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Would you choose a life In dreams or normal reality?

[Deleted User]

If you had a choice between permanent consciousness or permanent dreams, which would you choose?

Permanent reality consists of life as you currently perceive it, sober and scientific, without intoxicants and hallucinogens, or any psychoactive drugs whatever. You can sleep but not dream, you can only see what your waking senses allow.

Or, you can live in a permanent dream state. You can change shapes, become invincible, maybe you can fly, and presumably experience all of the ordinary human emotions. This life is in a constant flux, very surreal, and sometimes creates frightening or thrilling experiences.

Suppose you have no prior family connections. You can probably develop recurring characters in dreams, just as in real life.

Which would you see as the more satisfying and worthwhile?

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AllForIt

Zaph wrote: »

I've never once remembered a dream in my whole life, or perhaps I don't dream at all, which means the first option wouldn't be any different for me so I'll take that.

Eat cheese before going to bed.

You can even choose which kind of dream you'd like to have by eating the appropriate type of cheese.

https://www.dreams.co.uk/sleep-matters-club/eating-cheese-bedtime-really-give-nightmares/

Personally I find If I eat something half and hour before bed I am more likely to have a dream.

Zaph

AllForIt wrote: »

Eat cheese before going to bed.

You can even choose which kind of dream you'd like to have by eating the appropriate type of cheese.

https://www.dreams.co.uk/sleep-matters-club/eating-cheese-bedtime-really-give-nightmares/

Personally I find If I eat something half and hour before bed I am more likely to have a dream.

Yeah, but that suggests that I want to have dreams. I've never had, or least never remembered them and I'm fine with that. From reading about it I suspect I have aphantasia, which is the inability to visualise things in my mind. Until I read about it a couple of years ago I never realised that people actually see things in their head and it's not just a figure of speech. I would guess there's some sort of connection between it and not having/remembering dreams.

Plus I'm not a huge fan of cheese.

[Deleted User]

Zaph wrote: »

Yeah, but that suggests that I want to have dreams. I've never had, or least never remembered them and I'm fine with that. Until I read about it a couple of years ago I never realised that people actually see things in their head and it's not just a figure of speech. I would guess there's some sort of connection between it and not having/remembering dreams.

Plus I'm not a huge fan of cheese.

Very interesting. Do you think in words?
I can visualise in my mind but I can't describe how I actually think. I'm lying in bed (sprained ankle) and the inside of my head has an awful lot of thoughts and feelings but they are kind shapeless things.

*I had to delete part of your post because it contained a url. Turns out "new" posters can't use them*

AllForIt

Zaph wrote: »

Yeah, but that suggests that I want to have dreams. I've never had, or least never remembered them and I'm fine with that. From reading about it I suspect I have aphantasia, which is the inability to visualise things in my mind. Until I read about it a couple of years ago I never realised that people actually see things in their head and it's not just a figure of speech. I would guess there's some sort of connection between it and not having/remembering dreams.

Plus I'm not a huge fan of cheese.

Interesting. I'm the complete opposite. Total dreamer day and night and I eat cheese daily.

Opposites attract don't they...;)

endacl

A Tyrant Named Miltiades! wrote: »

If you had a choice between permanent consciousness or permanent dreams, which would you choose?

Permanent reality consists of life as you currently perceive it, sober and scientific, without intoxicants and hallucinogens, or any psychoactive drugs whatever. You can sleep but not dream, you can only see what your waking senses allow.

Or, you can live in a permanent dream state. You can change shapes, become invincible, maybe you can fly, and presumably experience all of the ordinary human emotions. This life is in a constant flux, very surreal, and sometimes creates frightening or thrilling experiences.

Suppose you have no prior family connections. You can probably develop recurring characters in dreams, just as in real life.

Which would you see as the more satisfying and worthwhile?

Which would I choose? Reality or psychosis?
https://www.bmj.com/rapid-response/2011/11/01/schizophrenia-waking-reality-processed-through-dreaming-brain

Ummmmm.....

o1s1n

Zaph wrote: »

I never realised that people actually see things in their head and it's not just a figure of speech.

That's actually really fascinating and must have been one strange realisation!

Do you find you've bad spacial relations as a matter of interest? How are your drawing skills?

I always wondered how much of drawing ability was based on being able to visualise in your mind first.

nthclare

Luckily for me I fantasize a lot and live in the Burren and not afraid of hardship like wet days, windswept beaches, hurricanes etc as I love it here.

