"Arise, and be all that you dreamed"

One of my favorite songs is "Arise" by Flyleaf.  Here's a link to a youtube video with the song and the lyrics so that you can follow along: Arise.  I often listen to it when I'm not in a good mood, which was the case just yesterday.  I even told my darling, Danielle (I hope she's ok with my mentioning her, because she gave me a look on Sunday...), to listen to it so that her spirit could be with me.  Yes, I can be cheesy. 

Why I mention the song is that I was challenged the other day what the purpose of this blog is.  I think it's pretty clear.  In case it's not clear, however, let me clarify for you: most writers don't succeed, yet that's the career I'm pursuing anyway.  Many failed writers go into the publishing industry, and many writers-to-be do as well and then never get out.  Yet this blog isn't just about a writer on his way to fame: this blog is about a young person shooting for the stars without giving up or giving in, without compromising, and without losing the great confidence a person needs to pursue their dream through failures and trials.  There is no message here.  There is no hope for enlightenment.  This blog, plain and simple, seeks to show and remind others of what it takes to pursue one's dream.  This blog seeks to encourage others to pursue their dreams without settling for anything less, without listening to what the culture asks or demands, without caring about money or negative perceptions.  This blog is about me, but not about me at all. 

I truly believe that our culture has forgotten the power of dreams.  While I believe that too many people in our country think too highly of themselves, often choosing to have no job rather than accept a position that is supposedly beneath them, I also believe that we have stopped seeking to make our dreams reality.  That is a shame.  And so, I am writing this blog with the hope that we might all hear the words from Flyleaf, "Arise, and be all that you dreamed."

Also, there is no question at all that we have lost our appreciation for the arts.  Writers and artists used to be respected and honored far more than they are today.  There are more writers and artists than ever before, and the best of them are paid more than ever before; but no longer does the average person have lines of poetry memorized or see any use or meaning in poetry, and no longer are writers considered to be a valuable part of society.  For that reason, this blog is still half about me.  That half concerns my attempt to break the mold and to re-inspire an appreciation for writers.  Anyone who does appreciate the arts and writing should enjoy, maybe just a little, a blog about a person's wild dream of changing the culture.  Again, though, this blog is not just about me: even if you don't care about the arts and writing at all, then perhaps you can still appreciate the attempt to single-handedly change a culture. 

My writing, too, mainly focuses on instilling a form of divinity in each person.  Our culture is afraid of everyone to the point that it's very hard to engage in conversation with strangers on the train or plane or in the metro station because, apparently, all strangers have only evil intentions.  I hope, indeed, to metaphorically speak the words, "Arise, and be all that you dreamed."  If all of us find within our being a greatness that we previously did not know was there then not only have I fulfilled my calling as a person and as a writer but there will also be more hope and good-will in this world.  To some that might seem like a major undertaking or that I'm putting too much on my own shoulders, that no blog or writing could possibly encourage others to be all that they dreamed.  But that reminds me of another Flyleaf song, "Again."  Take a listen: Again.  I simply will not rest until others take up their dreams again and live to make them real.  I will not rest until we all arise and be all that we dreamed.  That's the ultimate aim of this blog... told in live, autobiographical story form.