“We live as we dream—alone”
Joseph Conrad
Inexplicable and enthralling- the mystery of life. Like shooting stars in the night sky, we suddenly appear, sputtering with wonder about our surroundings, vulnerable and resilient at the same time. No one knows where our journey started and where it will end. Our very existence is forever shrouded by a cloud of awe and wonder.
We sail through life, facing adversity, embracing adventure, pursuing our goals fervently, rejoicing with our achievements, but above all we have a burning desire to co-exist, to share, to belong. Time is an illusion-or so it is argued- but we spend a considerable part of it pursuing this sense of belonging, and often elusive relationships. We want to be in the company of our loved ones; often we cannot envisage life without being surrounded by other people. Like a moth drawn to light we are drawn to soul mates. But is this so?
Although we are keen to fool ourselves that we ‘belong one with the the other’,’connect’ and ‘bond’ the (surprising) reality is that each of us is a sole traveller of the journey of life. We come alone- we leave alone. Life, in its provocative manner, raises obstacles, breeds challenges, spins us in its whirlwind of trials, all with one thing in mind :to teach us that for its best part we stand alone, we have to act alone, we learn to rely on ourselves, and not so much on the others. Daily occurrences prove to us that responsibility cannot always be shared, the initiative will have to be our own, the road will have to be travelled solely by ourselves. A strong wish for a help in hand is not always granted.
Very much like dreaming- that personal time which allows no intruding from the world of all those awake- living i s a solitary business. In dreaming, the individual enters the exclusive realm of his masked subconscious. No one is there to help ease the anxiety and fear of a nightmare, to listen and understand, or to share the excitement of being in a fantasy land. Dreaming is the privilege of the dreamer alone. Living is often the unavoidable state of being alone.