THE 3D DREAMS
Have you ever had a dream? I bet yes you would say. Did your dreams
look colourful? Did you see the bright stars with your name boldly
written on it? Did you see the sun glow superbly with its rays
refreshing your soft tender skin? Did the full moon lighten your path?
Have you ever been excited about the dreams you had about the future?
Did you get excited about the greatness that was said about you? Did you
see yourself getting the ovation given to prince and princesses; the
applause reserved for noble folks; the fame and popularity bestowed on
world stars; the hospitality given to the VIP’s; the wealth only the
esteemed personality acquires? Did you see yourself own gorgeous
mansions; the best of the recent automobiles? Did you in your dreams
journey round the globe as an ambassador to nations? Did you by any
chance wine and dine with the A-list personalities of the society? Did
you adorn the best fabrics emanating from the household of the top
designers to occasions you attended? Tell me you had this dream as well,
the sweet bright future that is usually impregnated by utmost
gladness. I am not surprised you had one because I did too.
I
didn’t just have dreams, some were conceived for me. Hey Deji, I had a
revelation seeing you as a great man... In whose belly butterflies
wouldn’t dance if you heard such words? I presume it would translate to
smashing all my papers in the university with colourful grades, I
thought I would meet the most beautiful girl on campus and she would
melt at the smell of my fragrance, I felt NYSC would post me to the most
lucrative part of the country to dig some national treasure, I thought
there would be chains of job offers at my disposal when I would be
serving my fatherland, I even thought in a matter of time I would become
an household name and hence globetrot like the biggest business mogul
would usually do. You can’t blame me for having such great
expectations; I pictured a scene of greatness emanating from the
proclaimed prophecies as it conjoined with the many sweet dreams I had
so why shouldn’t I be excited? Was Joseph also not? He was his father’s
favourite, a brilliant chap that saw greatness beckon to him at a
tender age. He knew he was made for big things, it was just too big to
be a feeling as the dream looked more like a 3D than a mere written
script. Remember his brother’s plants bowed down to his (it signaled
the fact that he would become someone respected and honored, a high
chief that would be saluted by nations). Please forgive the young boy
for being too excited to share his dreams to his household; the thrill
of keeping such to oneself was too overwhelming and extremely
difficult. Well my name isn’t Joseph, fast forward to some years later,
my dreams looked like the ill packaged nollywood film trick sandwiched
into an half bake storyline of most Nigerian movie. I was almost
having an extra year on campus; I was posted far away to Adamawa for my
youth service, to add salt to the injury I earned so low from my first
paid job that any digital age complaint damsel would have been easily
repelled, no wonder I remained a single semi broke dude for a long
while (Even miss right could smell the struggle and refused to show
up..lol).
Like seriously; help me
people, where did the beautiful dreams of Joseph the dreamer go? He was
first abandoned in a pit with his obituary advert properly fabricated
and well circulated on the internet to deceive his loved ones. He was
then sold into slavery. Instead of posing with a coat of many colours,
he wore torn colour riot clothes. He slept on the floor instead of a
succulent water bed he was used to in his father’s crib. His food was
served with leaves instead of the golden plates imported from Italy. He
would always trek to deliver errands instead of taking the classiest
ride in his father’s fleets of cars. He soaked garri many times instead
of munching cornflakes or feasting on sharwama. He couldn’t access the
Portiphar’s personal computer with full internet subscription hence
was unable to open a facebook account to search for his kindred. Who
sends a slave to an expensive higher institution? I am certain the
Babcock, Bowen and Covenant University were out of Joseph’s reach in
Portiphar’s house. Poor Joseph the dreamer was instead the chief slave
or perhaps house keeper and wasn’t the high chief he had dreamt to be.
Even his scandal was all over the media for attempting to rape his
master’s wife as he was falsely accused; an unfortunate scenario that
landed him in prison. Do dreams ever come true? I presume Joseph must
have asked at a point like I also did ask myself sometime ago. Are you
saying you asked yourself this question too? (Sigh).
Dreams
arrive on the wings of excitement but there is always a distance
between conception and fulfillment which is usually a function of time.
How long time it is we can’t really say. Between this period, there is
always a lot of work to be done, preparation towards dream
actualisation. There are the many trials life throws at us, the many
challenges we must overcome, the life defining situations, the many
important decisions to take, the outline goals to pursue, the defeats
that must be swallowed, the many patience to exercise, the belief that
must be embraced and the solid determination/great confidence that must
be built. Yes dreams do come true but no one remembers to inform that
it doesn’t come either cheap or instantly as soon as soon as it is
mentally pictured. It took me years to discover who I wanted to be, it
took time before I got the courage of starting the business I had always
dreamt of owning, it always take time for dreams to become evident in
reality. So also did it take time for Joseph to finally become the
prime minister of Egypt, a time where his wisdom was so evident that it
saved nations from perishing during the famine period.
Do
you have dreams that presently look like a mirage? Are the prevailing
circumstances opposing the awesome dreams you once had? Are the daily
realities contending with the bright picture of the great personality
you saw yourself to be? Come on, no one said the road was going to be
easy, no one said there wouldn’t be pot holes on the road, no one said
it was going to be a smooth fast ride all through, all you need do is
to cast not away your confidence which has great gain. Okay keep the
excitement of the dreams aside, learn from the experience that comes
before the dream’s fulfillment but be unrepentant to seeing it
manifest. Be ruthless in your determination and never settle for less.
Defeat isn’t an option neither is giving up. Hold firm to godly beliefs
and of course be diligent and hardworking just as Joseph was. He was
not just hardworking but was faithful in that which was in his custody
at his master’s house. Remember not to take unnecessary advantage when
such opportunities come and most importantly the greatest catalyst to
bringing your dreams into fulfillment is when you think about others
first before yourself. Great men interprets other people’s dream, they
contribute positively to others growth and development. You would agree
with me if Joseph hadn’t interpreted the dreams of his fellow
prisoners, no one would recommend him to the king. My Love for
photography grew when I provided unpaid service overtime to capture
images of events for the humanitarian organisation I belong to. Be a
problem solver dear friend for in it lies the fuel needed for life
excellence on the journey to greatness. And lastly stay humble when
the dreams eventually manifest. Joseph had the right to deal with the
household of Portiphar for their unfair treatment. He had the
justification not to help his brothers who came in search of food but
he never acted negatively. Hey, let go the pain(s) of the past if you
want to really make progress. If you must prove a point, prove the good
one. As painful as the hurt may be, repay the bad with good.
Written by Olukokun Adedeji
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