Herding the Skinny Cats

 

Suddenly I was driving a vehicle.  It must have been a mini-van, because of all the people.

As we drove along I noticed the shimmering surface of water in the intersection, which didn’t make sense because the sun was brilliant and the sky cerulean.  Without so much as a lightening of my foot on the accelerator I drove straight into the body of water.

As if by magic, I watched what ensued from a distance that meant I was no longer inside that van.  I stood (or did I sit?) and watched as the van slowly sank and flailing arms beat the surface of the extremely deep pool.  Screams.  They were all screaming for help.  And there I stood, fascinated by the theater and utterly unphased.

I woke slowly.  When I was fully awake I realized I had that feeling I get when I am feeling a strong emotion – rapid pulse, shallow breathing and anxiety. 

It was only after I realized I had been dreaming that I calmed myself and puzzled over what on earth such a dream could mean.

I was the one who drove the vehicle into the standing water.  How could I simply stand and watch as people struggled and drowned?  That is not something I would do.  In fact, I would be screaming my head off for help or diving into the water to attempt to save at least one of the passengers.

No, as is the case with most dreams, it had to have been symbolic. 

It’s no secret that I am extremely concerned about the condition of our country.  I do delve into the politics that others avoid like the plague.  It matters to me that the people of America appear to be falling prey to a relatively small group of people who intend to set the agenda for the future.

It drives me mad to hear people even less well off than I parrot the talking points of fat cat politicians who sleep with the enemy that is Big Business.  I realized the dream represented that concern of mine. 

The driver of the van wasn’t actually me, it was the conservative right.  The passengers in the van were the millions of people who will be driven to the polls in November, where they will cast their votes in direct opposition to their own best interests. 

The driver of the van will stand back and watch them as they work their bodies into disrepair, fall behind on their mortgages, become unable to feed their families and drown in a pool of despair.

Now that I’ve figured it out, I am not surprised I would have such a dream.  It was in line completely with the way I think when I am awake. I take a complex issue and try to reduce it to a sound-bite-sized scenario to help me understand the issue and explain it to someone else before they tire of listening.

The human brain is the most mysterious and wonderful living thing on the planet.