I work at a university and work on a project with a group of people in a large shared space. We hear someone coughing and sneezing, and see a libertarian politician (Christian Tybring-Gjedde from FrP) at his desk. He is clearly very sick, and it turns out he has Covid. We talk to him, he stands up and approaches us, and sneezes just as someone passes him.
I tell him that he should be home and that it is irresponsible of him to come to work and risk others getting infected. He ignores it and shows no intention to stay at home. The others in my group choose to say nothing since he is a well known political figure in Norway. I let him know that if he does not leave and stay in quarantine, I’ll go to the police, media, and his superiors at the university.
This dream reflects several themes. One is that I see people from his party (FrP) as generally irresponsible, immature, and short-sighted. His behavior is not unexpected for someone from his party.
In terms of the pandemic, I see people who don’t pay attention to distance, wearing masks, and disinfecting their hands as irresponsible. We don’t know if we are infected or not (we may not have symptoms), and we don’t know who we will infect and how they will be impacted. By being careless, we may unwittingly infect someone who will die or have lasting health problems from the illness. And it’s impossible to predict who that will be. It’s a form of russian roulette.
Another theme is a pattern of speaking up about something, and others agreeing but not speaking up or supporting me.
And, as always, everything and everyone in the dream reflects me. I have this stubborn and careless side to me. (Especially when it comes to being a steward of my own life.) And I have the side of me that speaks up about it, even if it feels scary.
The dream reminds me of these sides of me, and that I can invite and explore a better dialog between them. What does the stubborn and careless part of me want me to know? How does it see the world? How can I help it feel more understood so it can relax and be a better team mate?
A brief dialog with the stubborn and careless side of me.
Stubborn side: I am scared. I want things my way. I feel ignored. Overlooked. I just want to be seen. Acknowledged. I am speaking up for you, but you ignore me, so I need to get louder and crazier. I am the selfish side of you that you ignore too much, so I come out in weird ways. If you acknowledged me, I could help you a lot in your life. I could help you take care of your own interests, in a healthy way.
You abandon your interests too easily because you chose to ignore me. You see me as bad and wrong. While, in reality, I am necessary for you to survive and have a good life. I can give you the strength and guidance to take care of your own life. Your job is to include me, listen to me, take me seriously, and find a way to do it that balances your personal needs with the needs of those around you and the world.
Far too often, you have ignored me and followed what others want. It comes partly from a genuine wish to do what’s good for others and the world, while in reality it’s creating unnecessary problems and you ignore your own very real personal needs. This is not kind to yourself, and it’s not kind to others.
Real kindness is to take care of your own needs, and find ways to do it that works for others and the world as well.