Enter Susan Boyle, the UK's brand new singing sensation, singing 'I Dreamed a Dream' (Les Mis) The fact that she is singing this particular song is so uncanny, especially since her dreams, though delayed, of being a singer, are coming true right before her (and Simon's) very eyes.
The following verse of 'I Dreamed a Dream' is an especially dark, sad, gaping reality, and it seems to be the last scene, of the last act, of dreaming the dream:
"I had a dream my life would be
So different from this hell I'm living
So different now from what it seemed
Now life has killed the dream I dreamed."
Does it not seem in life that dreams die? Life, the lived experience, tends to maim and shred our dreams and morph them into something we never anticipate, and sometimes something we grow to dread, resent, or fear. Through every twist and surprise of life, it seems, at times, that the dream, whatever it may be for you, dies.
But Susan, bless her heart and her voice, is living proof that the dream was never dead. Never.
I was recently in tweets with some folks who were wondering what the hell was the big upset! Why all this attention to Susan all around the world? Why the 35+ Million hits on YouTube? Why were people going crazy about her? I concluded that it is because Susan is standing in proxy for so many of us who want to revive our dreams. We are wishing, and hoping, but too scared or nervous to take that leap of faith Susan did, lest we fail miserably. One tweeted:
"Every1 is having n S.B. min But will it change their shallowness? Probably not. Pre-judgment is usually based on phys feat."
I totally felt that. That is usually how we go about life, in our relations and reactions to each other. The reason that we all love Susan in the first place, is because we misjudged her. It is kind of sick actually, if you think about it. We are all obsessed with her, because we see our collective selves in her, but only after nearly laughing her off the stage. A strange sense of guilt, pity, wonder, adoration, and wistfulness all explode to create Susan's instantaneous popularity. She is a household name for crying out loud (thanks to the internet and youtube)! It was played so wonderfully too! Susan's BGT video is a great documentary of her walk to fame. The video captures perfectly audience and judges' disdain, and surely the disdain of millions of viewers. Now, we pity her, we love her, and we recognize her talent. But most of all, we approach this whole Susan idea with a strange sense of condescending benevolence. Hm. So I reply-tweeted:
"heres 2 personal perspective transformation. Susan Boyle is not 2b pitied but 2b recognized in us and overcome."
Of course the 140 characters limit me from being superfluous. Good thing. But this is simply to say that we must recognize the Susan Boyle in us, the one before this moment of fame, and find our strength to continue to dream, and make our dreams come true! Susan does not want our pity. If anything we should want her courage. Learn more about Susan's before-life here: Bullies, LD, and the Last Laugh!
Susan is just one more reason to keep dreaming. She is one more reason to keep on keeping on. She is a blessed gift that continues to remind us that you cannot kill the dream, you can only keep dreaming.
Become a Susan Boyle Fan: www.susan-boyle.com
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