From time to time, twins—identical twins—show up in my dreams.
Not the same pair, different pairs.
In these dreams, I’m always puzzled by their appearance.
Twins are a paradox. They are the same, yet different. Different, yet the same.
That’s the dilemma of humankind, isn’t it? I’m the same as you, yet I’m not. We’re together in this life, yet we’re apart. That creates the key conflict, as I see it:
How can I identify with you, yet maintain a sense of my own identity? How can I protect your interests, our interests, and my interests all at the same time?
The twins in my dreams don’t answer those questions for me. They just show me the reality.
Any new mythology will come from the same unconscious source as our dreams. So our new mythology may likely use a similar symbol to express this paradox to us.
Even with a new mythology to help guide us, the resolution of this dilemma will be a struggle. So the new mythology must also confirm a promise sometimes found in our dreams: that such a terrific struggle toward greater understanding—toward peace—is worth our best effort.
© 2010, Michael R. Patton
sky rope poetry
