[ I ]
Something to brood over
Every
dream is not alike. Geographically, creatively and even temporally,
most dreams differ in large magnitudes. Indeed,
the very system of physics seems to differ among different dreams.
Every dream could in fact contain a universe of its own. How would
you possibly even grasp at something to say '”this is my starting
position!”? The solution is the oft-applied (and oft-enforced)
guideline of forgetting everything that you know.
Welcome. Is it possible, now, to provide ourselves with a set of
static variables which are 'felt' by every dreamer?
I say 'felt' because I am at a loss for words; these variables could
well be completely intangible in our waking state, and sensing them
could be beyond the boundaries of our ordinarily espoused senses.
Consider now a completely different metric, something which we might
not yet be able to define. An example would be the dream-ending trigger of death – something known to anyone who has ever dreamed. Death automatically wakes up the dreamer. Now
this is a global static variable, this 'death trigger.' Could, then,
the death trigger be quantified? Could it be traded with? Could it
be monetized?
It
is remarkable to think of a dreamscape wherein the mind of the
dreamer processes data – useful data amidst what is seemingly
nonsense (FOR NOW); data which can be quantified; data which might
have applications in the dream world or even the real, waking world. The
'DreamCoin,' is the logical, hack-y name for the inevitable outcome,
named along the lines of a popular online currency. The similarity
between the two is striking; there's a certain almost-shadowy
vagueness to them. Both use processing or thinking power
to 'mine' information. Stuck as we are on our shrinking planet (FOR
NOW), the Internet and the
Within (which is enriched by meditation, spirituality, eco-friendly living
and the speculated 'network of dreamscapes,' along with an infinite number of recently-revived soulful activities and fads) seem to be the best fields for those looking
for exploratory roles in today's life.
An
entire economy could develop based on dream-based services. While not
entirely original, the idea of productivity within one's dreaming
hours is forever going to remain an attractive and threateningly
inconceivable one. Like the white, unmarked territory of most of Africa in
Joseph Conrad's seminal Heart of Darkness, the
dreamscape 'topology' (in metrics of dream-deaths! in metrics of
lucid-dream success rate!) would be fresh adventure, ready for people to
make their fortune all in their minds. An
assuredly formidable change – an age defining change
– will follow.
The
Internet, the already-evolved cousin of our 'dreamscape network' can
aid in its formation. Forums could (and already do) discuss lucid
dreaming. Simple phone apps and diaries can log dreams. A network can
be formed out of a group of dreamers who decide to 'map' the
'dreamscape topology' on their own, probably just for kicks, possibly
making their fortune along the way. Not unlike the sheer aesthetic
charm (as well as the suspicion that they aid in the development of
reflexes and hand-eye coordination) that makes us not think of video
gaming as truly 'bad,' the yet-in-development art of lucid dreaming
would draw both casual once-a-month dreamers and hardcore
'awake-all-day' dreamers, as well as a particularly harsh crowd of
naysayers and jeer-ers. One day, two people may meet in their sleep.
Lucid
dreaming and dream-sharing can turn into a trend: a trend as
widespread as the social network revolution, bringing us what can be
perceived as a superpower – until, of course, the trend is large
enough for everyone to
wield the power, making it normative and finally sealing it
as the next step in our evolution.
All this power is completely beyond the jurisdiction of anything man
has yet defined, and starting now, the bored millennial generations
can finally find something to truly do when
they're restless on their beds at night. Maybe one day, the wildest
dream out of the mind of a three-year-old child could prove to be
prophecy for the world!
