Emily Tucker- Random thoughts about dreams

     Dreams have come up a couple of times in our discussion of heroes journeys and myths. Dreams are one of the most abstract concepts in the real world in my opinion. How do they happen? What causes them? Why do I dream some nights, but don't others? As one does, I decided to ask Google "what are dreams?" According to google, "Dreams are mental, emotional, or sensory experiences that occur during sleep, characterized by a series of images, thoughts, emotions, and sensations, that often feel real and vivid to the dreamer." Based on this definition, I would infer that dreams are at least somewhat related to our thoughts, feelings, circumstances. But then why do my dreams sometimes seem to relate to something so far outside anything in my life? One explanation would be that dreams are a reflection of our unconscious, which I guess is fitting considering according to Google's definition, dreams occur during sleep. Nevertheless, I wouldn't necessarily rely solely on Google's definition of a dream because it limits dreams to sleep. In class, Dr. Redick told us stories of epiphanies or dreams he had that weren't always while he was sleeping. Furthermore, this led me to think about whether or not dreams can be linked with deja vu. Both are difficult to describe or define. They are both feelings that seem to be communicating something unfamiliar to us that feels familiar. In ancient times and myths, dreams were a form of communication between the Divine and the Human world. However, they seem told hold infinitely less significance in the twenty-first century. Scientists are unable to explain all aspects around dreams, how they occur, why they occur, etc. I wonder if the inability to explain them is what gives them more fascination. If we were able to fully explain dreams, would they cease to exist? Additionally, is there a huge difference between dreams and nightmares besides the fact that nightmares are scary. All of this is very fascinating but also confusing to me. As a child, I had terrifying nightmares regularly, but now that I think about it, I don't know the last time I had a dream at all.  

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Kip Redick Example of a Blog Post

 Page 4 Michael Taussig would suggest Juan's understanding of the meaning of a place emerges out of the process of an imitation of all the “differences” that we discern there. We mimic (in language and action) the full range of sounds, movements, and other sensory perceptions that come to us from the more than human world.” It’s hard to put a place that strikes us as sublime into mere words; we can try to describe it as a feeling and try to put language to that feeling, but sometimes the feeling of the beauty of nature or the power of a sacred space is too big to try to translate or make sense of. Would every place and experience be subjective, and would the discourse be the same? Would the mountain top make me feel the same as another? Or does my personal experience with the natural world and divine keep it intimate/ unique, or would my experience be relatable enough? The author uses the messiness, ambiguity, and mystery of people's deeply personal experience of ...
Read more

Rose Baker - Herbert's "Dune" and Martyrs

  In class, we talked about Jesus and Christianity as an example of myth. Myths and martyrs are dangerous to systems of control because even if they’re suppressed, they can survive and grow stronger. They last because they’re tied to belief, memory, and emotion---things you can’t fully erase. That’s what makes them more powerful than systems built on forced order or control. Even though much of the early church died gruesome deaths, and were consistently ordered to stop spreading the gospel, the "myth" of Jesus has continued for over 2000 years.      In Frank Herbert's  Dune , we see something similar. The Bene Gesserit know how powerful myths can be, and instead of waiting for one to form naturally, they build one on purpose. Through the Missionaria Protectiva , they plant stories and prophecies across different cultures, preparing the world for someone to fulfill the one part they can't fabricate, the living, breathing "savior" who must be visible and prov...
Read more

Joanah Eresechima - Blue Lock's Exploration of Flow

In the sixth chapter of American Camino , the concept of flow is extensively explained in the context of spiritual walking. It is described as unification of action and awareness to create a state in which thoughts are non-existent. The hiker just moves through the world, extremely aware and focused on the wilderness around them but unable to thoroughly reflect on it in that moment. It is only afterwards that the hiker is able to recall the memories from their flow state. Flow can occur in different types of people like artists, scientists and athletes (Redick 249). I was actually very surprised to see this term in the book because it becomes one of the central components in a manga I read called Blue Lock. The story followed a boy named Isagi Yoichi, a high school soccer player who got a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to join a soccer program called Blue Lock meant to create the greatest striker in the world. Out of 300 players, he was ranked 299 th , making him one of the weakest p...
Read more