Is life a race?

[sagatyba]

Hi guys!
Tell me what you think: is life a race?

Yesterday I was chatting at the beach with this 70 year old volleyball instructor. He said life was a race, and that if you don't start running, people will step over your head to get past you.

My mom also said that to me once. The elders are wise, in fact, life started with the race of the sperm, and we win

But listening to this causes me great discomfort.
I had a dream today I haven't analysed all symbols. I was yelling at a midget because she was talking on the phone behind the counter of a copy place and I wanted her to stop taking my copies, because I brought in a black textbook, and the copy was coloured. I didnt want to pay extra and I complained because her store had no price board. I kicked the midget! I woke up feeling quite embarrassed.

I am here thinking about that song Time by Pink Floyd: "And then one day you find ten years have got behind you. No one told you when to run, you missed the starting gun"...

on the other hand there is this cute video made by the authors of south park, to the speech of Alan Watts YouTube - Music and Life - Alan Watts saying life is more like a dance.

Which is it for you?

[ElfenLiedAnime]

Life is a walk in thick mist

[Midday]

Well, to me it really depends on the context. Life is full of of situations where you'll need to do one thing and other situations that call for the exact opposite measure. There will be plenty of times where you'd better get your rear-in-gear or be late, and other times you'll need to "stop and smell the roses" in order to gain new insight. Life isn't any one thing, but filled with opposites and in-betweens.

[Articflames]

I hear it a lot as well...it might just be a race (we are called the human race aren;t we) we are almost always trying to outdo the other so yep I'd say life was a big race in a way...

[CureWishes]

I do not think life is a race. For it to be a race you would want to get through it as fast as you can without any remebrance of what you past while running. Although time goes so fast and most of the time you're thinking of things that you should have done or could have done.
I look forward to the future, not in a race at all, but wondering where life is going to take me, and also look back (quite a lot) and think about the things I have seen and done. I'm not a person who likes to rush things.
I guess everyone has their own idea of what life is supposed to be, me, I just want to be the turtle, not the hare.

[unclesirbobbyrobson]

Hi Sagatyba

Well when times are hard sometimes we want to strike out and say what we think. Maybe your dream was linbked to your state of mind. Wanting to show frustration. Then realizing that your blaming the wrong person.

Its rather like blaming he bus driver when bus fares go up. Or blaming the shop keeper for price increases when its not reaklly something he can control. You strike out showing frustration. Or wish to in your mind. Later you realise that your really hitting at someone swho is a an innocent party.

So who is that innocent person? Who did you want to maltreat? Where was the source of that frustration?

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People expect too much from dream dictionaries. Can you really expect a dream dictionary to provide an explanation of what your dream means simply because it included a particular symbol? It’s an absurd suggestion. The best comparison is to expect someone what a sentence means by just giving them one word within it. For instance to ask someone what a sentence means that includes the word "soldier". In reality the process in almost impossible. There are so many different ways that the word can be used that interpreting the dream just by spotting one word within it is simply ridiculous. The word soldier can be used in many different ways such as "I need to soldier on", "we have not got enough soldiers in Iraq", and "I want to be a soldier when I grow up".

So why do people expect a dream interpreter to be able to simply understand a dream by the inclusion of one symbol. In practice dream symbolism work in much the same way as ordinary dictionaries. A soldier can represent themselves but they can also be used in a wider context to show the types of qualities that a soldier exhibits (toughness and the ability to endure hardship and follow rules). So think how anyone of those symbolic meanings relates to recent events. It’s really important to use a process of association. Associate the dream symbol with real life thoughts. First ask yourself if the symbol could represent itself. Did you think of any real life soldiers the day before? But also consider the qualities that soldier’s exhibit. Did those same qualities have any relevance the day before? Did you need to follow rules and be disciplined? Did the same seem like a constant struggle? Also consider the day to come and see how that relates to possible symbolic meanings. Did you resolve to soldier on in some difficult situation?

Work though all the symbols in the same way and see what real life issues can best fit the real situation in your life. But also consider telepathy and premonitions as they too are part of the many aspects of dreaming.

Try these pages as they help you understand the process of dreaming

Dream dictionary symbols - How to analyse and interpret dreams
Dreams analyzed
Dream dictionary interpretation - How to interpret dreams
Dream interpreting - the police and security forces and their symbolic meaning

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[swift]

If life really were a race then where are we racing to? Sometimes I get the sense from people around me that life is, indeed, a race. But...where's the finish line? And why are we racing? Is it only the fastest that will recieve reward at the end? With so many people running, how is it scored? How do you win? It's impossible to win a race with no ending, unless it's a last man standing thing.

AND exactly which direction are we running?! I imagine a whole bevvy of racers all running wild, arms flailing willy nilly, for the hills in all directions.

If we ARE racing...I've lost already. Am I in trouble? Do I have to do sit-ups on the sideline because I didn't put any blind effort into it? Whenever somebody finally wins can we all call good game and go home satisfied? Or perhaps bend ourselves to something more productive than material competition?

The Do-do knows.