Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die, life is a broken-winged bird that cannot fly.
Langston Hughes
Our dreams are our raison d’être; they are what motivate us to get out of bed day in, day out. They are what keep us going through the bad times, giving us something to look forward to. Our dreams are what lend a meaning and purpose to our otherwise mundane lives.
We live in an unfeeling world. Every day, we run into people who, either intentionally or otherwise, trample over other’s sentiments, acting purely out of their self-interests. There is no place for the weak in a world where only the fittest are supposed to survive and prosper. It goes without saying that keeping oneself motivated is easier said than done in such callous circumstances. After all, why would one wish to head to school or work every morning if they knew that all that awaits them is another hard, wearying day? And that is where dreams come into play, giving us all the motivation we need to keep moving forward.
Acting as cushions against our harsh realities, our dreams give us a reason to keep plugging away at stuff that we otherwise would have given up on rather easily.
It isn’t like people who have no aspirations for the future aren’t living. However, it doesn’t take a lot of imagination to figure out how meaningless life can feel if one has nothing to look forward to. And so, no matter how many times you fail or hit a roadblock, just keep at it. You are much better off trying and failing than giving up and living with the regret of not having been brave enough to stand up for what you truly believed in.
James Mercer Langston Hughes, popularly known as Langston Hughes, was an American poet, social activist and columnist. Hughes was well-known for his insightful portrayal of black life in the States. One of the pioneers of jazz poetry and a leader of the Harlem Renaissance, Hughes drove home the importance of dreams in his two-stanza-long poem, Dreams:
Hold fast to dreams
For if dreams die
Life is a broken-winged bird
That cannot fly.
Hold fast to dreams
For when dreams go
Life is a barren field
Frozen with snow.