Dare to Dream: Ready to be Challenged

In order to achieve something in life we need to Dare and Dream. But it is not enough to dream for the sake of dreaming or remain at the level of ideas.  Dream calls for action. To truly dream means to dare to do something different. Daring to dream invites troubles. It is swimming against the current. We just cannot separate dreams from challenges. If we have dreams to accomplish, we need be ready for something good, something unexpected, something worst, and even something drastic. 

Let me illustrate my idea with a simple example. St. John Bosco, lovingly known as the father and friend of the young dared to dream something unconventional in his times. His dream was to help the poor and the marginalised youth of his time. However, to fulfil his dream he had to undergo immense sufferings and face enormous challenges. He was challenged in every way, and from every walk of his life. He was challenged by the clergies and the church authorities of his time. Some of the people in the society were annoyed by the noise of his boys. Some even considered him insane, because he played with the boys, he visited prisons, took his boys for outings and walks, taught basic skills to earn a living. All that Don Bosco did was something unthinkable for many. He was challenged by his physical condition that was deteriorating. But Don Bosco sailed through all these only because he had dared to dream and wanted to fulfil it. 

What can we learn from this simple example? I feel that many a times we do dream big but fail to accomplish them, because of the challenges we perceive. We sometimes get stranded at the ‘red sea’ like the Israelites, finding no further hope and meaning. I believe that if we want to do something in life, if we want to walk an extra mile, if want to be different, and if we dare to dream, we need to be armed to battle the challenges that come on our ways. I think that if we are sincere and honest, and if our dreams are not merely for our selfish gain, but for the good of our sisters and brothers and for God’s greater glory, we can cope with anything. Let us not stop at the ‘red sea’ (challenges), but let us look beyond to the ‘promise land’ (accomplishment of our dream), than we can be happy and make others life meaningful. 

Let us Dare to Dream the Dreams we want to Dream, and let us Challenge the Challenges that Challenge our Dreams. 

Pawanjit Singh SDB