What are dreams? Are they memories, visions, glimpses into alternate realities or just an attempt to process collected data? None of the above or a bit of everything? According to the National Sleep Foundation, an average person dreams four to six times per night. Do you remember your dreams? I typically remember at least one. And they are quite a trip.
Humankind has always been fascinated with dreams. Countless research has been conducted in an attempt to understand the who, what, when, where and why. Who can dream? What makes us dream? When do our dreams occur? Where does our dreams take us? And…yes. Sometimes why?
Let’s look at the who. We homo sapiens dream. We all know dogs dream as well lol. I’m sure there’s more than a few of us who have been startled awake by our yellow lab Daisy kicking and whimpering in her sleep. I wonder what other animals dream. Do axolotls also dream of FNAF robotics creeping on you in the dark? Asking for a friend…
What causes us to dream? So after doing very brief research and taking a stroll down Ghost Train Haze Lane I discovered that dreams typically occur during R.E.M. Like the band you may ask? Yes, I do. Losing my religion and man in the moon are classics…yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Sorry.
So apparently, like the band, R.E.M. stands for rapid eye movement. This stage of sleeping usually occurs an hour to an hour and a half after falling asleep. So that means I’m typically flying like Neo at around 3:30 in the morning; although I have yet to obtain flights faster than a DJI Maverick 3 and that’s only if my arms are extended forward like Kal-El (Sorry Bruce!).
Throughout the dark night, your body typically goes through multiple stages of non-R.E.M. and R.E.M. sleep. According to Cleveland Clinic, non-R.E.M. happens first and consists of three stages; the last two of which are where you sleep deeply. An hour to an hour and a half later, in comes vivid dreaming. Pray to Morpheus that it includes teleportation abilities with remote viewing and the ability to fly. And Predator vision. Fingers crossed.
So there you are, flying through the troposphere ingesting countless microorganisms as you try to get a grip on the fact that you’re actually flying. Like legit 12 miles up racing to save the day while wearing your underwear outside of your pants. This is the stage where it is believed that if you were to realize that you were dreaming…you would be able to control the dream. Imagine the possibilities.
Let’s change lanes for a second.
And (here’s a slight elbow to the side), let’s freewright.
3.
2.
1.
Go.
Imagine if you dreamnt of a situation where conscripts were drafted due to an unforeseeable contingency. You. Were. One of those conscripts. And there was a T-14 Armata looking right at you. A vision like that could plant caution within the mind that could potentially grow into a decision that alters a current reality and sends the streamline ricocheting through the space-time continuum.
Fragments of reality racing through your mind. Past. Present. Future? All that you’ve seen and all that you could see. And you’re able to control it.
Yes, I’ve experienced a few of those. And they are amazing.
Now, I probably sound like I need an XL straight-jacet and more than a few pillows on the wall. IDC. Like SARS-CoV-2, this needs to be placed back under the microscope and reevaluated.
Just not right now though. Throwing back a few, chatting with Mary and downing Juggernod atm. Send me your thoughts if you wish. Or tips on controlling vivid dreams. Or experiences/dreams/visions/etc that you’ve experienced. Or whether you would like me to continue elaborating on the who, what, when, where and why. Would love to hear your thoughts.
Until then…may the Speed Force be with you.
360 Observer 