Dear Young Dreamers,
You are a gift to this world--you who see everything in a different way, who treat a setback as a new lesson to be learned and never as a sign to give up, who think of what could be and not necessarily what is. It's you this world desperately needs.
You might find it ironic that the world needs you because you incessantly hear how your head is in the clouds. You constantly listen to laughter after telling others what your heart aches to do. You too often are outnumbered by the critics and cynics of the world who find it easier to pluck your dreams from the sky rather than give their own a chance to take flight. The naysayers will always be there. Our job is not to answer to the timid; we only need to answer to the dreams that dance through our hearts and minds.
The truth is people are uncomfortable around us. You'll never be understood, and the sooner you come to terms with that, the better off you'll be. We have a resolve that is lost in too many. When others would rather settle, we see possibility, and this is confusing for most. Your spirit and light push others to that place inside of themselves that wishes they, too, could feel that sense of blind optimism, but they've forgotten how. It's not their fault either; life can be brutally difficult. They have been hurt or denied so many times that hope has faded right along with their dreams. This, however, is why you're sacred.
I beg you, dreamers, to hold on to your hope to change, your ache to make a difference, your passion to be a light in a dark world with an unrelenting force. With this, you can do anything. You can. I promise you can. When the world is shouting the opposite, let my whisper ring the loudest. No one but you has the power to determine what you can accomplish. You are not naïve. You are not childish. You are not unrealistic. You're a beautiful spirit with the tenacity needed to see your dreams though.
Imagine what the world would look like if the Founding Fathers had not dreamed of a better nation, if Gandhi had not dreamed of fighting violence with civil disobedience, if Martin Luther King, Jr., had not dreamed of equality for all, or if Malala had not dreamed of education for girls. You're in the company of people who have radically changed the world. You have to believe they were also greeted with doubt at every turn. You have to believe that their proclamations were met with the jeers and judgmental laughter you face today. You also have to believe in your extraordinary heart and the grit you were blessed with because those are what will carry you through the fire just like it did for the ones who passed before us.
Find those who see the world like you or who at least see and honor the sparkle in your eyes. It's these special souls who will serve as your reminder that you're not crazy and, more importantly, not alone. Find people brave enough to join you on your mission to make a real impact on society. There is nothing more powerful than a group of people armed with hope. People like us are infectious. It only takes a spark to create a fire.
So, my dear dreamers, never let the world dim the light inside of you. The fire in your soul wasn't put there by chance. Only the brave answer the call. I pray that you find you're one of them because the world needs you. You've been given a gift. Never turn your back on it. Dream on.
Love,
The 29-year-old dreamer