Fans of Alice in Wonderland may recall this quote by the White Queen: “Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.” In fiction, perhaps such an idea does not seem to be very absurd. In real life, though, people are not often in the habit of believing impossible things. This is, simply put, not good. Believing impossible things strengthens creativity and fuels dreams. Whether you believe in impossible things as a purely mental exercise, or strive for impossible things in daily life, I highly encourage you to take the time to believe in at least one impossible thing before breakfast.
Most of us, when we were children, frequently believed the impossible. We had imaginary friends and grand adventures of make-believe. Do you recall what it was like to play pretend, when you got so into it that it didn’t feel like pretending anymore? You just took on a new identity and played it out with friends. What I’m advocating is kind of like that, only better. The problem is not that as adults, we quit playing make-believe with our friends (though I do believe that is a separate and relevant problem which we can remedy on an individual basis). The problem is that we are taught to start believing that our dreams are impossible. And worse, we are taught to tell others the same thing. It’s a shame.
Once you start believing one impossible thing, it opens the door to believing other impossible things. It’s not just about professing that fairies are real or that you can fly; it’s about keeping hope alive in a million different ways. The point is that believing in impossible things takes work. After so much indoctrination to keep our heads down and hurry on, there’s real mental effort in maintaining a belief in impossible things. And the payoff is very, very worth it. This isn’t just about following your dreams. It’s about the attitude necessary to chase them. If you can find time to devote to believing that Hogwarts exists, you can find time to believe that you’re going to overcome prejudices, or change rape culture, or be President of the United States. And once you start believing these things, really believing in what you’ve otherwise felt or been told is “impossible,” then you’ll start finding yourself more ready to face the days ahead.
And for the love of all that’s good in the world, stop telling other people that they should never think impossible things. Don’t go around crushing hopes or pointing out the impossibility. Stop pretending you’ve never hoped for something impossible, and better yet, stop saying that believing impossible things is a waste of time. Perhaps it’s not an exercise that suits everyone, but for many people it’s far more beneficial than they dare to hope. So instead of treating your fellow humans like fools and being the reason they dare not dream, try asking the people around you what impossible thing they’ve thought today. Start the day by asking each other what your impossible dreams are, by encouraging rather than deriding the practice. Believing impossible things is a state of mind, and maybe it’s time you started recovering the skill.
How many impossible things can you believe before breakfast?