A Date with An Old Dream in Prague

I arrived in Prague this weekend, having looked forward to this trip for some time. This is because about three years ago I came here for the first time and enjoyed it so much that I promised myself I'd return. Last night, I had an incredibly magical moment on the Charles Bridge (Karluv Most) near old town Prague. As I strolled onto the bridge, I was overcome with emotion when I came upon a solo guitarist who was playing an old Pink Floyd song that, for me, carries so much childhood memory. There I was standing on this magnificent pedestrian bridge on a perfect night (75 degrees, no wind, and clear skies), watching an unbelievable picturesque scene and listening to a tune that I had listened to so many times as a child not knowing what my future held.

Fifteen years ago, my closest friends and I used to listen to that particular song at a gathering spot in our neighborhood in Morocco wondering what was there beyond our reach, in those far cities that we only see in frozen pictures. One of my friends used to dream aloud about driving freely on Route 66 with that Pink Floyd hit playing in the background. I too dreamt that scene along with him, but I also dreamt countless other scenes putting me in places the world over. Nonetheless, unlike my friend, I mostly dreamt in silence mainly because I thought it was senseless torture to share dreams that, then, seemed to reside in the realm of the impossible.

Last night, my childhood came back to remind me that "all people dream, but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their mind, wake in the morning to find that it was vanity. But the dreamers of the day are dangerous people, for they dream their dreams with open eyes, and make them come true" (Lawrence of Arabia).

I also realized that our personal achievements are worth nothing if we do not employ them to inspire the next generation to dream with open eyes and do great things for there is an ocean of opportunity awaiting them. To them I say that as you navigate through life in search of your dreams, be sure to carry these treasured tools with you: intellectual curiosity, personal integrity, modesty, perseverance, and hopeful optimism.

Last night made me wonder about my old friends. I have not seen them for over ten years now. I wonder if they too had found a way to see what we all once imagined together. I prayed that they have. In the meanwhile, however, I thought of them with that same old song playing in the background.