Did you hear the story about the two old men who passed away on the same day?
They were both 92 years old, but they lived very different lives. They were chilling in heaven playing dominoes and a nice old lady walked up and sat down beside them. She said, “You guys are new here, can you tell me a little about your life down on earth?”
Bob says –
“I was a scientist and I worked for NASA. I’ve always been fascinated by space and I helped send a man to the moon. I loved my work and wouldn’t have been happy doing anything else.”
“My wife and I used to go on holiday to a beautiful Caribbean island every year and we would chill out on the beach drinking cocktails all day. I had a beautiful house and when I wasn’t working I would grow vegetables and cook lovely meals at the weekend.”
Simon says –
“I used to fly into outer space every night and visit strange and majestic planets. I would also walk through portals and travel back in time. I remember being chased by this crazy dinosaur who wanted to eat me alive, so I jumped off a huge cliff to get away from it.”
“I visited every country in the world. I climbed up the pyramids, I swam down the Amazon River, and I snowboarded down Mt. Everest. I had the power to do anything and went on a new adventure every single night.”
Dreams vs. reality
You might think I’m a little cuckoo, but I don’t think there is any difference between dreams and reality, or what we call ‘reality’ anyway.
If each of us were to look back on our life right now could you tell the difference? Would something that happened it the real world be more real than something that happened in the dream world? What makes the real world so special?
We see, hear, feel, taste, and smell things in the real world that turn into electrical signals and reach our brain. Our perception of reality comes from our senses.
We see, hear, feel, taste, and smell things in the dream world and the exact same electrical signals reach our brain in the exact same way. There isn’t a separate part of the brain that deals with dreams.
Our perception of the dream world comes from the exact same senses we use in the real world, which turn into the exact same electrical signals that affect our brain in the same way.
What about your memories?
Everything that’s happened in the past doesn’t exist anymore. It’s gone and it will never come back. The only thing you have from the past is your memories and it’s up to you what they will be. What do you want to remember 20 years from now?
Do you want to remember going to work every day and getting stressed out? That’s maybe unfair, so let’s look at the good times. Do you want to remember going on holiday and swimming in the sea? Do you want to remember getting drunk at a concert while listening to your favorite band?
I think I prefer my dream memories.
Can you tell the difference?
I can’t even tell the difference between my dream memories and my real life memories.
Can you? I’m not trying to say I’ve lost touch with reality. I just feel like my dream memories are as real as my normal ones.
Memories are memories. It doesn’t matter what world they came from.
Some people seem to think that lucid dreaming isn’t real. They would rather spend time in the real world as if it’s somehow better. It’s not. The real world is not better than the dream world because when you’re inside a lucid dream you can do anything.
The big difference between the both worlds
The ‘real’ world
In the real world you are not alone, or are you?
Other people are conscious beings. That’s the only difference, but what does that have to do with you? You live inside your head, behind your eyes. You are alone in the world. You came into this world by yourself and you will leave by yourself.
It doesn’t make any difference to you whether someone is a separate entity, or if they are just a part of your subconscious.
People love you, or they hate you. OR they might not care either way, but the only way the real world is different is if you care what other people think of you. I can see why your ego might love the real world.
Don’t get me wrong, I do think it’s great when other people care about you and I wouldn’t have it any other way, BUT, it’s still not a good reason to dismiss the dream world as if it’s somehow beneath the real world.
What I’m trying to say is: the only thing different about the real world is the fact we need other people to make us feel happy. The dream world still feels real except for the fact you are the only conscious being.
The dream world
Can the dream world offer us anything that the real world can’t?
Gee, let me think… I wonder if I can come up with anything. What about:
The fact you can do anything and you won’t die. You can race a car at a hundred miles per hour without being concerned for your safety. You can jump off a huge cliff, or you can spend 10 minutes under water minus the drowning part.
The fact you are not an insignificant little creature living on a tiny insignificant planet because you can travel to anywhere in space. Your subconscious mind can conjure up worlds that are 100 billion times more wonderful, freakier, scarier, and intense than our stupid little planet.
The fact you don’t have to eat, but you can if you want to. You don’t have to pay for anything and that means you don’t have to work. Why would you need to work when you don’t need money? You can just have non-stop fun.
