What is the Ideal Dream?

"Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes."
~ Carl Jung

If you could dream any dream you wanted, what would it be? Imagine if there was a Dream App on your phone which allowed you to choose the dreams you were going to have that night. Maybe there would be a drop-down menu of dreams to choose from such as: Flying over the Grand Canyon, Snowboarding on the Moon, Shopping in your underwear, etc. Every dream would be different, but they would all have a certain element of adventure and excitement to them. Afterall, nobody is going to choose to have a boring dream like: Sit in rush hour traffic or Wait in line at the DMV. 

That’s because the best dreams are the ones that are unpredictable. Similar to choosing a movie to watch, we are all looking for an experience that elicits an emotional response- one that pulls us in and keeps us on the edge of our seat. Imagine a movie about a woman who is happy in life. Throughout the movie, nothing ever goes wrong, and no conflicts ever need to be resolved. In the end, she is still happy, just like before. What a boring movie that would be! Things just aren’t that interesting without the elements of conflict, drama, and unpredictability. So, keep this in mind the next time you face adversity, or you find yourself in a situation where you have to solve a problem or resolve a conflict. Remember to appreciate the unpredictable nature of existence. Life doesn’t always go according to plan, but that’s also what makes it so interesting.