Dreams Quote by Peter Trachtenberg
““In the middle of my depression, somebody told me about a self-help group for people who wanted to persue personal visions, and I thought that might be just the thing for me, since I no longer had any. So I went to this Goals Meeting. It was in an Episcopal church in the leafy suburbs, and when I walked inside, a nice lady was explaing that her Goal was to get out of debt and buy a pony for her little daughter. Then this other fellow got up to share. He was a white boy in a dashiki. He said, "My name is Ira and I have a Goal. Right now I'm unemployed and in debt and I'm living with my parents, who don't understand me at all. But my faith in this program is so huge that I know that one year from today I'm going to be traveling across the United States with my Spirit Guide. My Spirit Guide is going to be a while malamute dog named Isis. I mean, I know this as clearly as I've known anything in my life. My Goal is for Isis to guide me to the homes of my favorite self-help authoers. Isis is going to take me to meet John Bradshaw and Louise Hay and M. Scott Peck, and I'm going to get them to mentor me!" He kind of bellowed this. And I wasn't sure whether Ira was exactly what John Bradshaw and Louise Hay and M. Scott Peck deserved or whether I hoped they kept shotguns in their homes. I was honestly torn.””
About This Quote
The narrator, in a depressive state, attends a goal‑setting group and encounters a wildly fantastical vision that mixes self‑help rhetoric with absurdity, highlighting the tension between earnest aspiration and skeptical reality.
In simple terms: A depressive person meets a bizarre, over‑the‑top goal‑setter in a self‑help meeting.
Key Takeaway
Hope can clash with absurdity in self‑help culture.
Themes
self‑help
depression
aspiration
skepticism
absurdity
Mood
ironic
reflective
wry
Type
anecdotal
satirical
personal narrative
When to use this quote
- seeking motivation during a low mood
- joining a community group
- encountering unrealistic goals
- questioning authority figures
Key Concepts
psychological coping
social influence
Practical Applications
- critically evaluate group claims before adopting them
- balance optimism with realistic planning
Questions to Reflect On
- When does enthusiasm become delusion?
- How can you discern genuine guidance from fanciful claims?
A Different Perspective
The anecdote may exaggerate for humor, so it shouldn't be taken as a literal critique of all self‑help gatherings.
