Dream Interpretation Thread

[FreelancePoliceman]

I dreamt that mother's family was holding a family reunion. My immediate family and I don’t think were there, but we might have been in Alabama, where my mother’s family lives. Anyway, I dreamed that I had a distant relative who was quiet, introverted — probably ILI, if that paints a clearer picture, though I wasn’t thinking of her type in the dream. I learned that she bombed the family reunion, killing a lot of my family, including my cousins — who I was/am somewhat close with — with the exception of one, who was hospitalized with severe injuries. This more distant cousin had committed the bombing because of environmental concerns, having been convinced by incontrovertible statistics that the world was headed for a complete disaster.

She was, of course, jailed. None of my immediate or extended family spoke to her. I felt angry that everyone seemed to have abandoned her before her trial. I felt a death penalty was somewhat likely, and even if she didn’t get that, she’d probably spend the rest of her life imprisoned. I heard my mother refer to her once as if she were something completely deplorable, and I began to yell at her. I said that she wasn’t a monster; that she had been following principles, even if they might have been misguided. My mother became angry I was defending her, and reminded me that my cousins were dead. I yelled that was all the more reason not to waste another life. I also yelled that we were still family, and that we were the only ones even capable of caring for her — no one else would. I knew she wouldn’t have any support in jail, and would be treated as she was being treated now by my family — as a monster, that is. And I yelled at her that the death penalty was always wrong. My mother just walked away, probably feeling that I didn’t know what I was talking about. I was getting ready to visit this cousin in jail when the dream ended.

I wasn’t angry because I sympathized with her purpose of the bombing, and I was upset my cousins had died. But I was angry at the actions of both the justice system and my family. All that needed to happen was for her to be watched for the rest of her life — and possibly just talked to. I felt it was likely that she felt remorse for what she’d done, or, if not, she could at least be reasoned with not to commit a similar action in the future. I was willing to watch her if necessary. There was no reason for her life to be thrown away — either killed or spent in prison — but the judicial system wouldn’t understand that, and would condemn her regardless. And what she did was no excuse not to treat her like a human. She was one of the only surviving members of my family, and so all the more ought to receive that family’s support.

I can’t describe strong emotion well, but I really did feel upset by this.