Two of my favorite songs feature lyrics about the wonder and mystery of dreams.
"Standin' on a hill in the mountain of dreams,
Tellin' myself it's not as hard, hard, hard as it seems" - Led Zeppelin, Going to California
In a song that is all about dreams and desire, I find this final line so profoundly relatable. I cannot count how many times in my life I have reached a peak of accomplishment only to find it was just a hill compared to the mountain of dreams that I see before me.
The song really expresses the feeling of longing and doubt that I have often encountered in life. With another evocative line "I wonder how tomorrow could ever follow today...", expressing how incomprehensible the future can be sometimes when we are filled with the emotion of right now.
If I am really listening to the song that last line can still give me chills because no matter how far I have come, I still feel that awe and intimidation when I think about how far I want to go.
"Dreams have never been the answer, dreams have never made my bed." - Chris Cornell, Seasons
This line from another favorite has always struck me as a profound statement of Stoic wisdom.
In creative culture there is a mythology surrounding dreams and dreamers that elevates the concept as the highest goal of an artist. Using our imaginations and chasing dreams is often a sort of mission statement, encouraging us to seek what makes us feel inspired but is not always clear on what to do next.
While I don't disagree with the need to have and know dreams, I find it is not enough. There are many who have chosen to follow thier dreams but end up languishing, accomplishing little more than falling in love with one dream after another. In effect these dreamers sleep their way through life.
What I feel like Chris Cornell is trying to communicate here is that there is a time for dreaming and a time for action. Dreams may inspire us while lying in bed but we have to get up at some point and take action.
I believe everyone should have dreams, fantasies of great things that could be. I certainly do, through my life I have entertained many scenarios of what might be, will never be and even some that never could be, but in the end it is is up to me to make them happen or not.
To be a dreamer is a beautiful thing but unless you are also a maker it amounts to nothing, just sleepwalking.