We all have them. Stuff we want, but are unlikely to ever have. For some it's enough to eat and a safe place to stay. For others its a 70 foot yacht. Or to go to an exotic locale. Or to break the chains of gravity and grab orbit, if not further.
So what stops people?
Its the same three classic things the cops look at when they are at a crime scene. Means, Motive, and Opportunity. Much like the holy trinity for soup base (onion, carrots, and celery) they define if you hit your dream.
Means is obvious. Can you afford it? Like it or not - and most people don't - unless you are one of the vanishingly small percentage of lucky ones, you have to work like hell for what you want. Mammon must be worshiped. Don't like it, but that is what it is.
Which brings us to Motive. How important is your dream to you? It's often said that life is the stuff that happens while you are waiting for something else to happen. One of the most haunting songs I know, from a personal perspective, is Cat's in the Cradle.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQVfKS7ukiEThere were too many planes to catch. Too many bills to pay. The day to day crap drowns out the important things. Including your dreams. Being an adult is like being with the Red Queen. You have to run like hell just to stay in one place.
Finally - Opportunity. The big one. How many times have you heard someone, a little older and more bitter, start a sentence with "When I retire ...." It ain't going to happen and they know it. Their roots are deep, they have people depending on them. And no matter how much they practice and try, you can't convert a tone deaf person into a concert pianist, or a colour blind person into Renoir. Sometimes your dreams stay out of your reach. Still, you shoot for the moon, because your life must mean something, and who knows - you might hit the elusive sod.
Politics is a lot like this. You have a long shopping list of what you want in a candidate. Even pragmatists who say they just want a winner have conditions. Ask any of them, here or elsewhere. They all have "deal breaker" items.
That's fine.
Shoot for the moon. Chances are you are going to miss, but it''s a mighty fine view from up there in orbit.
