Dreams of Flight
We are such stuff as dreams are made on."
-William Shakespeare
Among the things that all people hold in common is the fact that we all dream. Waking dreams, yes; those deeply held wishes we all share for a better tomorrow. But also the dreams that come by night. In fact, not only do all persons dream, but studies tell us that there are certain types of dreams that all, or at least many, people have in common. Amongst the most wonderful of these are Dreams of Flight.
In these dreams the participant typically finds him or herself with total freedom of movement through the environment. Up. Down. Around. They can go anyplace they wish to go. And upon awakening people who experience Dreams of Flight typically feel refreshed, unusually energetic, and with an especially positive spirit towards life’s challenges.
Flying Dreams, it is interesting to know, are not new. They existed way before the actual advent of human flight. Why? Is there a psychological basis or significance to such dreams?
Sigmund Freud, the father of psychiatric analysis, thought so. He said that dreams of flight revealed hidden sexual desires. But then again, Freud connected everything to hidden sexual desires, so that may be neither surprising nor helpful. More reasonable may be the more commonly held current viewpoint that Dreams of Flight reflect people's inborn yearnings for freedom.
I know of no study that specifically analyzes motorcyclist's dreams. But it would not surprise me if it were found that we Ducati riders have dreams of flight more frequently than most other people do. After all, when non-motorcyclists ask us why we ride the word "freedom" is almost always part of our response. And, have you ever observed how often we use the flying analogy to describe our sport? "What is it like to ride your Ducati?" someone may ask. "Why it is just like flying, only in two dimensions."
Last week a dear friend wrote me in an email "I must really learn to ride. Everyone tells me it's a transformative kind of thing." And indeed it can be. But how could I encourage my friend to take the step? Knowing that he is a film buff I reminded him of the sensation he likely experienced the first time he saw the flying sequence in the film "Superman - The Motion Picture" -- the one where the nearly immortal man of steel takes the very mortal Lois Lane up over the city. I was sure he'd understand the allusion. If you've seen the film I expect you will, too.
Indeed the very ability the Superman character has had to touch the imagination of one generation after another of young boys and girls (adults, too!), seems to connect to the same aspirations that move us to ride. Feelings of freedom. Of power. Of speed. "Faster than a speeding bullet… Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. Superman!" Yes, and how nice it is that only a few short years after we sadly learn that there is no cape that will allow us to fly we can discover Ducati Motorcycles.
The Bard was right. We are such "stuff" as dreams are made on. And that is why our Ducatis are more than mere machines to us. They are the "stuff" of our imagination. They are the "stuff" of our aspirations. They are the "stuff" of flight.
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"Dreams of Flight"
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