I love getting away from the modern mindset, some bushcraft, surfing, fishing camping etc

So I'm living the way I want to.

Enjoy the silence

Zaph

Deleted User wrote: »

Very interesting. Do you think in words?
I can visualise in my mind but I can't describe how I actually think. I'm lying in bed (sprained ankle) and the inside of my head has an awful lot of thoughts and feelings but they are kind shapeless things.

I've never really thought about it, but I suppose I do. I certainly don't think in images or visualise stuff. And I can literally think about nothing at times. My wife has a very active mind and has all sorts of mad dreams, and for a long time she didn't believe me if I said I wasn't thinking about anything as she'd always have stuff swirling about in her head.

o1s1n wrote: »

That's actually really fascinating and must have been one strange realisation!

Do you find you've bad spacial relations as a matter of interest? How are your drawing skills?

I always wondered how much of drawing ability was based on being able to visualise in your mind first.

It was surprising when I found that out - not in a Eureka! sort of moment that I finally had an explanation as to how my mind works, but more of a Really? sense of curiosity that people really do see things in their head. It probably amused me more than anything.

I can't draw to save my life - I failed art in the Inter Cert (that's the one before it became the Junior Cert kids), which I believe was a near impossibility, but that was more down to lack of talent than inability to visualise. I couldn't draw a still life object sitting in front of me any better than trying to draw it by visualising it. I only did art in the Inter because it was compulsory in my school, I wouldn't have otherwise as I knew how crap I was at it.

But on the other side, I always did very well at spatial relations type questions in aptitude tests, so I don't think that's impacted by my lack of visualisation. Or at least I'm able to compensate for it through my reasoning skills if it is.

[Deleted User]

endacl wrote: »

Which would I choose? Reality or psychosis?
https://www.bmj.com/rapid-response/2011/11/01/schizophrenia-waking-reality-processed-through-dreaming-brain

Ummmmm.....

Hmm, that's an article on schizophrenia, which is slightly different. The problem with schizophrenia is that the person experiencing it is living both in a dream world and the real world, so the distorted interior world is totally misaligned with the external world. In the dream state, that is not the case.

As for psychosis, I'd try to avoid that word because it sounds more frightening than is necessary. People take recreational psychoactive drugs, in part, to induce psychosis. Even MDMA can induce quite a pleasurable psychosis, or at least, typically a harmless one; so the word has some connotations it doesn't deserve.

Kylta

Black Swan wrote: »

Blue or red pill?

One pill makes you smaller and one pill makes you small. But the green pill makes the monster at our call

quickbeam

Was reading about aphantasia recently and it's quite fascinating. I don't have it, but on a spectrum, I'd be close. I definitely don't see much in detail in my imagination. And long descriptive passages in books tend to bore me.

I also learned at the same time that some people lack an inner monologue. On that, I'd not even be close. My mind never, ever shuts up. It'd be nice to have some quiet head time sometimes, but it's not to be.

I'm reminded of the scene in the film What Women Want where Mel Gibson heard all women's thoughts. Except for two women, and the joke was that they were so stupid that they had no thoughts. Actually, if some people don't have inner monologues, regardless of intellegence, it'd be quite possible Gibson's character to just have nothing to hear from them.

I think it's weird how we can go through life and just assume that we're all relatively the same and then learn that some people have no mind's eye or no inner monologue when we just take it for granted.

quickbeam

Sorry, what was the question :pac:

I'd choose constant consciousness.

Eduard Khil

Dreams are fun and can be pretty ****ed up but reality is where they can become real I choose reality.

Kylta

A Tyrant Named Miltiades! wrote: »

If you had a choice between permanent consciousness or permanent dreams, which would you choose?

Permanent reality consists of life as you currently perceive it, sober and scientific, without intoxicants and hallucinogens, or any psychoactive drugs whatever. You can sleep but not dream, you can only see what your waking senses allow.

Or, you can live in a permanent dream state. You can change shapes, become invincible, maybe you can fly, and presumably experience all of the ordinary human emotions. This life is in a constant flux, very surreal, and sometimes creates frightening or thrilling experiences.

Suppose you have no prior family connections. You can probably develop recurring characters in dreams, just as in real life.

Which would you see as the more satisfying and worthwhile?

