D reamers are those who dream of a different world, and through their imagination, show us that a different reality can exist. They show us visions, of what the world can be like — visions that we may not readily see or agree with. They hint of a possibility which lies outside conventional wisdom, they suggest an alternative not many would think is practically possible.
Their greatest virtue lies in their boldness. We can choose to subscribe to their view. Not just as individuals but also as a society, we need to let the dreamers be.
Their beauty lies in the imagination they put forth, allowing us a broader range of thought to cull out our societal reality from. Crushing their voices or prosecuting them is akin to taking out the brightest strokes from the art piece that constantly evolves from the collective societal hand. From Aristotle to Noam Chomsky, different countries have treated their dreamers differently but one thing remains constant — it has not been easy to digest them.
While Socrates was given poison on the charge of “corrupting the youth”, no one recognised Antoni Gaudi, considered the God of Architect, when a tram hit him, thanks to his unkempt appearance. Marx struggled for money, for most part of his life anyway, and Gandhiji was shot dead. But they all have one thing in common — they were dreamers.
And we as a society will do ourselves a favour, by sparing the dreamers. Why? Well, because we all need dreams, and big, bold visions. That is how human.