You own everything and nobody can tell you not to fly that fancy looking helicopter you somehow found when you were exploring a massive ship. You don’t even know how to fly a helicopter, but you can make it up as you go along.
The fact that time doesn’t exist. You don’t have to wait on a bus. Trains don’t run late in your lucid dreams and you can get on them in the middle of a field. If you want to get off you can just fly through the roof. No more sitting around in stupid airports while they put fuel in the airplane.
I think I can safely say I’ve came up with a few good reasons why the dream world is better than the real world.
You don’t need to choose one
I’ve maybe been a bit harsh on the real world, but you don’t need to choose what world you live in. You can’t choose. You need to live in both worlds whether you like it or not.
We are conscious inside the real world for around 16 hours per day, so it’s very important that we enjoy it as much as possible. This much is obvious, I’m sure you’ll agree.
What about the dream world? We all spend a few hours inside the dream world every single night of our lives.
Would you rather be Bob when you arrive in heaven? I would rather be Simon and I would rather have amazing memories I could never forget.
Maybe I am cuckoo
The dream world is real. You’re just alone when you’re inside. Memories are all the same. Yesterday’s real memories feel the same as yesterday’s dream memories.
I want to know what you think. Is there really a lot of difference between the both worlds? Do you understand what I was trying to say even if you don’t agree with me? Am I cuckoo? Should I call and get the guys in the little white van to come pick me up?
if i wrote an article about reality and dream world, it will be exactly the same as yours, so put my sign onto it 🙂 totally agree…. and how is your book going? i am waiting 🙂
Haha thanks. Either I’m not cuckoo, or we both are 🙂
Book is ready. Just needs formatted which I’ll be getting someone to do in the next few days.
Hi Jamie, i read ur article and i liked it, i agree that both real and dream world are necessary for us many of the inventions and creations come from dream world but we should be aware and contious about whther we are dreaming or we are in real world so that we sholdnt be stuck in the dream world i think just by being consious about wich world we are in and by controling them we can use both of them sucsessfuly, and both world in this way can complete eachother I think.
I hope i would,nt have alot of mistakes in my gramer and using the words,
Hello Jamie:
I really liked your article.
If I understand well,what approach is the question:
Experiences in lucid dreams is of lesser value than lived at vigil?
I believe that the answer lies in your writing:depends on the criteria used.
For example,use a criterion of reality:lucid dreams may have the same and even superior texture of reality.
On the other hand if we use a criterion of affetions, friendship:with the charactes of sleep probably are not beings with which to develop a relationship in extent and depth.
At the end everything is experience since subjetive does not mean fake but personal, and if you to feel happy, be better person, the welcome to be lucid dreams.
I don´t think you´re crazy, you´re only philosopher.
Bye, I wish you well.
Note:As always ,I hope that my grammar understandable,it is not easy to think of lenguage and write in another.
Hey Andres,
You’re right, it definitely depends what you look at when you compare the both worlds.
I think at the end of the day we have to appreciate both are important. I think it’s a shame for someone to miss out on the lucid dream memories.
I wish you well too, and your grammar is great. It’s easy to understand 🙂
Sorry for the repetition,but I thought that there was no published what I wrote.
I take this opportunity to ask you if you if you could write in the future something about the nature of the characters of sleep.To my when I go lucid dream characters let me talk and remain watching only happens to me.I admit that the majority of the times when it reached lucidity there is no people present and I dedicate myself to fly.
Thank you.
Sure, that’s a great suggestion. Thanks for bringing it up.
I know what you mean about dedicating yourself to flying. It’s sometimes hard to resist lol
Cheers
Hi Jamie.
I’ve been trying to have lucid dreams for quite a while now, but there was only one time when I got close to it.. well that was a long time ago and I abandoned my “lucid project” at the time. Anyway, recently i thought I’d start over and found your blog…
I never read anything about meditating for lucid dreaming before, but you made a pretty solid case for it so i’ll believe you 😀
Now the thing is, I can remember one dream/night usually without even using my dream journal, but meditation on the other hand is terrible…
Basically the problem is I can’t even silence my inner voice. I’ve tried (some of?) your techniques like using the back of my head as an anchor, focusing on my breath.
