My Dream

Normally I reserve this site for refutations* of liberal arguments, and a general political approach to philosophy. Those of you who know me, understand that I am a Republican because I am a Conservative, not the other way around. As such, I often do not make a ton of personal comments on me, my life, or even my family. What follows will be an exception.

*Note: Socrates often used rhetorical "refutations" to extract his version of absolute truth from his students, while claiming no wisdom for himself. Perhaps this is something to do with an enormous amount of pragmatism, whereby Socrates could simply see the world for how it was, just as I attempt to see it for how it is.

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Last night I dreamed that I somehow went back in time to President Reagan's last days in office. I was 29 years old still (as I am today), and from the year 2009, but transported temporarily to January 1989. Reagan was different, and it was as if he were an aloof old grandfather, the caricature so often portrayed in the news media, and nothing like the real man. He had longer hair, and dark glasses, and I found myself somehow in the presence of the man in some cemetery, where he had just given some remarks. My father, who died much before Reagan (1987, at the age of 30 due to cancer), was there. His trademark mustache was there, but gray. He seemed to point me towards Reagan, and I felt an incredible urge to make a plea for him to somehow act to prevent Sept. 11, 2001.

As I approached the President, he turned to me but didn't seem to really be focused on anything but making his way to his next appointment.
"Mr. President, I'm from the future."
A knowing look (knowing that I must be nuts that is).
"How can I help you, son?" he replied.
"In the year 2001 we will witness the worst terrorist attacks in our nation's history, you have to find bin Laden, and destroy Al Qaeda now in 1989. I have more details for you."
Just then, the secret service detail diverted the President's attention, and lead him away to his limo, and off he went.

I believe that dreams sometimes have a deeper meaning than what a Psychologist would associate to them. Anyone who watches any type of Sci-Fi movie or show where time travel is possible would understand the desire to go back in time and change negative events. As I sat, pondering the implications of my weird dream, where I failed to use my one chance to save innocent lives even when meeting the men that I admired most in life (my father, and Reagan), something hit me. Perhaps its not about what I would do to change past events, as this is physically impossible, outside the realm of the imagination. Rather, what would someone from our possible future come back to warn us about? What will someone in my shoes in 20 or 30 years yet to come wish they could change?

We can't know the future, despite what anyone will tell you. People who prophesize often have an over-inflated sense of importance, or they follow-up with a request for your Visa or Mastercard number. In any case, we can be Socratic, and pragmatic. We can remove the lens of bias, we can ignore the rhetoric, the mass hysteria, and the rhythmic beating of the music that is played to march us toward some destiny rife with compliance. We must simply ask ourselves what our forefathers really meant with their words and their actions. We must ask where are we today, and how did we get here? We have to first know where we are, and no one seems to want to be honest about that. It's necessary to know this before we move forward.

Just as we are helpless to change the past, we have great power to shape the future. Sphere: Related Content