Originally Posted by markmark  There are certain dreams that choose a person. This is often how it is in the arts. My previous post was directed towards those who have experienced this, and perhaps I should have qualified it better as such. Whether Beuford is one of these people (at this point in life, given that it can be realized at any time), only he or she can know. However, an early sign that a person has been chosen for a particular purpose is a radical questioning of their surroundings and the status quo. This is because they intuitively feel an incongruity between where they are and where they are meant to be. Leaving high school is a serious decision that should never be taken lightly. Following a dream should not either, however.
The wisdom of the collective unconscious is apparent in the phrase 'following one's dream.' You cannot lead a dream, and you cannot control a dream. It is something you can only surrender too, oftentimes against your and others better judgement. It is a test offered by the dream itself.
In my experience, following a dream is the most difficult, punishing, rewarding and personal work I have found. It is a blessing and a monumental challenge. For some this is the rigors of pursuing a doctoral degree on their way to becoming a professor. For others it is honoring the joy that is to be had in manual labor. Both are equally valid when they are pursued with honest passion, and a desire to realize one's full potential by contributing to the community in the best way one can.
I am a professional musician and have been for many years. Through all the difficult and challenging times, what kept me warm at night was the knowledge that I was being honest to a dream. Even, as Godot pointed out, that dream may have changed forms along the way.
I have actually had the very experience that Godot describes. I was a DJ for many years, and what was once an impossibly exciting dream did indeed become unsatisfying and routine. But I knew it was part of the path that music had led me on, and respected it as part of a larger whole. I found the natural transition to a new place while still staying true to my dream, even when my understanding of it became tenuous and I acted only with faith. However, once I completely surrendered control to something greater than myself, doors opened that I never could have imagined. A dream is not static, its a path, and one that often changes radically. The order often is only apparent when looking back.
Some of most satisfying life experiences I've had were during my early years working the night shift as a security guard. I would be seated on a golf course under the stars until the morning came, composing and singing into a tape recorder. I lived very humbly and with very little comforts, and I couldn't have been happier. No matter what tribulations I was faced with I knew I was on the right path, and that brought me a joy and peace that was priceless. I have a very good friend who has been a security guard now for 15 years and is one of the happiest people I know. He is also one of the most productive, talented and dedicated musicians I know. He also has a bachelors degree from a respected liberal arts college.
We all have an internal compass. School can help us find this compass, while it can also inhibit its discovery and/or development. It is completely subjective.
School should exist to serve and foster dreams. However, there sometimes does come a time when it begins to dictate rather than empower. Recognizing this, and becoming aware of the different roles school can play in one's life, is a natural part of growing into an autonomous adult.
Nothing is guaranteed. Its all probabilities, and its all a gamble. We all have to choose for ourselves how much risk we can accept. |