edge of a cliff in Scotland. I could see Great Britain's northernmost point from there. The natural beauty was overwhelming.  There was nobody around me for several miles except a lot of birds, intermittently strong gusts of wind and the indifferent waves of the ocean. The coastline there is vulnerable to constant erosion. I observed the ocean waves relentlessly chipping away the land. While I was trying to soak in the view, our obsession with living our lives to be considered successful by others was reduced to an inconsequential, puny pursuit. I chuckled like an infant when the wind whispered an affirmation of my new-found realisation.