Impossible Dreams

Do you remember the lyrics from The Impossible Dream? The first two verses of Mitch Leigh’s song from Man of La Mancha go like this—

“To right the unrightable wrong
To love pure and chaste from afar
To try when your arms are too weary
To reach the unreachable star

This is my quest to follow that star
No matter how hopeless, no matter how far
To fight for the right without question or pause
To be willing to march into Hell for a heavenly cause”

I’ve often asked myself how far I would be willing to go for a cause. Leigh’s song reminds me of how powerful dreams can be for those willing to act on the insights they provide. During the Vietnam and civil rights movements, thousands of 18 to 24 year olds marched, rode on freedom busses, and burned draft cards. They fought for a cause that affected them personally. Many faced jail or left the country because they believed the war unjust.

The next two lines of the song are-

“This is my quest to follow that star
No matter how hopeless, no matter how far
To fight for the right without question or pause
To be willing to march into Hell for a heavenly cause”

Making dreams come true takes courage and perseverance. To be the-best-you-can-be at what you choose to do, to find a mate, to embrace a healthy lifestyle, and to stay informed takes time and determination. It requires staying physically active and mentally calm.

I’m reminded of the story of Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse. It’s a tale of self-discovery and explains life’s passages well. Siddhartha travels on a path rich with experiences that eventually lead him to understand the meaning of human existence. He moves from practical goal oriented activities to a more enlightened state as he starts grasps the fullness of life. He comes to realize that every truth has its opposite, and urges his readers to love the world in its entirety. His directive is to reach out to those most unlike us and learn from them. This is a message our politicians need to take to heart.

Young adults face a serious dilemma. Their survival requires them to be self-centered and focused on basic needs, and yet, to do so, they have to take into account what is happening to the environment. The economic and political situation they find themselves in today, is brutal. Many youth work two jobs and carry the burden of student debt into their fifties. With the rising cost of housing, food, and transportation, and the scarcity of family wage jobs, all too many live in survival mode.

They won’t go through life as easily as our generation did for they face an overwhelming crisis—that of a warming planet. It is a cause that will influence them more than the draft that led so many to die in Vietnam. Rising temperatures will affect their health, access to food, water, and housing due to pressure from mass migrations. It will require massive expenditures to fight fires, floods and infestations of insects. It will cause wars due to desertification of vast tracks of land.

Psychologist, Abraham Maslow construed another way to depict human development. His pyramid shaped ladder shown below, explains why young adults are self-centered. They have to be. Most twenty-year-olds are on the bottom rung of the pyramid, trying to satisfying physiological needs. Maslow reserves the apex for self-actualized people who are spontaneous, creative, moral, lack prejudice, accept facts and engaged in problem solving.

People have to have to feel that their need has been satisfied before moving to the next higher rung. It tales courage to climb, for it requires a new dream and resetting goals. But most try, for we are driven by an innate curiosity that makes us want more and thus follow the path we call life. It is a self-absorbing journey, risky and at times scary, yet somehow satisfying. Striving to reach one’s full potential, to-be-everything-one-can-be, is reward in itself. 

Those at the bottom of the pyramid will be highly affected by climate crisis. They will have to take rising temperatures into account as they struggle to meet their most basic needs. And, to get by, they’ll have to think more broadly than did past generations. Their ability to flourish individually is connected to how people throughout the world grapple with the crisis. It will require coming together to solve problems affect all of humanity. It is a worthwhile quest for everyone to undertake. 

 Imagine what would happen if each of us pushed to reach a higher rung on the ladder. Our communities would be filled with compassion, creativity, and beauty. Artificially set boundaries and self-serving biases would be left behind. Diversity and innovation would be welcome.

 It is not a quest to be undertaken by sissies, but rather it is one for the strong—an adventure worth embracing with passion. 

“And I know if I’ll only be true to this glorious quest
That my heart will lie peaceful and calm when I’m laid to my rest

And the world will be better for this
That one man(woman) scorned and covered with scars
Still strove with his last ounce of courages
To reach the unreachable star.”