It took me a long time to grasp the power that goals have. I don't want to blame external forces, but being discouraged from a young age didn't help flourish the practice. I distinctly remember that learning guitar was too "vulgar". Even writing that down is preposterous. Being a journalist was dangerous and dishonest. Ideas that come from being born into an autocratic regime. I know that I'm not the only one who was actively discouraged as a child when day dreaming about life's possibilities. It becomes a learned behavior and we can't help but start thinking that our goals are just silly dreams. We begin to treat goals and aspirations as escapism and feel ashamed whenever they come to mind. We stop paying attention to what we really want.
Ignoring my dreams and goals held me back from living a happier and more fulfilling life. So when my 7 year old fantasizes about the future, I do not discourage him. We've shuffled through the dream jobs of YouTuber engineer, engineer and inventor and now we're onto something truly exciting. He wants to build portals. Portals that can fast track us to top of mountains if we wished.
It doesn't matter if he invents them, what matters is the path that he takes towards them. Imagine describing internet to someone 100 years ago. Or accessible electricity to someone 200 years ago. Telephones? AI? Who knows what is around the corner for future generations. If he chooses to push for this goal, he will get the appropriate schooling, he will meet other portal travel enthusiasts and combine efforts. Maybe he will simply inspire others or become the shoulders that future generations stand on. I'm not the one to decide, I'm an irrelevant human from the past. Who am I to stand in the way of his greatness?
Nothing is more imaginative than a goal of a child. Children are full of wonder, untainted by the real world realities. Sure, my son's goals are fantastical, but we could all benefit from a little bit of fantasy.