I can silence it longer when i hear a clock ticking (or anything distracting i guess) but that’s just a couple more seconds i gain.
So my question basically is this: Should i just continue trying (i just started, i know this needs time but i wanted to ask anyway), is the goal silencing it longer and longer, even if for like 10 seconds at first? It’s not that i start thinking about something, more like just random thoughts, maybe even just words popping up randomly.
Thanks, Alex.
PS.: I’ve read a book about a year ago, i can’t find it in english (i only get hungarian results, which is my language), but this book really goes into detail about the effects of lucid dreaming, possibilities and has a lot of stories from lucid dreamers.
The book is “Alktó álom” by Dr. Paul Tholey (It would translate to something like “Creative” or “Constructive”/”Creating” dream)
Hey Alex,
I think it’s hard for most people to silence the inner-voice. I know I struggled with it a long time. I think the only option is to stick with it and eventually you will eventually have great success.
I’ll check out the book. Thank you.
Hello Jamie:
Thank you for your generosity to the publish and the share your book.
The prospect of lucid dreams, more consistently, through your teaching is something big.
Now I shall dedicate myself to read( traslated) to practice.
Once again thank you.
Note:beatiful presentation and beatiful images.
Thank you, Andres.
Enjoy the book and let me know if you have any questions about anything.
Good luck!
Hey Jamie,
I just came across your blog, and I find it very interesting! According to certain teachings, we all live in a dream and indeed life in the physical world is a mere perception of ‘reality’. When we fall asleep, we go into the astral realm, which is no less ‘real’, but rather unknown and unexplored by many of us. I wonder, have you ever used brainwave entrainment as a means of aiding or enhancing your lucid dream experiences? I actually have an article on that, and would love to hear your thoughts: http://www.brainwavelove.com/knowledge-resources/brainwave-entrainment-for-lucid-dreaming/
Hey Ashton,
Thanks for your comment. It’s very interesting. I have heard a lot of theories and I find them interesting. I don’t know if any of them are real or not, but I certainly don’t think everything is as it seems.
Yeah, I sometimes use isochronic tones to get into the trance state. These days it’s mostly when I’m over-excited and need some help. I’ll pop over and leave a comment once I’ve read the article.
Cheers
Hi…I’m sorry but I just can’t help but to disagree w/ some parts of your article.
Yes…dream world is real, but the things that you dream aren’t, they’re just based on what you experience in the reality, without reality, there can be no dreams.
Yes, I agree that the dream world is a much better place but it’s because our id, desires and wants manifests in our dreams.
“What I’m trying to say is: the only thing different about the real world is the fact we need other people to make us feel happy. ” No. You’re wrong. You DON’T NEED OTHER PEOPLE to be happy. By doing what you love, by just being true to yourself and not caring of what other people think, You CAN be happy….with just YOU, in real world or not.
I get what you’re trying to say, and I’m not saying that you are crazy..just please..don’t lose sight of what’s real and what’s not. I know the dream world is amazing and almost PERFECT but..at the end of the day, you’ll still wake up and face the reality, whether you like it or not. Life can be such a bitch but..there’s nothing we can do, it’s life..and the shit of life is only temporary.
Again, I don’t mean to ’cause trouble or be disrespectful to you, I just stated my thoughts about your article.
Life is meant to be challenged and be accomplished, don’t escape from it.
Hey,
I think we actually agree on most parts, but it’s maybe the way you’ve interpreted the article that’s bringing up the disagreement.
I’m not trying to say we should ignore the real world. I’m just saying it’s crazy to ignore the dream world. We should enjoy both.
I’m not sure I would agree that reality creates dreams. I would say it’s our past experiences that create dreams. It’s true that most of them come from what we experience in reality, but sometimes the subconscious mind can create new things we haven’t experienced in the real world. Maybe it’s our imagination that creates some dream world experiences.
I’m glad you left a comment because disagreements can evolve into interesting discussions. At the end of the day we all have different opinions on many things. Thank you for dropping by and please feel free to air your thoughts in the future.