Lawrence of Arabia

“All men dream, but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds, wake in the day to find that it was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act on their dreams with open eyes, to make them possible.” – Thomas Edward Laurence (of Arabia)

So apparently Lawrence of Arabia was a pretty awesome guy. It makes me want to watch the movie.

And it’s true, isn’t it? We can all dream at night. It is those pragmatists that slog through every day activities, convinced that all life is trite and futile, that present no threat to the status quo. They will go on living their mundane, gray existences without ever once looking up to notice that the sky is aflame at sunset.

But what about those who, trapped in a cubicle or sitting on a subway, who see lights and imagine far horizons? There was never the chain that could bind a man who longed to glimpse the sea. There is no tie strong enough to hold back those who want to tread in untamed lands.

Some might argue at that, and say that there are millions of dreamers who will never leave their hometowns. Thousands who will never achieve greatness. That’s true, in a fashion. But it’s only a half-truth.

You see, for the true dreamer, surroundings and circumstances are of little matter. Dreamers can see gulls soaring while mucking stalls in a dusty farmyard. They can swim in coral reefs and run with horses while sitting quietly in their offices filing reports.

And the crux of the matter is that if you can see the gulls you are far more likely to actually try and find them. Seeing isn’t believing, believing is seeing.