I’m sure most of us had a lot of dreams when we were in childhood. Some wished to be a doctor, some wished to be a teacher, an engineer, a lawyer, a writer or even an astronaut. However, as we grow up, we put aside our dreams and live up to others’ expectation. We lost our dreams.

Nowadays, it seems to be very silly to talk about dreams. People may say, “Dreams are high-sounding nothing.” “Dreams are outdated.” “Dreams are daydreaming.” “Be realistic and practical, don’t dream.” The so-called “dream” for university students are: car, house, wife or husband and son. Are these your dreams?

Today, let me tell you what dreams are and why dreams are so important in our life, especially for you, university students. Dreams are “mental pictures of our future,” in other words, dreams are visions, hope, goals and aims of our life. Talking about dreams is not talking about daydreaming. We are referring dreams as the focal point of our life which involves action and which makes our life meaningful.

Dreams provide a focal point of life. Most of you, after graduation, will work in society. You are going to face more challenges and bear more responsibilities. You are going to meet people from all walks of life and with different value systems. You are going to lead a very different life from that in university. Some of you may feel lost and disoriented during this transitional period. But I assure you, dreams give us a direction to follow and target to achieve so that we will not get lost in the complex society. In sociology, there is theory called “self-fulfilling prophecy” which best describes why dreams can provide a direction for us. This theory says, “when situations are defined as real, we act to make it real.” From this point of view, when I have a dream, I’ll do something to make it real. For example, if I have a dream of being a successful business executive, I’ll do my best to make it real, no matter what difficulties I have to encounter. In this sense, dreams give us a direction and a focal point in our life.

Today, I’m addressing to you, the future leaders of China. In fact, dreams are one of the essential elements of becoming a leader. An analysis about the key characteristics of leaders states that a charismatic leader has a vision, the ability to articulate the vision and strong conviction about the vision. Visions are dreams. Dr. Sun Yetsen was the revolutionary leader. He had a dream that one day, China would be freed from the Qing Dynasty rule. He fought for this dream and led the Chinese people to the road of republic. To be a leader, you need to have dreams.

Indeed, we are living in a world which is made of “dreams.” Why do I say so? Many great inventions are actually dreams of the inventors at the very beginning. The dream of Edison led to the invention of light bulbs. The dream of Steve Jobs led to the invention of high-quality electronic products. Without dreams, I can dare say that we will not have telephones, satellite, airplanes, computers, and the Internet. Dreams make our life innovative and creative. Dreams improve our quality of life and make advancements in society.

Dreams are hope of life. We are like plant and dreams are sunlight. A plant depends on not only sand and water to grow, but also sunlight. A life without dreams is like a plant without sunlight, which certainly cannot grow healthily. Dreams make our life colorful and hopeful. It is actually a way of life. During the Second World War, many people were caught in the concentration camp in Nazi Germany. Later, it was found that those who survived in this suffering were those who had hope and dreams. Dreams sustain us to live.

I’m sure everybody has heard this saying by Martin Luther King, the civil rights movement leader in the United States, “I have a dream…” Dreams paint a vivid picture in our life, make our life more innovative, vigorous and fruitful. Dear university students, start thinking about your dream and struggling for your dream!