Are You A Dreamer Or A Realist?

I was 10 years old when I wondered if I was the President of Pakistan, how I would start a “Sweep Clean Mission” and with the help of my fellow citizens, rid our country of all the land pollution. I was 14 years old when I learned about the rigged system and the mentality of our people, it is not going to take one big mission to clean all the garbage, but a change of thinking that people must take care of their garbage disposing habits to keep their surroundings clean. I was 18 years old when I finally accepted the harsh reality that the people of our society are least bothered about trash and landfills, they won’t change their habits, they won’t educate their children to do the right thing, all they will do is blame the others. When I was young, I didn’t know of the boundaries and limitations of the world, that is what made me so passionate about a certain project that came from the deepest patriotism for my homeland. When I grew older, I was educated about the real image of our society, and the realist perspective taught me that I cannot persuade others to change because they simply won’t and all I can do is work on my own to my own extent.

There are two mindsets found in the world, one that most of us often have when we are young, the wild imagination that has no boundaries whether it is possible or not; The Dreamer, and the other is formed when we grow old and face the reality of life and the world, and begin to work in a more practical approach; The Realist. The sad truth is, as a person grows old, their thinking starts changing. Before, they didn’t know what was not possible or so difficult to achieve, but then with time and growth, they face challenges and harsh realities and are bound by the lines of their knowledge and the unified thinking of the society.

The great thing about young minds’ imagination is how they are open to every wild idea. Indeed, imagination is the key to future innovation. But often dreamers are discouraged because of the realists. Our society, our families, our education system shows rips us off the chance to dream big because of certain rules and textbooks need to be followed. Don’t get me wrong, rules are important and so are textbooks, because, in order to achieve the impossible, one must know the extents of the possible. So the question is, was I wrong to dream that big back then, or am I wrong now that I have accepted the reality check?

The answer is to find a balance between both stages. It is important that I learn how my reality exists in order to dream big for a cause. Dreamers and Realists need to co-exist, not fight against each other because neither should reach to extremism. Being an educated and active citizen of the country I know that Pakistan among other countries of the world is also facing climate change due to increasing pollution and carbon footprint, and with proper knowledge, I can explore various methods to fight against this global cause and may as well achieve in influencing my fellow citizens. It is the need of the hour that we embrace creativity with a realist’s perspective, and encourage the young minds to explore their boundaries, maybe breaking a few stereotypes, and embrace change.

To all the Dreamers out there, I know that you all have a unique skillset in yourself, and out-of-the-box ideas. Don’t suffocate those ideas in the box, bring it out, dedicate your time to those ideas, dream big, and produce great outputs but also use your positive energy for a valuable cause. To all the Realists out there, do not ill-criticize any other’s efforts, instead, use your approach to enlighten others of the pros and cons and become a part of another person’s journey for a certain cause. Together we hold great power, but a balanced and well-educated effort can bring great positive tides.

I was 10 years old when I wondered if I was the President of Pakistan, how I would start a “Sweep Clean Mission” and with the help of my fellow citizens, rid our country of all the land pollution. I was 14 years old when I learned about the rigged system and the mentality of our people, it is not going to take one big mission to clean all the garbage, but a change of thinking that people must take care of their garbage disposing habits to keep their surroundings clean. I was 18 years old when I finally accepted the harsh reality that the people of our society are least bothered about trash and landfills, they won’t change their habits, they won’t educate their children to do the right thing, all they will do is blame the others. When I was young, I didn’t know of the boundaries and limitations of the world, that is what made me so passionate about a certain project that came from the deepest patriotism for my homeland. When I grew older, I was educated about the real image of our society, and the realist perspective taught me that I cannot persuade others to change because they simply won’t and all I can do is work on my own to my own extent.

There are two mindsets found in the world, one that most of us often have when we are young, the wild imagination that has no boundaries whether it is possible or not; The Dreamer, and the other is formed when we grow old and face the reality of life and the world, and begin to work in a more practical approach; The Realist. The sad truth is, as a person grows old, their thinking starts changing. Before, they didn’t know what was not possible or so difficult to achieve, but then with time and growth, they face challenges and harsh realities and are bound by the lines of their knowledge and the unified thinking of the society.

The great thing about young minds’ imagination is how they are open to every wild idea. Indeed, imagination is the key to future innovation. But often dreamers are discouraged because of the realists. Our society, our families, our education system shows rips us off the chance to dream big because of certain rules and textbooks need to be followed. Don’t get me wrong, rules are important and so are textbooks, because, in order to achieve the impossible, one must know the extents of the possible. So the question is, was I wrong to dream that big back then, or am I wrong now that I have accepted the reality check?

The answer is to find a balance between both stages. It is important that I learn how my reality exists in order to dream big for a cause. Dreamers and Realists need to co-exist, not fight against each other because neither should reach to extremism. Being an educated and active citizen of the country I know that Pakistan among other countries of the world is also facing climate change due to increasing pollution and carbon footprint, and with proper knowledge, I can explore various methods to fight against this global cause and may as well achieve in influencing my fellow citizens. It is the need of the hour that we embrace creativity with a realist’s perspective, and encourage the young minds to explore their boundaries, maybe breaking a few stereotypes, and embrace change.

To all the Dreamers out there, I know that you all have a unique skillset in yourself, and out-of-the-box ideas. Don’t suffocate those ideas in the box, bring it out, dedicate your time to those ideas, dream big, and produce great outputs but also use your positive energy for a valuable cause. To all the Realists out there, do not ill-criticize any other’s efforts, instead, use your approach to enlighten others of the pros and cons and become a part of another person’s journey for a certain cause. Together we hold great power, but a balanced and well-educated effort can bring great positive tides.