Song of the Week:
Maple Syrup Tears by: Jon Huron
Bill Cypher
There are two types of people in the world: those who can sleep as soon as their head hits the pillow and then there are the unlucky ones like me, whose brain decides that bedtime is the perfect time to replay ever tiny detail of the day. Call it anxiety, call it a sleeping disorder; I call it the curse of an overactive mind. What truly frustrates me is the time it takes to finally drift off. I get so excited to sleep, to fall into multiverse versions of myself or enter the Mindscape alongside Bill.
If you haven’t delved into the new Gravity Falls content, you are missing out big time. It tackles the very questions that philosophers and the curious minds alike like to ponder: What is reality? How can we distinguish the real from the dream? I mean, why do we even dream? I like to think I know the answers… but then again, how can I be sure?
Dream, Dream, Dream
My dreams weave wacky, nonsensical storylines, sometimes tinged with an element of scare. When I recount them, it is clear they could never happen in reality. Perhaps that’s because they don’t—it happened in the Mindscape, the realm between ours and Bill’s, the dream demon’s domain. The Mindscape doesn’t have rules you can conjure up anything without the physical or the judicial laws getting in the way. Which sounds a lot like how dreams are created.
In reality, we are bound by laws of physics and gravity. However, there is another element— element of life, or in the Book of Bill calls it, stories. This is where emotions and aspects of human nature come into play. Concepts like love and friendship, loyalty and betrayal—ideas that humans grasp instinctively but are unexplainable to non-humanoids. The are just as real as the laws we are bound to even if they cannot be seen. These elements help us distinguish reality from dreams even if the lines sometimes blur. Dreams are conceived from our wildest imagination and an intangible understanding of why events unfold as they, clearly belong to the Mindscape realm.
But the bigger question still looms: why do we dream? And why do some people not dream at all? I’ve met people who don’t dream, which I find strange. Or maybe it’s me who is strange for thinking not dreaming is odd. I’m not sure.
How well do you dream?
On average, I’d say I dream once a week, maybe more if I could remember them when I wake up—but by the time I try they poof! vanish into thin air. I’ve heard others describe their dreams in third person or even second, but mine are always in first person. I am directly interacting with people, and they are directly interacting with me. I have tried to control myself in my dreams, yet it feels more like I am following a storyline, doing whatever the plot dictates. If I try and change something, the entire plot/dream shifts. And through it all, I can recall the emotions—fear, being chased—even when I wake up. Researchers say that this is healthy sleep that dreams do make people feel and recall real-life events in bizarre ways.
Back in 1950s, scientists first discovered REM sleeping because of the eye movement from babies. Since then, we’ve made significant advancements in technology, to enable us to better understand brain function, from emitting low-light waves to beta waves and the importance of REM sleep needed to be a functional adult. Personally, I think I’d be the perfect candidate for a sleep study — I mean, who wouldn’t want to get paid to sleep and learn about their brain? Add me to the list! However, despite scientists’ best efforts to understand our sleep cycle, the mystery of why we dream is unexplained. While various theories about why we dream revolve around a processing effect of real-life and all its emotions. None to me serve as the icing on the cake for why the brain can conjure up mixed realities.
Since I can’t fully remember my dreams, a part of me wonders if I’m missing out on something important — maybe even a clue to that hidden mystery. Could dreams just be fleeting illusions with intense emotions, or could they be a profound window into the true nature of our reality?
Thank you for joining me on this journey at The Unfinished Times. Don’t forget to follow me for more insightful content, give a shout-out to spread the word, and consider signing up for our Co-Collective to be part of our vibrant community. And if you missed any posts from previous weeks, take a moment to catch up! Let’s continue exploring, sharing, and growing together! Lots of life-ing is happening, so all I ask is a bit of grace<3 See you in the next post~ byeee
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