“Harlem” by Langston Hughes
What happens to a dream deferred?
Does it dry up
like a raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a sore—
And then run?
Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over—
like a syrupy sweet?
Maybe it just sags
like a heavy load.
Or does it explode?
Hey again. It’s me. You might be wondering why I used a poem to start off this blog post (general laziness? maybe.) or you might be wondering why you’re even reading this (it’s because you pressed that follow button, RIGHT? say yes). Regardless of what you’re wondering, I got some thoughts, dear reader. You see, I’m in a very contemplative mood today. Mixed in with a bit of nostalgia and “last days of school” blues, I’m in a position to reflect on some of my high school goals and dreams.
Well, to begin with, I didn’t really have any. Well, I had one. To be honest, all I recall is that I wanted to “succeed.” Succeed? Yes, Richard. We get that but what does that really mean. To that, I say, good question, dear reader, but I’m afraid that question can only be answered by you. We change. We grow. So isn’t it foolish to think that our goals and dreams don’t change?
I know mine have. At one point, I only saw myself as a future doctor. Anything else would “disappoint” my community. (Looking back, this is so funny because boy, if I was really stupid back then, I wonder how dumb I am now.) Then, high school hit and bam BAM. Here I am. I came into high school thinking that I’d be a doctor and now I’m leaving high school not knowing what I want to be. Quite frankly, GOAL worthy right here.
The thing about high school- or any form of a quality education for that matter- is that it SHOULD introduce you to various perspective and paths. Because of this, your goals will always be changing, so simply move those goal posts. Teachers and counselors continue to encourage students to be well rounded. The only problem with this is that there’s so much we want to do now that we do not know what. Even worse, some people even suffer at the hand of this model. I’ve seen too many goal-oriented freshmen fall trap to the myth of the well-rounded student. Too often, I’ve seen people join clubs and participate in activities simply to add one more thing to their resume or check off a box that they believe colleges will love. This most definitely was me at first, back in the old days when I was still motivated. I mean, don’t get me wrong. I’m still motivated. I’m simply spending my time and energy more efficiently. The thing is, dear readers, your goalposts should be shifting. Your dreams should be everchanging. Because when they’re not, you get stuck in a rut and all that personal growth you sought plateaus. So to avoid this, remain open to change but also remain committed to one certain aspect of yourself. Consider the T-shape. Allow a large breadth of your goals to be malleable but allow a certain aspect of you always remain the same. At the same time, I cannot stress the importance of change. Let the world change you so that according to Newton’s Third Law, you’re legally allowed to change the world back.
Secondly, I believe in the importance of dreams. I recognize both their immense benefits and dangers. When used correctly, they can motivate you to accomplish your goals and when fulfilled, provide a genuine happiness that cannot be replicated in any other way.
But dreams also pose the danger of disillusionment, of pessimism, and of death. Like chasing a rainbow, the difficulty of chasing a dream lies in its nature. Dreams are abstract, non-tangible; they cannot be touched. Their arches can seem like illusions meant to lure you in and pacify you in this dark, dark world. Left unfulfilled, these dreams kill a part of inner selves that we often desperately want back: our past childhood, our optimism, a past love, a small light in our world. If left to defer, our dreams decay as a part of us slowly dies inside. It’s up to us then to not let a good crisis go to waste and use that decayed dream as the fertilizer for that new goal to grow.
Ultimately, it requires faith in this world, and not necessarily the religious kind, but the hopeless optimism that adults usually brush off as childish. This faith requires an attachment to ideals that when followed-through propagate a contagion of dreams. Seeing other people succeed shouldn’t create jealousy but should also spark another fire inside of you seeking to burn away all the doubts you have about your dream.
So, “here’s to the ones who dream, foolish as they may seem. Here’s to the hearts that ache. Here’s to the mess we make.”
Keep dreaming, dear reader, because as a certain Lavagirl and Sharkboy taught me dreaming while remaining woke is one of the greatest abilities one can have.
Best wishes,
Richard Coca
Rich in College 