A Reflection Of We Must Have Dreams?

We as humans must go through many times of crisis in our lifetime, and how we respond to these difficult times speaks to our personality and perception of life. When an individual is placed in a crisis situation, they will form their own perspectives as to how best to deal with the situation. This reaction, in turn, will serve as a reflection of their values and views of life. We Must Have Dreams by John Amagoalik reflects this idea in its ability to define Amagoalik’s values based upon his reactions to differing conflict situations he is faced with. Amagoalik demonstrates many different aspects of the same situation, and shows his differing interpretations to each aspect, which defines his perspective of Inuit culture, as well as some aspects …show more content…
In response to these events, he believes that the Inuit should combat them with their culture and the gentle nature that comes with it. He suggests this method of combating conflict using their Inuit culture when he states, “In a world which becomes more complicated with each passing year, we must rely on the simple, gentle ways of our people to guide us,” as this idea shows that he believes the non-violent attributes of his culture are the pathway to creating a more peaceful existence. I addition, Amagoalik also portrays his desire to learn from our past experiences as a society in order to aid in our current conflicts. He suggests this idea in saying “A lot of people tell me that we must forget the past, and instead, look to the future. To me it would be a mistake to completely ignore the past because the past determines the present and the present determines what will be in the future. Sometimes it is necessary to look to the past to make decisions about the future,” as this statement shows that he does not subscribe to the general idea that ignoring past mistakes will make them disappear and prevent them from occurring again; showing instead his belief that we must learn from the past rather than constantly trying to evolve to new ideas without acknowledging our path to get here. As well, Amagoalik chose to highlight the importance of striving for a better future in times of crisis. This idea is shown in a realistic way, in that he does acknowledge that this ‘better future’ will not be easily attainable. However, he does ensure to promote hope for the future in saying, “We must have dreams. We must have ideals. We must fight for things we believe in. We must believe in ourselves. But there are also realities we must face. We can only attempt to make the best of any given situation or circumstances. If we are not successful, we