A man that is born falls into a dream like a man who
falls into the sea. If he tries to climb out into the air as inexperienced
people endeavour to do, he drowns… To the destructive element submit yourself,
and with the exertions of your hands and feet in the water make the deep, deep
sea keep you up. [Joseph Conrad, Lord Jim (1900)]
The inception of this paragraph recalls the
famous play “La vida es sueño”(i.e.
“Life is a dream”) by the 17th century Spanish dramatist Calderón de La Barca. Conrad states
that when you are born you fall “into a dream” which means that life is a
dream. Dreams can be rough or smooth like the sea in which you can swim
peacefully or get drowned in despair: it all depends upon the way you move in
it. If you fight against the natural elements that life offers you, you risk
hurting yourself seriously, but if you second them your life can be more joyful
and serene. From a psychoanalytical point of view both nice dreams and
nightmares can help you live your life better because, by analysing them, you
can learn what your problems and fears are and how to overcome them. Therefore
even if you have reached the bottom of the darkest sea, the sea itself will
help you come out into the air in a natural and comfortable way.
