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Yoda and the Power of Dreams
This past week I dreamed about Saladin, the 12th century Islamic sultan. In the dream I was reading
from a textbook, telling a group of people about the Sultan. Then an angry man challenged me, and
told me that I was being too extreme. I calmly told him that the 'briskness' of his speech was not
contributing to our dialog.
When I woke up, I didn't think much of the dream. It didn't make any sense to me. I did just read a
book about Saladin, so dreaming of him didn't surprise me. But the dream seemed illogical,
inconsequential to me.
I would have paid this dream little attention if it weren't for my new resolution to pay more attention to
my dreams. After reflecting on the dream for a while, I realized the dream had a message that was
extraordinarily relevant and important to me.
Why do I so often wake up with the sense that the night's dream, still on my mind, is not important?
I've been thinking about this question a lot this week. I think the question has more than one answer,
but the most compelling one is that dreams are a lot like Yoda.
Do you remember, in The Empire Strikes Back, when Luke Skywalker first met Yoda, Obe Wan
Kanobi's Jedi teacher? Imagine who Luke was expecting to meet. Perhaps a creature with a flowing
white beard, noble features, and a bearing that fit a thousand year old Jedi. When Luke does run into
Yoda he mistakes him for an annoying, childish muppet of a creature. The wisest creature in the galaxy
certainly would present himself in a more dignified manner than this.
Like Yoda, dreams aren't always what they seem at first glance. They often appear on the surface to be
meaningless, trivial, and nonsensical. But if we are patient enough to take a closer look we might
stumble onto priceless treasures of insight; profound messages that are deeply personal and relevant to
our lives.
As I looked more closely at my dream of Saladin, I had had an epiphany. Saladin defended Islamic
territories against Christian crusaders, led by Richard the Lionhearted. Despite the fact that King
Richard is regarded as one of the most brilliant military leaders of all time, Saladin was able to
successfully defend Jerusalem from the attacking crusaders. From the Islamic standpoint, this defense
is arguably the military highlight of all five crusades.
Saladin accomplished this feat by exhibiting a leadership style that was practical, resourceful, and
inspirational. More significantly, he demonstrated an extraordinary sense of dignity, compassion and
justice during the crisis of the third crusade. When the Christians took the city of Jerusalem in an
earlier crusade, all of the Muslims were slaughtered. Despite much pressure from his people and his
aides, he made the unpopular choice of not seeking revenge when he reoccupied Jerusalem. He was
merciful to the Christians inhabiting the city. In another battle, when King Richard fell off his horse
while in the heat of battle, the Sultan sent an aide to replace the king's horse.
And when King Richard did finally call an end to the third crusade, Saladin gave very generous terms
to the Christians, and upheld the peace treaty in spite of the fact that King Richard's army is now
thousands of miles away.
I found the book to be fascinating. I Remember thinking what an extraordinary leader Saladin was.
How great it would be if the story of Saladin could become more widely known in this time when
Islamic leadership is so commonly associated with hatred and extreme fundamentalism.
Because of my dream, I spend some time contemplating the story of Saladin. I realized he served as a
great role model for me. One trait that I struggle with is hypersensitivity. At an early age I developed
a knack for finding ways to take things personally. In my current life, this trait manifests itself in both
one-on-one and group settings.
For me, Saladin embodies the virtue of dealing gracefully with offenses, be they real or imaginary.
This week I have adopted a 'What Would Saladin Do' approach to each day. It has been so successful
that years from now I might regard my embrace of Saladin as a role model to be one of the milestones
of my life.
So now, when I wake up with a dream on my mind, I tell myself that I'm meeting Yoda for the first
time. If I am patient enough to see past the strange, seemingly irrational exterior of the dream, I may
find insights that lead me to new milestones, and richer, fuller ways of living.