The True Meaning of My Dream

I’ve been having the same dream ever since I was in elementary school. I do not remember exactly what grade I was in when I first had the dream, but it has been a part of my life for a really long time. My dream would always start off with me being at home with the whole family. I would have a clear view of what everyone in my family is doing. I am not invisible in the dream because my siblings and parents would give me the type of look that shows they are paying attention to me as if I am a part of the family’s conversation. However, when I try to speak, no sound or words comes out of my mouth. To give you a better example, try to imagine one of those black and white olden day films. They produce all sorts of movements, but you do not hear a word when you se them talk with one another. Going back to my dream, my family does not recognize that I cannot make a sound because they would just continue on the conversation as if me not having a voice is not out of the ordinary. I moved from room to room to see if any body else notice that I do not have a voice, but they would just act normal. I would even make hand gestures as I point to my mouth and throat, but all they would do is smile and look away. After trying so many times to get my family to notice my problem, I would give, up and just stand around looking helplessly. Eventually, I tried to fit in with the family, and ignored the fact that I cannot speak a word. I never remember the ending because my dream would always get interrupted by a phone call or alarm.  

I have never really given my dream a lot of thought, but Jung made me understand that there is a reason why I keep having the same dream over and over again. I come to realize that my dream is a reflection how I truly feel inside. I come from a family of nine, and I am the youngest one. Since I am the youngest one, I feel that no one ever listens to me. Of course, they would hear the words coming out of my mouth, but I feel that they do not understand how I feel, and do not take my words into consideration. They feel that just because I am the youngest one, my voice in certain topics is not important. I have grown very close to my three siblings Tevy, Soryya and James. We have grown close because we are the four youngest and has many things in common. However, my much older siblings and mother do not allow me to voice what is on my mind. When they do allow me to do so, they would tell me I am too young and still have a lot to learn. Before I was to interpret my dream, I was fascinated with getting tattoos on my body, but did not try to analyze too much about it. However, as I analyzed my dream, I come to realize that I put art on my body because it represents who I am on the inside and out. Since I feel like I have a voice, I allow my tattoos to do the talking for me. I do realize that the more tattoos I have, the more I feel like I have a voice. It is a bit creepy on how things connect with one another, but it also amazes me because the way that I am currently thinking is out of this world.

Success or Happiness

Some people do not escape a job or life circumstance they don’t like because they feel many pressure on why they shouldn’t leave. For example, I have a friend named Andy, who worked in one of the “The Big Fours.” All I know is that they are in the business field, but of course, there are a lot more to these companies. When he worked for one of the companies, he was getting paid a lot of money, and many people envied him because they saw him being set for life. During the beginning of his career, he was excited and happy because he was getting paid a lot of money, but he started to hate his job because they were working him like crazy. The more he worked at this company, the more he hated his job because it became a job that he could no longer handle. He wanted to quit his job, but he was afraid of what his friends and family would say. He had a good reputation, and he did not want to ruin that by quitting the job that drove him insane. Even though his reputation was constantly on his mind, he also felt that it would be very hard to find another job that pays as good as the one he had. He didn’t have time for his friends or family, and was always stressed out from work. After three long years of hard work with the same company, Andy decided that he had to quit because it was turning him into a person that he did not want to be. When Andy quit his job, his friends and family supported him because they saw how unhappy he was. As he thought long and hard, he knew that it would not be hard for him to make money once again and be happy because having one of “The Big Four” companies on his resume was a major plus. He took some time off from work, but it did not take him very long to find another good paying job because his experience with his former company showed employers that he is very educated and hard working.

Sometimes, you just have to follow your heart and do what you think is best for you because you are the one who has to live with yourself at the end of the day. This can be a very hard thing to do because we are afraid of what the public and professional sphere thinks of us. The majority of the time, we only think of the negative outcome of our actions, and what others will say or think. However, certain situations may not seem too difficult if we were look at the brighter side of things. One of my favorite quote is “When one door closes, another door opens.” I like the quote because it speaks the truth in any way you choose to look at it. There are many opportunities for us in the world, and we do not have to settle for something that we are not happy with. At times, it will get tempting for us to take any job offer that comes our way because we are tired of trying, and not having the type of money we wish to have, but we must always try to remember to think positive and believe in ourselves. Some may take longer than others to find a good paying job and be happy, but it is all worth it in the end. All we have to do is keep trying and never give up. When we finally get the career that we have been searching for, we will become satisfied with life as we feel like we have not worked another day in our lives because we love our career that much. We don’t have to have experiences like Andy, but we do need to have a drive like him because he pulled himself out of an environment that he hated, and found a career that made him a lot happier. At the end of the day, you and your loved ones comes first, and that’s why it’s so important for you to have a career that makes everyone happy. 