When I was younger I went on many a trip. but how do we know we're not actually living in a dream at this very moment. Its possible that we're part of somebodys everlasting trip/dream. We are a figment of Mr Trippys weird and wonderful imagination.

The Raging Bile Duct

I've got a wife I love, 2 kids I adore, good friends and family, great books and a banging record collection. Real life every time.

Bobblehats

The Raging Bile Duct wrote: »

I've got a wife I love, 2 kids I adore, good friends and family, great books and a banging record collection. Real life every time.

Oh man you’re living the dream

Gruffalux

Dreams are fun but very tiring. And there is all that running where you can never move fast enough and have to grasp the ground to try and pull yourself forward faster. Blah. Don't like.
Permanent consciousness does not preclude imagination. Remember when you were wide awake as a small child and stood at the edge of a puddle. The casual psychedelia of it. Remember if you stepped in with bare feet how intense the warm mud felt. The warm mud is still there now.

SEPT 23 1989

If you want to see what your brain can do when you sleep have a bit of strong cheddar cheese just before bedtime

Would I like to be there permanently

No

But it's amazing to see what power is there untapped

Future generations will use it

quickbeam

I love cheese. I've never noticed it make any difference to my dreams.

kowloon

I'd like to be able to remember my dreams. I've had waking dreams adn sleep paralysis when I was on some medications. Once had the blue flashing light from a computer reflecting off the ceiling turn into a sleep paralysis dream type thing where I was drowning. That sucked.

I'm not swayed by either option at the moment.

The Raging Bile Duct

Bobblehats wrote: »

Oh man you’re living the dream

Sh1t. I better not wake up!!!

[Deleted User]

Gruffalox wrote: »

Dreams are fun but very tiring. And there is all that running where you can never move fast enough and have to grasp the ground to try and pull yourself forward faster. Blah. Don't like.
Permanent consciousness does not preclude imagination. Remember when you were wide awake as a small child and stood at the edge of a puddle. The casual psychedelia of it. Remember if you stepped in with bare feet how intense the warm mud felt. The warm mud is still there now.

Oh yeah, we have the best of both worlds now, but the point is what if you had to choose? It's not so much normal life vs dreams, but Dreams -v- Normal life – (dreams + vivid imagination + alcohol + drugs)

In the latter case, you would have an imagination, but quite superficial and functional.

Kylta wrote: »

When I was younger I went on many a trip. but how do we know we're not actually living in a dream at this very moment. Its possible that we're part of somebodys everlasting trip/dream. We are a figment of Mr Trippys weird and wonderful imagination.

I don't know about you, but I tend not to even ask that question. It's like asking what happened before the big bang. It doesn't matter if this is just a computer simulation. Just find a philosophy and live your life by it, it can be anything you want. Theres no objectively best way to live, nor any objective purpose. Just find a purpose you can get behind, and stick with it in good faith. Jean Paul Sartre innit.

That's why the Holy Joe's and the atheists annoy me, always at each other's throats. Nobody knows anything, and so it doesn't matter what you believe. Just believe in something and be consistent with it.

Kylta

A Tyrant Named Miltiades! wrote: »

Oh yeah, we have the best of both worlds now, but the point is what if you had to choose? It's not so much normal life vs dreams, but Dreams -v- Normal life – (dreams + vivid imagination + alcohol + drugs)

In the latter case, you would have an imagination, but quite superficial and functional.

I don't know about you, but I tend not to even ask that question. It's like asking what happened before the big bang. It doesn't matter if this is just a computer simulation. Just find a philosophy and live your life by it, it can be anything you want. Theres no objectively best way to live, nor any objective purpose. Just find a purpose you can get behind, and stick with it in good faith. Jean Paul Sartre innit.

That's why the Holy Joe's and the atheists annoy me, always at each other's throats. Nobody knows anything, and so it doesn't matter what you believe. Just believe in something and be consistent with it.

If you believe in nothing is that a formof belief

[Deleted User]

Kylta wrote: »

If you believe in nothing is that a formof belief

I don't think so, not if you still have opinions. If you have opinions you have to organise them into a consistent structure.

You can believe that there is no single purpose to life, which there isnt, but if you don't put your own meaning on it, you're just a twig in a river, turning this way and that. You're just a prisoner of someone else's world, you might as well be in a dream.

GeorgeSmt

Normal reality, with dreams