The Dream
"The Dream" means many things to many people.
There are as many definitions of "The Dream" as there are amtgarders. It is how amtgard should optimally be experienced, be run, and generally exist, in the mind of one person or, at times, a collective of people.
It can be derived from this that if someone claims they are in service to "The Dream", that they are following their own goals and aspirations, or the goals and aspirations of their inner circle.
"Killing the Dream" is usually an accusatory statement an amtgarder makes when they are not particularly getting their way. Some veteran amtgarders have taken it upon themselves to call themselves "Dreamkillers" to mock this. -Kaads
"The Dream" was somewhat named after and inspired by the song “The Impossible Dream” from the 1965 musical "Man of Lamancha". To many people, “The Dream”, or “The Dream that is Amtgard” refers to the way Amtgard should ideally be experienced; an atmosphere of brotherhood and acceptance. One of the things that makes Amtgard unique is that people from different mundane walks of life, people who would not associate with one another otherwise, will, in Amtgard, take the field side by side as comrades in arms.
When someone says “in service to the dream”, it means that they are, through their actions, promoting this atmosphere. In fact, there is an award in the Emerald Hills and Rising Winds called the “Dreamkeeper”, which is given for outstanding contributions to the atmosphere of Amtgard. Similarly, there is a rare award unique to the Emerald Hills called “Keeper of the Bardic Dream” which is given to those who promote a positive atmosphere at Bardic or promote Bardics in general.
