A pipe dream

Post 72 Dream of Southern Branch (南柯一梦)

In the Tang Dynasty (618 – 907), there was a man called Chunyu Fen who became drunk and dozed off under a scholartree on the southern part of his house. He dreamt that he was chosen to marry the princess of the King of the state of Scholartree. He became a governor for twenty years enjoying his glory and riches with his seven children who also did well in life. Unfortunately he lost everything when the King did not trust him anymore.

Chunyu Fen woke up to realize that he just had an illusory joy in his dream. He tried to look for the country he had been in his dream. He found that the so-called state of Scholartree was just an ant hole under the Scholartree on the southern end of his house. It was a pipe dream. What had happened to him in the dream was near impossible to achieve in real life.

One must learn to be positive, realistic and down to earth. It is wishful thinking to assume that one can be successful just by dreaming.

7 December 2010