I dreamed that a very exciting day had finally arrived, my first chance to vote in a national election. One thing, however, was bothering me. After all the campaigning in the past few months, I still couldn't decide who to vote for. Everyone else I had talked to seemed to know which candidates to vote for.
As I stood in line waiting to cast my ballot, I continued to ponder my problem. It looked as though I wouldn't be able to decide until the last minute. Too soon, I was given my ballot and had to enter the booth. I closed the curtain and turned around, expecting to find a simple voting machine. Instead, I found myself in a small theater. There were people scattered about in the seats and they were all watching what was happening on stage. It was a debate between the two candidates themselves. I could hardly believe it! Why would this be taking place on election day? I took a seat and listened anyway, for perhaps what they were saying might finally help me make a decision. I listened intently and after a while began to lean toward one of the candidates. But I wanted to wait and keep listening so that I could be certain. For some reason I felt that my vote would determine the winner.
Suddenly, I noticed that I was the only one in the theater. Where had everyone gone? I went outside the curtain that I had closed before and found the voting station vacant. It was too late to vote! Delaying the decision had cost me my vote!
What brought about this dream was my watching the election coverage on TV. I do not look forward to voting, but it is a fact that I know already who I want to vote for. Maybe the indecision in my dream about voting reflects my indecision here at school about what I want to major in. I am still undecided on my future and know I must make a decision soon. Perhaps my unconscious feels that I will make a decision too late, and thus forfeit the opportunity to help shape my future. The question of my major was brought up just lately, with the announcement of preregistration for next term's classes. Unlike myself, most of my friends know exactly what they want to do, just as in my dream concerning the election, and this seems to be what the dream was commenting on.
— Joe Rutkowski
© Copyright 2002 by Robert J. R. Rockwood. All rights reserved.