Any dream will do

Dreams are very revealing, psychologists say, because they show what is in our subconscious or what we are really feeling and thinking deep inside. Many people therefore keep their dreams to themselves. Unfortunately for me, I’ve been known to sleep-talk ever since I was a kid. I didn’t just talk; I actually held conversations with others. I even combined sleep-talking with sleep-walking and once asked my uncle for directions to his bathroom. Disastrously, I ended up in his closet instead and his suit… well, let me just say that his suit ended up in the laundry. According to my wife, I sometimes still say things while in the rapid-eye-movement or REM state. And so I have taken pains to remind her that since sleep-talkers cannot exercise the right to remain silent, then anything I say cannot be used against me in a court of law or in the bedroom!

Talking about dreams reminds me of one of my favorite Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice musicals — Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. The play is based on the story of the dreamer Joseph and his “coat of many colors” from the Book of Genesis. Full of wit and humor, the musical is also almost entirely “sung-through” with hardly any spoken dialogue. It succeeds in part due to its use of a variety of musical styles — rock and roll, western, 1920s Charleston, Caribbean, French ballad, and even disco — each performed with fitting props and costumes to reflect the genre. One especially memorable segment has the Pharaoh portrayed as an Elvis-inspired character who sings about his dreams in rock and roll and sideburns! But the best for me is the haunting lyrics of Joseph’s song …

I closed my eyes, drew back the curtain

To see for certain what I thought I knew

Far far away, someone was weeping

But the world was sleeping

Any dream will do

I wore my coat, with golden lining

Bright colors shining, wonderful and new

And in the east, the dawn was breaking

And the world was waking

Any dream will do

A crash of drums, a flash of light

My golden coat flew out of sight

The colors faded into darkness

I was left alone

May I return to the beginning

The light is dimming, and the dream is too

The world and I, we are still waiting

Still hesitating

Any dream will do

The biblical Joseph was the 11th son of Jacob and his clear favorite among his children. According to Genesis, Jacob gifts him one day with a wondrous multicolored garment as a sign of his affection. The coat, however, isn’t the only special thing that Joseph possesses. He is also believed to be given dreams by Yahweh. Because of his special status, Joseph’s brothers grew very envious of him. Envy turns to hate when Joseph naively shares with his brothers that he had dreamt that he would one day rule over them. His brothers promptly kidnap him, take his coat, throw him in a pit, and sell him to slavery. Joseph eventually ends up in Egypt where he suffers for many years. Despite his misfortune, however, Joseph continues to believe in the dreams that God revealed to him. His patience eventually pays off when the Pharaoh discovers Joseph’s special ability to interpret dreams and makes him his second-in-command. When a severe famine hits the land several years later, Joseph’s brothers come to Egypt begging for food. Thinking that he is long dead, his brothers don’t recognize him at first. Joseph subjects them to a test but forgives them in the end. He saves his family from starvation and is happily reunited with his beloved father.

Joseph is one of the most well-known figures in the Old Testament, He is even said to be prominently mentioned in the Muslim Koran as a prophet. Indeed, Joseph’s life is such a powerful and inspirational story. And I think that two reasons for this were his ability to rise above his weaknesses and transform himself and his dogged determination to pursue his dreams. In the beginning, he was essentially just a spoiled brat. The Bible even described him as a tattle-tale who was quick to inform on his brothers to Jacob. He had it all. But then his world fell apart and he turned from favored son to slave. Who would have blamed Joseph if he had just wallowed in his misery? But instead of giving up, he slowly picked up the pieces in Egypt albeit as a servant. Just as his life started getting better, tragedy struck again and he was imprisoned on a false charge. Who would have blamed Joseph if he had given up at that point? But once more he kept the faith. He helped his fellow-inmates by interpreting their dreams. The Pharaoh eventually heard of his special gift through one of those he helped and suddenly, Joseph was on top of the world again. And when his starving brothers came to Egypt, who would have blamed Joseph had he sought revenge? It was then, however, that he made his final transformation from dreamer to dream-maker and to the leader of the people of Israel that Yahweh destined him to be.

Some commentators have written that Joseph’s coat was a symbol not just of Jacob’s and God’s favor but also of his dreams and of what he could be. I believe that like Joseph, each of us has also been given our very own coat of many colors. It is a sign of God’s love and His desire for us to live life to the fullest, each according to his or her abilities. Compared to Joseph’s, our lives and dreams might look pretty ordinary. But it doesn’t really matter whether it seems great or small so long as it’s your own coat, your own dream. As Joseph sings in the end, stop waiting, stop hesitating. Wear it on your sleeve and go for it! So long as it’s heart-felt, any dream will do.

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