Our minds like to deal with certainties, facts that can be certified. But certainties are rare, and we are required to live on beliefs, convictions, and dreams.
A close view of this situation can be seen in Prospero's clear statement at the climax of Shakespeare's THE TEMPEST. Prospero looks over the stage which has just been filled with actors and scenery, and he points at the insubstantial nature of the scene:
First, the actors have "vanished into thin air". Second, the cloud-capped towers and solemn temples of the stage prove to be formed of "baseless fabric which is soon dissolved". Finally, our lives are depicted as "the stuff dreams are made of". But Prosperous is not proposing that the drama just staged is meaningless.
What is suggested here about the real world we inhabit? I think he is saying that human life is brief and meaningless without those dreams. Human concerns like beauty, honor, love, justice and truth are without substance. They are creations of the human mind which give us what little "stuff" is available to us.
We don't need to despair over our lack of certainty or substance. We have the capacity to be nourished by music, encouraged by poetry, strengthened by drama, satisfied with scientific progress, affirmed by our faith, fulfilled with our belief in family. These are compelling realities that give us meaning despite their insubstantial nature. Rejoice in them!
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