Moss dreams

Wildcat File Photo Arizona Daily Wildcat Scott Andrew Schulz

Had you spent your Thanksgiving weekend watching the movie "Pretty Woman" for the zillionth time, you might have heard this key question.

A "crazy" man, walking the streets of Hollywood at the end of the movie, asks passersby what they want out of life; where they truly want to be. Of course, he is dismissed as an irrational lunatic. How can this man actually believe that each of us has the opportunity to shape our destinies? Does he not know that dreams are only realized within the creative imagination and the mysterious realm of sleep?

Well, this is certainly not Hollywood, and you probably had better things to do over the holiday break than organize and review your home video library, but it brings up an interesting question.

Are you struggling to reach individually conceived goals or have you adopted society's expectations as those of your own?

Although my Thanksgiving may have sounded completely pathetic, I did have the chance to get out, enjoy a delicious dinner among friends and relatives, and focus on what it is that I continuously strive to achieve. On the way to the restaurant, I sat staring out the window of an extremely compact car, asking myself what my goals in life are, and why.

Luckily, I had more than enough time to ponder this thought. Entering the lobby I found myself immersed in a crowd of crazed, sweaty people. I was unaware that one Thanksgiving custom is to put off eating before the big day so that the act of returning to the buffet table three, four, even five times, does not seem quite as shameful. Surrounded by empty stomachs, I made my way to the outer edge of the room, trying to shield myself from the stampede that was about to occur.

It was here that I met up with a family friend who immediately struck up a casual, but polite, conversation. She asked where I go to school and what I study, nothing too personal or challenging. But then came a question some of us are often ill-prepared to answer:

"What are you going to do with your life?"

I knew what I wanted to say. Why was it so hard to tell her what I really want to be? These dreams I have had for years are so vividly real in my mind and seem so possible, but to say them out loud was different. And so, I sold myself short with my first response, "I'm studying communication and exploring areas within that field," I said.

Yet, I thought to myself, that is not my true goal. That is only what society expects me to do. I am supposed to get a college degree and go into a related profession, spend 40 years working while raising 2.5 kids, and then retire in Palm Springs to play golf until the day I die.

Soon after, I gathered the courage to say what I really want to be; a musician. As I explained how I sing for a band called The Moss and talked about the plans we have to get together as soon as all the band members graduate from college, I felt the passion behind my words. It was a level of excitement that was not there as I interpreted a life that society designates as "normal" and "realistic."

It is a battle we each endure, deciding whether to follow our hearts or our minds. Most often, we allot four or more years to be educated, then allow ourselves to be bought by multimillion dollar companies, school districts or various other entities who pay us far less than we are worth. We then live our lives as tools of the trade. All the while, we lay awake at night thinking about where we really want to be and what we really want to be doing. Yet, we continue to deny ourselves that satisfaction because we become comfortable in a life with which we are familiar, a life that no one laughs at because it is expected. We sadly neglect our dreams, dismissing them as unrealistic and farfetched.

Far too many of us live our lives to meet the expectations of others. We try our best to make others proud of us, believing that should we successfully do so, we, ourselves, will find happiness as well. This frequently leads to frustration, depression, and eventually, regret.

Do not be afraid to live life as an individual. Pursue those goals that you hold dear, as crazy as they might appear to the world around you. While anyone can dream, there are few who dare endure the scrutiny and put forth the effort to mold their dreams into realities.

Now, I ask, what is your dream?

Scott Andrew Schulz is a communication junior. His column Millstone appears every Wednesday.