A Little Wisdom

My favorite quote changes as frequently as my favorite song. Every time something happens or the mood changes, so do my favorite things. Favorite always fit the current situation. It just so happens that the current situation is that I'm sitting in my bedroom, the night before my high school graduation, looking at my graduation gown. That aren't many opportunities in life, where you can stare thoughtfully at an article of clothing, knowing that the next day, when you put it on, your life will change forever.

For me, this is one of those times when I really need a really good favorite quote. Lucky for me, there never seems to be a shortage of great quotes. Right now, the best is by J.M. Barrie, author of Peter Pan and basically my hero.

"Dreams do come true, if only we wish hard enough. You can have anything in life if you will sacrifice everything else for it."

Perhaps, you wonder, why, at this moment, this quote is my favorite. In order for me to explain that, I'd have to explain everything I'm thinking right now, which I just don't think is possible. In short though, when you know that you will soon be listening to speeches about your future and dreams you tend to think of your dreams and how impossible they seem.

Anyways, back to the quote. At first, when I read it, I thought it was absolutely the most inspiring thing ever. In a way, it is. I mean, ANYTHING I dream of, CAN come true. That's kind of brilliant, but that's not all that Mr. Barrie is saying.

Anything I dream, can come true, at a cost. In economics, this is called an opportunity cost. In taking one opportunity, you miss out on another. In other words, you can't have it all. What is the cost? Sure, there are some things where the cost wont be great. Perhaps, I dream of a custom pair of shoes. It might cost me a week's worth of working to pay for them. That's not that bad of a cost, unless there are other things that I absolutely need to buy and don't have other money to buy them.

What if the cost is greater though? Is your dream still worth it? If you have to give up every other thing you've ever wanted, do you still want that thing you've hoped and wished for to be yours? If the answer is "yes", then I guess that's a good thing. It means your dream can and will come true. If the answer is "no", then you'll have to think about sacrifice a little more.

I used to know a guy who was very concerned about grades. I've never been very concerned with grades, though I still make good grades. We argued politely about the importance of grades. I of course, argued that people shouldn't worry about grades so much. He, of course, argued that people should care more. We never came to a conclusion.

Now, I know the answer. There is no one thing in life that can bring you happiness. It's a collection of things and moments that make you happy. So, for example, being a perfect student and getting into a great college, isn't enough. You need friends and family that love you. You need memories of exciting things you did.

You can't be Peter Pan and be happy. Well, you can, but not permanently. Peter Pan sacrifices the chance to have a family, to be in love and to grow up, just to stay a boy forever in Neverland. Sure, he seems happy, because it's his dream, but there are things missing.

Maybe, the glamorous dream that we all dream- that dream that's always at the back of our mind- isn't worth all the things we'd have to give up for it. Maybe all the little dreams put together are worth more. They aren't worth giving up completely on your big dream- nothing is- but they are worth more than anyone can imagine.