Welcome to Fantasy Island. Uhh... No. Before some short person jumps out and announces the arrival of some aircraft, I think I’d better do more in explanation.
We all fantasize. And no, I’m not talking about anything involving whips and chains. Some fantasies are actually mundane. Some are more extensive. But they all show a lot about the person that has the fantasy.
Fantasies can be anything in our wildest dreams, or current reality. I’m sure many people fantasize about having a better position in the company they work in. Some might fantasize about being the boss. Others may fantasize about doing away with the boss. (Hmmm, well I wasn’t going to get into light and dark here, so I’ll leave it alone.) These types of dreams or fantasies tell a lot about a person, especially if most of the ones they have are of this type. We all have different types of dreams, but it’s the ones that we go to the most often that tells us what we are. We’ve probably all had fantasies about winning the lottery, or quitting our jobs, or simply running the company. Many I’m sure have had dream s about being on a desert island, or flying through the air without a plane. If someone’s dreams were constantly about getting ahead or being the boss, then this person might or might not lack imagination. One thing it does show is that this person is firmly grounded in the real world, and most likely comfortable with it.
If your dreams are more fantastical, then you’re more comfortable with escaping reality rather than staying in it (and I definitely fall into this group). My fantasies and dreams more likely will be about commanding a starship or swinging a lightsaber rather than getting promoted in my company (especially since I’m my own boss now anyway and can’t go any higher). So those of us that are not real well grounded in the real, mundane world tend to look at and accept other things that might appear fantastic, like Reiki and other energy work, not to mention astral projection, channeling, ...and so forth. (For those that like science fiction, there is a saying... Reality is a crutch for those that can’t handle science fiction.) What people follow and what they fantasize in is a method that sets the mind for what it accepts. But that isn’t what I was going into either. (I’m starting to feel like a crazed writer that can’t find his topic.)
One of the things I’ve noticed is that what I think about changes as I get older. In my dreams, I used to be the action hero. Who isn’t, especially when they’re young? As I get older I find that I’m more inclined to be in the action, but rather than being the one running around making things happen, I’m the one in command getting others to make things happen.
Now what is this saying? Older is wiser? Well, only if one learns, otherwise older is just older. But think about it. When one is the grunt that does all the work, their focus is very small (the local view). But when one is in command, one is looking at the bigger picture (the global view). Maybe a more grown up view. (I swore that I may grow old but I’ll never grow up. Maybe I’ll have to a little.) Interesting? As we go through life, we change. Our experience level changes. Our focus changes. We grow. It is almost like the medicine wheel like I talked about a couple years ago.
Decades ago, Harry Harrison created a character called the Stainless Steel Rat (which was the title of the first book). The rat, Slippery Jim DiGriz, lived in a far future society where everything was basically homogenized, stainless steel. To be a thief, one had to slip in through every little crack, basically to be a rat, a stainless steel rat. At any rate, as Harry got older, Slippery Jim got older. It was interesting to see how the character changed, and grew, to see how he got wiser with age. Of course, as Harry got older still, he started writing on the younger days of the rat. (And don’t worry about the rat being a thief. In the first installment, he was captured and convinced to work for the galactic police force.)
I guess the whole point is to look at what your fantasies are. Try to broaden them if you can. Allow them to show you opportunities, and open your mind. Grow and learn as you move through life.