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91传媒

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August 23, 2017

I almost never dream. On that rare occasion when I do, it鈥檚 the typical dream that Freud would be proud of. I fly through the air. I can鈥檛 find the room in which an important test is being held. I鈥檓 driving too fast. I see almost no relationship between my dreams and my accomplishments.

I do have hopes, wishes, aspirations, goals 鈥 but they are rooted in reality. Dreaming is fantasy and fantasies rarely produce accomplishments.

The concept of 鈥渄reamers and their dreams鈥 may be intended in a metaphoric way 鈥 as a euphemism for aspirations. I鈥檝e always had aspirations. Coming from a relatively poor family, I wanted to strike a balance between doing good for the world and doing well for my family. My goal was to be able to make a living out of doing good without compromising my principles. I have strived to achieve those dual goals throughout my life.

The path I chose was one of challenge 鈥 to challenge authority, challenge conventional wisdom, challenge government and most important, challenge myself. It is not a path to popularity. Nor is it a road to a restful existence. To get back to the metaphoric dreams, mine do not result in restful sleep. Instead, they produce restlessness, even occasional nightmares. But as I turn seventy and look back on my life, I have very little to complain about 鈥 at least so far.


Alan Dershowitz is the Felix Frankfurter Professor of Law at Harvard University.

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