I have always loved to read or watch surreal stories because my imagination is stimulated by the unlikely happenings and my mind is brought to wonder “What if…?” Improbable situations may be easily discarded by most because they are — or at least they “seem” — unreal and therefore why waste time in thinking about them? Well, this is not my position, here. I believe that thinking about different “stuff” widens your mind and helps you to go deeper into yourself and discover possibilities you had never thought about before.
When you watch a movie that tells about a romantic story, a detective’s investigation, a family drama, war or adventure, your fantasy has really nothing to do, does it? Everything is displayed under your very eyes. All the images are “true,” you can easily relate to the characters because you might have found yourself in a similar situation. You can almost identify yourself with the hero or the heroine, you love and suffer with them, you have a “real life” experience. It’s something you know, so it is easy. I agree on that. But when the topic is something you are totally unfamiliar with because it appears absurd, it’s more difficult for you to actually believe what is going on.
Nevertheless, when the subject is unusual, unlike any one you are used to, your mind is encouraged to stretch and to go beyond the “known realm.” As usual, it all depends on your attitude, though. If you discard the idea of embarking on a “Fantastic Voyage” (remember the wonderful ‘60s movie?), you have nothing to gain. You remain with your feet as well as your mind surely stuck on the ground and… stay put there! On the other hand, if you accept to spend a small amount of your precious time to watch a movie about improbable happenings or a documentary on futuristic predictions, you might be surprised at how interesting they can be.
Anyway, here is a surreal story that — although it is unlikely to ever happen — has a lot of good advice for all of us, so… for you, too! Just keep an open mind. A woman is living a good fulfilling life: She is a university professor, she has a loving fiance’ and is going to get married soon. All is going well for her. Unfortunately, something strange suddenly happens. After she is seemingly “almost” hit by a car, she starts getting strange visions, she meets people who know her but whom she does not recognize. A mysterious bus keeps appearing out of nowhere, clearly showing to be waiting for her to get aboard, but she persists in refusing to go. This situation continues for quite some time until she finally realizes that she is actually dead! The perfect life she is seeing herself living is the life “she could have lived” — had she made different choices. Wow! Isn’t that interesting? She never had the life she wished for because she had been afraid of “daring,” she had never had enough self-confidence.
She wanted to be a professor but she remained in her position as a waitress because she did not have enough trust in her capabilities. She was in love with a neighbor, but she never had the courage to get to know him. At no time had she believed that she deserved to be happy, that she could “actually” be happy, that she was able to make the right choices and carry them out.
This is how the story ends, and you feel a trifle sad for her. Poor thing. She had wasted her life — a life that could have been so fulfilling — just for being too shy or narrow-minded, i.e. incapable of seeing (or acknowledging and accepting) the opportunities she was presented with.
But isn’t this the same situation of some human beings? How many believe they “can” and so they “do,” and how many believe they “cannot” and therefore “never” fulfill their dreams? Remember the famous quote “Whether you think you can or you think you cannot, you are right”? It is the truth. Even a little silly surreal story can teach you or remind you of it.
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Blog: recreateyourlifetoday.blogspot.com
Creative Thinking: Fantastic voyage
