Over this rather wonderful summer, I have realised that the longer we entertain the thoughts that our minds create, the more we long for such thoughts to become a reality. Maybe that also applies to the circumstances and situations which we find our lives to become involved in. The people we socialize with and tolerate on a daily basis, those we hope to bring closer or drive away, those we fall in love with. The longer we allow something or someone to remain in our minds and our hearts, the stronger the connection between us becomes. But that’s just a thought.

I confess that I do somewhat enjoy it. As much as I feel guilty about where my mind has drifted off to at times, when I think about something, someone, I cannot help but be overcome with how beautiful the story could be. The mind is a rather talented artist, wouldn’t you agree? It can paint the wildest, most imaginative fantasies with nothing but a thought and a desire.

But unfortunately, the reality is that it is simply an elaboration of our thoughts, made up of memories and collections of things which we hold no true control over. Who knows what the decisions of the universe have in store for us. There is a verse in the Qur’an in reference to the people who wished to kill Jesus, but were unable to do so through the will and power of God and His plan for Jesus. To the nearest meaning it reads, “They plotted and Allah plotted, and Allah is the best of plotters” [3:54]. It’s similar to a Yiddish phrase I have read, “Man plans, God laughs.” At times I feel it is a message for all of us, that maybe our thoughts can indeed become a reality, but only if it is the true wishes of God, or another form of superior being, or the universe, or whatever we have chosen to believe in to compensate for the lack of absolute power to control the circumstances we find our lives to fall into.

Can we honestly live with that knowledge? Knowing we may never gain what we truly desire in this life?

There are gaps I am missing with this thought on thoughts, but I hope to learn and understand the reasoning for our thoughts, why some individuals can bring life to the world within their mind, like Hayao Miyazaki, like JK Rowling, like Walt Disney, like Steve Jobs, whilst others may simply shrug it off and move on with their life.

But for now, let us allow ourselves to open our minds and hearts to the world that exists within our brains. Let us share our imaginations with the world. Who knows, maybe one day we can make our world of imagination a magnificent reality.