Maelstrom of Dreams and Time

         Past.  Present.  Future.  All parts of time are intermingled; each is a thread in the tapestry of life.  Each one is equally important in defining who we are, yet we focus most of our attention upon one part:  the future.  This is the only thing we can change.  The past is already set in stone, and the present is rapidly cooling lava, soon to be locked into the obsidian definity of the past.  This frame of mind glorifies the future as a beacon of untold promises, sealing our present feelings into the bleak void of indifference in exchange for the hope of a better tomorrow.  It is human nature; we are hopeful and benighted creatures that cry out for all that is not already ours.  As long as there is more to have, our desires blind us from enjoying the blessings we already possess.
         Experience has proven the veracity of that statement to me.  As a very talented individual, I actively seek opportunities to realize my potential.  I pursue a dream of self-actualization with an insatiable drive, even to the point where all of my brilliant achievements thus far are weak disappointments to be forgotten in the dust of memory.  I know what I am capable of doing, of accomplishing in the future, and I know that it will be a magnificent future.  So I sprint towards this bright unknown with alacrity, disregarding the success of my past and present.  If I stopped for a moment, I would realize that I have much to enjoy with my current accomplishments.  My intangible - but no less valuable - possessions.  But I do not stop.  Humans almost never do.  And thus I am unhappy with all that I have done because I can and will do so much more.  In the future.
         However, I am not ignorant to the fact that there are those who are happy with what they have, those who are happy living life in the present.  I have friends who "never want things to change" because they "couldn't be happier than they are now".  There are also those that just take each day as it comes, refusing to be captivated by the incandescent promises time has yet to deliver.  But, I find that these people define a minority.  There are a blessed few that can live this way, for most clamor for the stars when they can enjoy the clouds on the way there.  Dreams of a glorious tomorrow define our culture.  Martin Luther King, Jr. and Langston Hughes are models of this.  Even our nation was founded upon the ideal that the future can be better.  We are dreamers.  Our visions of times yet to come paint the world with perfect serenity, with peace and pleasure cascading through the hearts of everyone and everything.  These dreams are beautiful, yes, but we cannot live and love life if we are always asleep.  We sleep and yearn for more while the happiness that lies in the present quietly drifts away.
         This obsession with dreams is a melancholy truth, for there is so much to enjoy in life, yet most do not see it.  We just cannot be happy if there is more, and, once there is no more, we still will not be happy because we will then realize that we cannot possibly appreciate all that we have come to possess.  We are forever trapped within the cruel maelstrom of our glorious dreams and desires.