We all have dreams or at least I hope we do. Aspirations, fantasies, imaginations..something that takes us out of our everyday life. We all want to do better and for some to be a better person. A better golfer, parent, spouse or maybe just a better citizen of this big blue orb we live on. 

If I dream I have optimism. There can be a new and improved TTG out there somewhere, I just have to find it. It’s odd because I have a pretty good life. I don’t really want for anything. Am I being a pig at the table of life? I guess the answer to that is what you wish for?

Looking at the material side, the divine Miss K and my life has really changed. Over time we have had some pretty nice houses. I imagine it was somewhat important what car we drove, what club we belonged to and what booze we served.( I still like Johnnie Walker Black.)  Now my golf shirts are old and my blue blazer has seen better days but it doesn’t rise to the definition of crisis. 

That is not true for others and I get it. I hope couples still want to get married, have kids and move into bigger digs.If you live in public housing project, or in a run down part of town you want to get out not only for a better life but maybe just life itself. Defining those parameters are the most important part. 

I have always believed if you aim high, you hit high. Yet today for many this is all so out of reach. And for many the lure of lotteries or on line betting becomes a bottomless hole that you cannot get out of. And of course  as businesses and even  government we play to that weakness in so many ways. It is not only tragic but sick. Would that it were not.  

Getting to the personal side I am intrigued by so much in our world today. We have in so many ways an unachievable existence although we try and try. Role models are the rich and famous. Look at the Kardashians. They created this highly lucrative persona out of nothing. It is smoke and mirrors. Hell man,I could do that! Or so they think. 

Young people are making it big. Whether it is high tech, financial markets, entertainment or some other fast growing industry they are succeeding to unfathomable degrees.

This is not to throw cold water on that, but to add some degree of practicality. This joy ride is unsustainable or unachievable for the masses. We have created such unreal expectations that you feel like a loser if you don’t hit it that big.   This creates a dilemma for me to ponder and try to solve. Believe me I am not even close. 

There is another side to this whole line of thinking. The difference between optimism and stupidity. We adopt a sense of the Lord will provide or don’t worry things will work out for the best. That is admirable but it doesn’t pay the bills. A smart person enjoys the good times but plans for the downside. What is your plan B ? Many dreamers don’t think that far. The crash hurts more than ever. 

The line between success and failure is often a fine one. Are we equipped to handle it? Our educational system has made its intent to be a safe and nurturing place. I guess you could broaden that to include adolescence and young adulthood. There was a well respected chemistry professor at NYU who was fired after complaints from 85 of 350 students about the class being too hard. In their petition, students said that “a class with such a high percentage of withdrawals and low grades has failed to make students’ learning and well-being a priority.” Yikes!

Some dream of stability and others of revolution. That clash spells polarization. The common thread of democracy, civility and yes morality of a sort is under fire. One man’s fantasy is another one’s nightmare. Change is part of life but it seems a portion of our society wants to throw everything out and start over. Every last vestige of the country’s history and methodology is suspect. Others want to be back in time. The good old days.  These dreams are clashing and clashing big time. 

My kids have been very much involved in their schools through various forms of PTA groups. The common thread is the teachers having to wade through countless complaints and accusations from parents that their son or daughter is going to be a total failure if they don’t get B or better. How will these kids handle any bit of criticism or downside in the game of life? This is indeed a dream that probably won’t come true. 

My dream is that we survive and I believe we will. My dream is we all come to our senses. We are torn between so many countermeasures and basic philosophies. We want a forward thinking world but it can’t be based on fantasies. We want to foster creativity but we can’t have a society that caters to every need and whim. 

I believe it starts with education both at home and in our schools. Basic discipline and decency towards one another. Puberty demands structure but not a stifling of the spirit. Experiments are part of life but taken too far you find a wandering and chaotic mosaic. Look at your life and do you find excesses of all sorts to be your paradigm? BOTH LEFT AND RGHT!!

I dream that each and everyone of us take a long look in the mirror. No smug looks. No vitriol unleashed. Just a honest look at ourselves and where we ought to be in a communal and interdependent world. I know I have lot of work to do. I only hope that dream I am chasing is not sheer fantasy. 

As always 

Ted The Great 

Factoids:

Dream:noun

1.a series of thoughts, images, and sensations occurring in a person’s mind during sleep.

2.a state of mind in which someone is or seems to be unaware of their immediate surroundings.

3.a cherished aspiration, ambition, or ideal.

4.an unrealistic or self-deluding fantasy.

5.a person or thing perceived as wonderful or perfect.

I think Webster hit the nail on the head

People ages 65 to 74 spent the most on lottery tickets and pari-mutuels (betting pools), spending an average of $132.43. This is almost twice as much, or even more, than the amount spent by any of the other age groups.

Households with incomes in the fourth 20 percent spent the most on lottery tickets and pooled betting, spending an average of $94.72  per quarterThe next big spenders were households with incomes in the second 20 percent spending an average of $81.98.

Way back when I attended 8th grade at St Mary’s, class was held in the basement of the church and we totaled 54 students. We had one nun and rolling green blackboard. We all passed our NY State Regents exams in English,Math and History. How the hell did that happen?