The senseless have vain and false hopes,
and dreams give wings to fools.
– Sirach 34:1

Hopefully I don’t sound like I’m being harsh to quote this passage from the apocryphal book of Sirach. I’m a bit of a dreamer myself (and I have the C grade average to prove it), so I have nothing but good things to say about the innocent capacity of people to imagine fabulousness and pass the time, or think of wonderful things that don’t exist yet and figure out how to make them a reality. But I don’t think it’s the guileless pasttime or the paradigm shift of innovation that the author has in mind.

As one who catches at a shadow and pursues the wind,
so is anyone who believes in dreams.
What is seen in dreams is but a reflection,
the likeness of a face looking at itself.
From an unclean thing what can be clean?
And from something false what can be true?(34:2-4)
John Mark Reynolds makes the point in a number of his talks that the mantra of “follow your dreams” is given the high status of inspirational words to live by in the current pop culture. The implication is that ordinary people are elevated to the status of being special and extraordinary by having a dream, and that as such, are entitled to special treatment, because rules don’t apply to dreamers.

It’s just a nice, pleasant idea really. And I really wouldn’t mind some of these movies being made, if only there were also movies being made to remind us that many great sins began life as great dreams. Want what you can’t have? Want what someone else has? Don’t like being an ordinary person? You can mask your own avarice, pettiness, dissipation and pride by believing in it when it wears a pleasing name.

Divinations and omens and dreams are unreal,
and like a woman in labor, the mind brings forth fantasies.
Unless they are sent by intervention from the Most High,
pay no attention to them.
For dreams have deceived many,
and those who put their hope in them have perished. (34:5-7)
And not only can you feel like A Chosen One by virtue of having a dream (as opposed to just having unreal expectations or overweening ambition), but actions that might be called self-centered, imprudent, thoughtless, or even criminal are justified if there’s a dream on the line. What “follow your dream” movie doesn’t show the kid shouting at a parent, a spouse lying to their mate, a student ingeniously deceiving the authority figure?

It’s all just fun, right? Well, yes. Greg the Husband does tell me I need to lighten up sometimes, and he’s right. I take things too seriously. People figure things out. But I don’t see much conventional wisdom like these words from the 3rd century B.C. And I have known, and do know, people who are in the process of breaking up relationships, ruining themselves financially or just making themselves miserable because they bought into the dream cult. And that could have been me sooo easily. Sometimes, it probably still is. Lord, have mercy.

Without such deceptions the law will be fulfilled,
and wisdom is complete in the mouth of the faithful. (34:8)