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Keep Your Dreams Alive I've always been a sucker for a good story. I was reading H.G. Wells and Edgar Rice Boroughs at the age of ten. The words they wrote were both mesmerizing and awe-inspiring, and I'll never forget the hours spent reading those classic works. I've also mixed in a fair helping of hard science over the years to keep my head screwed on (somewhat) straight, but what really drove me, and still does, is Mystery... Suspense... Adventure. In other words, a good story. Nowadays I scour the Internet for information concerning crop circles, pyramids, monuments, artifacts, monoliths, paranormal activities, ad infinitum. I'm not a nut case or a conspirator, although I admit it's sometimes like a drug, especially when I lie awake at night and let possible scenarios drift across my mind. I compose my own stories filled with aliens, antigravity machines, and all sorts of high-tech wizardry. I watch shows like X-Files, Star Trek, First Wave, and Prey. I rent movies... Terminator, Matrix, and Close Encounters. But I also keep up with current events, and I perform my job as a systems specialist with a major insurance firm very well, thank you. I ponder ancient Man, Neanderthal, Cro-Magnon, and Australopithecus. What were our origins, and where are we headed? What IS the missing link? IS there a missing link? Can you really tell from a single bone what a creature looked like, how much it weighed, what it wore to the prom? What about worm holes, star-gates, and black holes? Are they gateways to other universes or dimensions, or just holes? What makes the sun and the stars shine? How large is the universe? Past and future, past and future, and here we are stuck in the middle, as it were. Who built the great pyramid, and the platform under the Temple of Jupiter at Baalbek? Better yet, why were they built, what purpose did they serve? Why did they expend SO much energy to create these structures? Wouldn't something a bit more conservative have been just as good? So many stories...so little time. This is where the Internet helps out, with its search engines and vast array of knowledge waiting to be tapped. Let the adventure begin! The great part of all of this is when I can imagine...or act...as though there were a great mystery abroad. I'm not talking about conspiracy theories here, although a good conspiracy is a mighty tasty thing, kind of like a soap opera. Who stabbed who in the back and why, and who will stab who next? Tune in next week for the exciting conclusion. Uh huh...right. These things never end. But no, I'm just talking about a good open-ended story, a problem that needs solving, or a situation that needs to be cleared up. It could be as mundane as a new cure for acne (all right, maybe a bit less mundane than that), or as grandiose as video clips from the space shuttle that show alien craft swimming around in space. I try to keep an open mind. You know, I've always had this nagging doubt about what history books tell us is "The Truth", as though truth were something that is a fixed commodity, painted in black and white stripes. Historians tell us that history is written by the conquerors, so how accurate can it be (remember, the word is "His Story")? How truthful is it? If the victors always write the story, doesn't it stand to reason that it's skewed just a little bit in their favor? If they never go to the vanquished and ask "Well now, how do you feel about all of this?", what should be our conclusion? How much is there that we don't know? Isn't it fascinating? Isn't it intriguing? What I'm really trying to say is that I won't apologize for my addictions. After all, they are mine, and mostly harmless. As long as I don't shout it from the rooftops much too often, or demand that other people believe what I believe, what's the problem? Some people call it "Escapism", as though that's a disease. So what if it is escapism? Is that so bad? I sometimes need to escape the 'daily grind', the stress. I live in a faced-paced world and I need to find ways to deal with the down side. Big deal. What I'm trying to say is that there will always be those who will put you down, tell you your crazy, or that you're wasting your time. Hey, it's your time to waste. We've advanced to our present level of knowledge because people were willing, and were allowed to dream. Most things we use every day would never have been invented if creativity were stifled. We live in a free society. Or do we? What I'm trying to say is this: In following your dreams, you should never let others get you down. Ignore them. Just keep dreaming, and one day your dream may just come true. Who knows?
Thanks for listening,
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