What is the difference between a dream and a fantasy? Both are bigger than the current state of things; both reach for something bigger, something greater.
Both are properties of the imagination, yet one is worthless and the other invaluable. Dreams lead to action; fantasies to apathy. Dreams lead to happiness; fantasies to frustration. If you desire your tomorrow to be better than your today, you need to know how to distinguish between dreams and fantasies so that you can truly dream big dreams without getting distracted by foolishness. Here’s how to tell the difference . . .
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s iconic I Have a Dream speech has been a constant source of inspiration since he delivered it in 1963. It was perhaps the most significant and impactful speech of the 20th century, and to this day, whenever it is heard it causes people to stop, sit, and listen.
I remember hearing the speech for the first time when I was a young boy, and I wanted to be Dr. King. I wanted not just to see the reality of his dream come to pass, but I wanted to stand on that platform and see what he saw, feel what he felt, and say what he said.
I wanted not only to have the dream, but to be the dreamer.
But what was it about his dream that was so soul stirring?
It was not very realistic . . . not in the world of 1963, at least. The Emancipation Proclamation was nearly 100 years old already, and yet oppressive racism remained a formidable reality that African Americans continued to confront on a daily basis.
It was not very systematic . . . He didn’t lay out a grand plan for realizing that dream. The speech contains no bench marks or sub-goals that would ensure that we were moving forward towards the dream.
It was just a dream. A big dream. And a dream that captivated the imagination of a generation, and continues to captivate our minds and hearts now, fifty years later.
So then, what is the difference between a dream and a fantasy?
- A dream is worth dying for. Dr. King did not just dream, but he was willing to pay the price for his dream. Both dreams and fantasies can cost you your life; the difference is that a dream is worth dying for, and a fantasy is a terrible thing to die for. For instance, if you fantasize about having sex with a married woman, and you live out that fantasy in real life, her husband may kill you. And what a terrible way to go! Fantasies can kill you just like dreams, but the difference is that those who die for fantasies die over foolishness.
- Dreams reach for the good of others, not just the good of self. Fantasies are all about gratifying the self. We tend to fantasize about fine cars, big houses, private jets, money, sex, power, pleasure, satisfaction, achievement, fame . . . All of those things are for me, and as long as my imagined future is focused on me and what I will get out of it, I’m living in the world of fantasy. But a dream, a big dream, is about what my life can contribute to others. Dr. King was nowhere to be found in his own dream. In fact, he seems to have sensed that his end was coming, and so he said in another great speech, “I may not get there with you, but I’m not worried about that now . . . because I’ve been to the mountain top, and I’ve looked over, and I’ve seen the Promised Land . . . ” A dream is about making the world a better place; a fantasy is about making my world a better place.
- Dreams motivate and mobilize others to act for the good of others. Dreams are not only selfless, but they beget selflessness. They evoke in others a desire to move the flag forward, even at the cost of their own lives. A dream is like a baton, which may be passed from one runner to the next, and the speed with which each runner runs depends upon her ability to imitate the selfless devotion of the one(s) who ran before her.
We need more dreamers who dream dreams that call them to action. And we need to recognize fantasies for what they are; a distraction and a trap. Fantasies focus your heart and mind on the gratification of your fleshly desires, and no good can come from them. Fantasies will trap you in a world of inner greed, and greed is a form of idolatry!
Fantasies call you to action too, but the action that they call you to is destructive, rather than productive. In seeking to live out fantasies, people destroy their relationships, sabotage their careers, ruin their finances, and forfeit their destinies. Just think of Esau and that bowl of porridge!
We need more dreamers . . . more true dreamers, who dream dreams that will change the world. I challenge you to become a dreamer, and to purify your dreams by renouncing your fantasies once and for all, today!
What is your dream? Would you take a moment to share it with me in the comment section below?
