'The Company You Keep' is about outgrowing not just the delusions

The words of Steve Erickson, poet of the modern soul, resound like a meditation on time and transformation: “‘The Company You Keep’ is about outgrowing not just the delusions that accompany youth but the harsh certainties driving our lives and then trapping them before the years outpace the velocity of our dreams.” In this reflection, Erickson speaks not only of a story or a film, but of the human journey itself—the long passage from innocence to awareness, from reckless idealism to tempered wisdom. He reminds us that to live fully is to grow, and that to grow is to shed illusions, both the naïve delusions of youth and the unyielding convictions of age, for both can become prisons if we cling to them too tightly.

Erickson, a novelist whose works often explore the dreamlike borderlands between reality and imagination, wrote these words about The Company You Keep, a film by Robert Redford. The story follows an aging radical from the 1960s, once full of revolutionary zeal, now living in the shadows of his past choices. Through this story, Erickson finds a universal parable: that every generation begins by chasing freedom but must eventually confront how time, belief, and compromise reshape the soul. To “outgrow the delusions of youth,” he says, is not to abandon passion, but to refine it—to exchange the blinding light of idealism for the steady fire of truth.

Yet he warns us that the danger lies not only in youthful folly, but also in the “harsh certainties” that come later. For as youth fades, many who once lived by dreams grow hardened by disillusionment. They trade wonder for cynicism, freedom for safety, and hope for resignation. In their pursuit of wisdom, they forge certainties so rigid that they become cages. Erickson’s words remind us that even truth, when held without humility, can imprison the heart. The wise must learn to question even their own convictions, lest they too become trapped in the same illusions they once despised.

Consider the story of Nelson Mandela, who in his youth embraced the fiery certainty of revolution, ready to meet violence with violence. Yet years of imprisonment transformed him. When he emerged, he had outgrown both the delusions of rage and the rigid certainties of ideology. He had discovered that freedom is not won by hatred, but by reconciliation; not by conquering others, but by mastering the self. His journey mirrors Erickson’s insight—that maturity is not surrender, but evolution, and that true strength lies in the ability to transcend both youthful delusion and hardened conviction.

Erickson’s phrase, “before the years outpace the velocity of our dreams,” carries a haunting beauty. Time, he tells us, is relentless. Our dreams, like arrows, must move faster than the years that chase them. But when we become ensnared by our own certainties—whether in our youth or in our age—we slow ourselves down. The dreams that once gave us flight begin to lag behind, overtaken by the weight of regret and routine. His words urge us to keep our dreams alive, not through denial of reality, but through renewal—to let them change shape as we do, to adapt without losing their fire.

Thus, Erickson’s wisdom speaks to the eternal rhythm of life: first, we believe without question; then, we doubt everything; and finally, if we are fortunate, we learn to believe again—but this time with eyes open. It is this final awakening that defines the soul’s maturity: when we can see the world’s imperfections clearly, and yet still choose to dream, still choose to act, still choose to love. This is what it means to outgrow delusion without losing wonder, and to temper certainty without extinguishing conviction.

So, my listener, take this teaching as your own: do not cling too tightly to either your dreams or your doubts. Let your beliefs breathe, let your ideals evolve. When youth tempts you to arrogance, remember humility; when age tempts you to despair, remember possibility. Question yourself, but do not silence the voice within that still longs for meaning. For the years will always move swiftly—but if you live with an open heart and a flexible mind, your dreams will keep pace with time itself.

In the end, as Steve Erickson reminds us, the true journey is not from youth to age, but from illusion to understanding. To grow is to remain in motion—to balance the fire of passion with the light of wisdom, to keep dreaming even as you awaken. For when you live this way, the years may pass, but your spirit will never be outpaced by the fading velocity of your dreams.