Doing the Right Thing

I believe that everything that we have worked on throughout the semester has prepared us to understand the short story called “The Guest” by Albert Camus. With the knowledge that I have obtain, I can analyze the story and convey the message that are being sent. Daru did not have a voice as he was forced to be in charge of the Arab. I look at this story as an example of our very own lives because things may come at us unexpectedly. We just have to do the best we can with what has been given to us. Instead of looking at problems as a negative factor, it is better to understand the problem, and solve it. The old saying goes, “What doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger.” With each obstacle that we complete or conquer, it makes us stronger to fight another day because we have the knowledge to do so. The more problems we encounter, the more knowledge we have in dealing with future issues.

Even though we grow as an individual as we grow older, some problems may still be more difficult than others. During difficult times, we may feel that we must do what is expected of us, but what we do not understand is that we are our own person, and we have the final say on what happens in the end. For example, Daru decided to let the prisoner go because he felt that it was the right thing to do and that the Arab was not a threat to him or society. When Daru let him loose, Daru helped release the prisoner from his cave. Now that the prisoner is a free man, he is able to start fresh as he walks the road freely. Some people are just a victim in a prison, and they just need a little help in finding the right path. When Daru set the man free, it made him a stronger and better person because he did not follow orders; instead, he followed his heart. If Daru were to ever come across situations like this again, he will have the proper tool to do what he feel is best.



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From a Closed to an Open Mind

It has been six months since I have quit my job at Jiffy Lube. I worked there for over five years, and my experience there has taught me a lot about how one should approach life. For example, my former manager Vi gave me a hard time when I first started working at Jiffy Lube. During the first year, Vi and I would always get into arguments about him making me do everything at work while others were slacking off. When he hired more workers, Vi gave all of them a hard time as well, but he became a little more lenient with me. This was when I realized that my manager would always give the new guys a hard time, and that I should not take the things he said too personal. 

Even though Vi still gave me somewhat of a hard time over the years, I learned to bite my tongue and be patient. This brings me to what Erich Fromm said which was, “One’s own person become an instrument in the practice of the art, and must be kept fit, according to the specific functions it has to fulfill. With regard to the art of loving, this means that anyone who aspires to become a master in this art must begin by practicing discipline, concentration and patience throughout ever phase of his life.” (102) In order for me to be open minded, it took many practices, which allowed me to become more discipline. When I was able to achieve the ability to be open minded, I was able to look at my manager’s point of view, and not just my own. I learned to accept my responsibilities as an individual and as an employee. I began to understand his point of view as a manager, and how tough his position can be.  

I stopped thinking about how tough my manager was being towards me, and started to really understand him as an individual and as a boss. When I paid attention to all of the things he did as a manager, it made me understand that he had a lot of responsibilities to carry because his job was always on the line. Every time one of the employees made a mistake, the regional managers would always blame it all on him. The only way for him to keep his job is to be strict at times, and follow every rule in the book so that mistakes can be minimal. Vi’s job was probably more important than ours because he has a car payments, house mortgages, and a family of his own to care for. Don’t get me wrong, we still had our moments where we wanted to tear each other’s head off, but I grew as a person as I practiced to be patient and discipline myself by being the bigger person and walking away. 

Vi is the main reason why I no longer work at Jiffy Lube because I knew that if I were to stay any longer, all of my hard work of being patient and open minded would disintegrate. I quit my job because I was tired of being the bigger man. I kept an open mind for many years while I was working there, but everything just became too unbearable for me to handle. The things that Vi expected of me were too much of a demand, which lead me to quit because they were things that I could no longer offer as an employee. However, I walked away from my job with respect, and my head held high because my experience with Vi allowed me to be objective with the rest of society. I started my job thinking only one way, which was my way, but I became more open minded during and after I left my job. Vi was a difficult person to deal with, but I took it in as a life lesson for the future because there are other employers who are just like him.