A dream you dream alone is only a dream. A dream together is reality.

John Lennon

Quote on dream by John Lennon

Dreams Unite: From Alone to Reality

Introduction

“A dream you dream alone is only a dream. A dream you dream together is reality.” – Yoko Ono

In the bustling streets of Tokyo, amidst the rubble of war-torn buildings, a young girl named Yoko Ono clung to hope. The fire-bombing of 1945 had left her homeless, her family struggling for survival. Yet, Yoko held onto a different reality—a reality where dreams could transform the world.

The Spark of Imagination

Yoko’s mother pushed a wheelbarrow, begging for food, while her father languished in a Saigon concentration camp. But Yoko’s dream was not one of despair. She envisioned a world where art, music, and peace could prevail. Yoko would later become a multimedia artist, songwriter, and peace activist, standing alongside her husband, John Lennon, in protests against war.

Dreaming Together

Dreams, Yoko realized, were not reserved for the privileged. They were the seeds of change, sown collectively. My own parents, with nothing but love, dreamed of a family. School friendships blossomed from shared visions of the future. And in my university years, a professor and her blind friend dreamed of a platform for the visually impaired.

The Apple Revolution

Steve Jobs, too, dreamed. He envisioned a product that would revolutionize communication. Apple emerged from that dream, connecting people across the globe. The Wright Brothers dared to dream of flight, and their man-powered airplane changed history. Vietnam fought for freedom, fueled by millions of shared dreams.

The Forgotten Connection

Society often dismisses dreams as unrealistic, meant only for the privileged. But we forget that today’s reality was yesterday’s dream. When I joined Knowmads—an alternative school in Hanoi—I rediscovered my own dream. Buried for years, it resurfaced—a dream of creating positive change, together.