The Requiem

"Why does the eye see things more clearly in dreams than in imagination when awake?" - Leonardo Da Vinci

"These waxing hours of the night/morning are when my thoughts become most active. I cannot remain taciturn in my thoughts in this time, more so than the usual banter I spout during the day. With these blogs, I've decided to take a hiatus from posting poetry, and post more about what I may be thinking when I write these.

With this inaugural article, I have chosen the topic of sleep and the mysteries that are our dreams. Why is it that our dreams can please and torment us so? And why is it, as Da Vinci stated, can we see more clearly in dreams than that in our imaginations? That, my friends, is a question I cannot answer. Let's take me, for example. Recently, I've had a bout of dreams that can only be classified as "dream-mares." These dreams have involved a person from my past, who played a very important and very special role in my past, and these dreams involve scenarios where, seemingly, nothing has changed from the past until present. However, in real time, things have very much changed, and as much as these dreams gave me warm feelings within my soul, the moment I would awaken from my slumber would prove to be heart-breaking.

I pose this question - why do our dreams and minds turn on us? We seemingly know that we desire something or desire to repel something when we are conscious, but as soon as we float away, towards that tantalizing goal of the REM, those inhibitions melt away and that which we do not desire pounces upon us. It is truly a mystery how the human mind works, and an even bigger mystery how the human heart can sway the mind so easily.

Could our dreams be a portal to some alternate universe or dimension? Could dreams be the cause of deja vu? Fortunately, we do not live in the Matrix, where deja vu equals a glitch - or does it? These are theories i have been mulling since junior year psychology. The famous philosopher Rene Descartes once said, "Dubito, ergo cogito, ergo sum," which translates to "I doubt, therefore I think, therefore I am." To expand on that, does our ability to dream prove our ability to think, proving our existence? Does this provide the link to duality between mind and matter? God only knows.

This pondering may be result of me not reaching the REM stage for several days, but I know that I am cognizant as I compose this. Next time you catch yourself daydreaming, compare your daydream to the dreams of the night and find which has more clarity. Hopefully, prayerfully, your dreams will not turn on you as they have me, because if you're like me, and you love your sleep, it will be a beast to lose it."

I wrote this blog over three years ago, and while the subjects of said "dream-mares" have come and gone, the issue remains the same. Having viewed "Inception" several times has also caused me to re-evaluate my dream state. It's amazing that in three years' time, so much has changed in reality, but in the dream world, it's been a pretty solid continuity.

-Jude