Dreaming the World

The world is in a hard way. Sometimes I imagine that anything I may do is likely to have no real impact. In those moments or days I get pretty glum.

A few nights ago I had a dream. In the dream I was watching folks going about their day-to-day routines. Each person emitted a bright green light. Some few lights were brighter than the rest, and several of these brightly shining people had gathered together to do what they could to aid the world. Oddly, most, maybe all, of these folks were unaware of the intensity of their light; they were simply going about their lives, doing their best to aid others and the Earth.

I was just lucid enough in the dream to think about the idea, appearing in many traditions, that a few “just” or “righteous” people keep the world from tumbling into chaos. As I watched, I noted the brightly shining ones had their share of pathos and despair. Mostly they had no clue they were holding the world in something resembling balance.

As the dream closed, I was treated to a final few images. Time had passed and the world was on the mend. It was evident in the dream that the caring and perseverance of these few people had held the space for change. That change, slow in coming, perhaps taking several generations, was now, at the dream’s conclusion, blossoming, and the world was in renewal.

I awoke with the strong conviction I had been visited by my old teachers. They reminded me things are never quite as they seem. They also reminded me that we cannot know the long-term effect of our actions. It was a good dream, and I am grateful.